Giro Supernatural Road Cycling Mitt

The Giro Supernatural Road Cycling Mitts are excellent, with a perfect fit for me, and very comfortable thanks to the Elastic Interface Palm which does a great job of soaking up vibrations from the road. All of this does come at a high price, though.

These gloves are an excellent fit for me. They're also lightweight and low profile, and the palms mould to the shape of your hands, which prevents bunching of the material. The low-profile nature and textured palm help maintain good handlebar feel which can often be a compromise on padded mitts. The palms being seamless also prevents any discomfort or irritation.

The upper – the back of the hand – is made of a breathable mesh which helps keep the hands cool while riding. I never had any issues overheating, though the warmest it got to during testing was a spring-like 18-19°C.

Mitts are very much a personal preference, with some people wanting zero padding and others wanting lots of it. Personally, I prefer plenty of padding otherwise I tend to get numb hands. The padding here is made by the Italian company Elastic Interface, which makes the padded inserts used in many brands of cycling shorts.

The seamless multi-density foam is designed to protect arterial circulation and reduce common discomforts. There are several areas of padding: across the bottom of the fingers, on the thumb and two areas on the heel of your hand. I found it worked well to damp any vibrations. This was most noticeable on some long five-hour rides on the bumpy back lanes of Wales. I didn't suffer from numb hands or any discomfort, something I often do on long rides.

> Buyer’s Guide: 10 of the best summer cycling gloves

They have all the other features you'd expect on a high-end pair of mitts such as a nose-wipe on the thumb, and pull tabs on the fingers and wrist which work well in making them easier to get on and off, as well as a Velcro closure.

There are some reflective parts on the wrist and finger, too, to improve visibility.

Size-wise, these mediums fitted my average sized hands perfectly and in line with the size guide. They are available in five different sizes and five different colours.

Value

At £59.99, there is no denying these are an expensive pair of summer mitts. However, the competition that use the same Elastic Interface Palm technology also don't come exactly cheap, such as the Q36.5 Unique gloves that Mat tested last year. In fact those are slightly more expensive, with one official UK stockist listing them at £62, another at £64.99. But the dhb Aeron Mitts with the same technology are cheaper at £40.

Conclusion

Overall, these are a great pair of mitts. The Elastic Interface Palm does a good job at protecting your hands from vibrations, while the excellent fit and seamless construction make them very comfortable. If you are happy to spend that bit extra, then you'll get a great pair of mitts for your money.

Verdict

Excellent mitts with a great fit and very comfortable, though they don't come cheap