Tenn Outdoors Fingerless Cycling Mitts

I'd not heard of Tenn until very recently, but they sell stuff direct from their website or via Amazon and Halfords. Some of their kit is ok and some of it is good - I really liked their Sprint Jersey which I reviewed recently, but these Tenn Outdoors Fingerless Cycling Mitts made me grateful for specialist retailers, because they really are dreadful.

Style-wise these are a pretty sturdy pair of mitts; they're certainly not ultra lightweight racing gloves. The plain blue and black is understated and the reflective piping around the thumb is a nice touch.

The grippy palm has lots of gel pads, you get finger loops, a neoprene cuff, velcro closure and plenty of snot wipe on the thumb. It all sounds good, until you put them on...

On my first ride I managed ten minutes before hauling them off because they were so damn uncomfortable. The palm, with all those gel pads, feels very stiff, as if someone has taped some camping mat to your hand, and despite being a size bigger than the Tenn website suggested I needed (Large rather than Medium) they cut into the webbing between my fingers, left seam prints down my hand, even after a short ride, and restricted circulation so effectively that they left my thumb and fingers feeling cold and numb.

Just as a test I put them palm to palm with my usual gloves (Craft Pave, Medium) and the size looked about right, it's just the cut and design that is at fault. They feel like a bad impression of a cycling mitt, rather than a well thought-out product designed by people who ride. I managed a short audax (100k) but mostly I commuted in them. Either way, I was glad to get them off after every ride.

At full retail (£15) these would be a bad joke; you can get plenty of decent quality gloves for that kind of money, but it seems that Halfords and Amazon have them for a more reasonable £8. That puts them firmly in the bargain basement, although we're still only talking a few quid less than something wearable from the likes of Altura.

It would be easy to appear snobbish about kit sold by non-specialist retailers; I mean we'd all rather be in Assos or Rapha dahling. I'd be the first to cheer for some good quality cheap kit being punted out through regular retail outlets though. It's great for people just starting out and perhaps intimidated by specialist retailers or the local LBS, or those without a lot of spare cash to splash.

The one review posted on Halfords is from someone who bought them for painting, which perhaps tells you about the target market and what they're best suited for. Avoid.

Verdict

So uncomfortable you'll want them off before you've got them on.