Gorewear Gore-Tex Infinium Thermo Split Gloves

The Gorewear Gore-Tex Infinium Thermo Split Gloves are the warmest gloves in the company's range. They are water repellent rather than fully waterproof – but in dry weather they are the warmest gloves I've ever tried. There are some inherent downsides to the lobster-type design, but for me these are easily outweighed by having toasty fingers in sub-zero temperatures.

Want warm and snug fingers this winter? Our best winter cycling gloves buyer's guide covers gloves for all sorts of riders at a wide range of prices.

The first thing to remember about these is that they are not waterproof – and after riding for an hour in drizzle I could feel moisture seeping through. If you want fully waterproof gloves Gorewear does make the full-fingered C5 foul-weather gloves I reviewed recently.

Though the C5 gloves are more waterproof – the Infiniums are definitely warmer if you keep them dry. When they get wet, then there's increased windchill and they lose some of their thermo-ness.

Windproof membrane

The outer skin of these gloves is made from Gore-Tex Infinium Windstopper. The main difference between this windproof and water-resistant fabric and the waterproof Gore-Tex material that the C5s are made from is that the Infinium's membrane pores are larger. Each of the nine billion pores per square inch are smaller than a drop of water but larger than water vapour, which is what your sweat is. In the case of GT Infinium Windstopper, the pores are 900 times larger than sweat, according to Gorewear, whereas in the case of the C5's waterproof Gore-Tex material, the pores are 700 times larger. I hope you're taking notes...

The advantage of larger pores is increased breathability – more sweat can escape through larger holes. There is always a flip side of course, which in this case is that more water can get in.

Warmth

These gloves are lined with a PrimaLoft filling. The filling is thicker on the back of the hand and thinner on the palm, to make them feel less bulky in use – and in practice the combination works well.

The most obvious feature of these gloves is their split design, the aim of which is to help keep your fingers warmer than with a normal five-finger – or four-finger and one-thumb design if you're feeling pedantic – design. Your thumb and index finger are individually wrapped like a normal glove, while the other three fingers are individually lined, but they're then wrapped in the Windstopper fabric together.

There is an obvious trade-off here – yes, you're gaining warmth, but in return you're giving up some dexterity. And for me, the trade-off is well worth it when the conditions warrant it – though I know not everyone's a fan of the lobster-style format.

Temperature

In terms of temperature range, these come into their own in sub-zero, dry conditions and two weeks of my testing period fell perfectly into that range. The coldest temperature my Karoo reported during this period was -6°C for a night ride on the Mendips, where my hands were just fine. I also used them for skiing in the Alps at Christmas, where again, my hands were fine, though we didn't get any 'extreme' temperatures, well, nothing below -10°C. Anything below that and I'd have needed proper ski mitts, but these aren't the sorts of temperatures or conditions we often encounter in Britain.

For context, while I don't suffer from Raynaud's or anything similar, my hands don't run particularly warm.

Dexterity

The top of the thumb and index finger are made from touchscreen-sensitive material, but frankly, trying to use a phone with these on for anything other than the most basic operation makes for a frustrating experience. They're warm, so they're bulky – there's just really no way around that.

Features

The neoprene cuffs are wide enough to get your hands in and out of easily, though tight enough to fit under the cuff of your jacket without much faff. I found the latter easier than with the C5's Velcro-adjustable cuffs.

This is counter-intuitive to me; surely a waterproof glove should be designed to go under a jacket cuff more easily, whereas for a windproof glove it's not so important? Anyway, I digress...

These gloves are available in black or neon-yellow and they sport small reflective details. I'm told the neon-yellow test gloves were brilliant for being spotted on the slopes, and I'm pretty confident the colour would work equally well for indicating in traffic.

There are durable wear panels on the palm and silicone grips on the fingers.

Sizing

I usually a medium/size 8 in gloves, which is what our test gloves are, and they were spot on for me. They run true to size and fit going by Gorewear's guide.

In use

Having had the pleasure of trying both the C5s and these I'm well placed to comment on the actual experience of wearing these gloves during a wide variety of conditions.

If it's dry and the mercury is below zero, then I'd go for the Infiniums. If it's above zero, or wet, then the C5s are the right glove. The C5s do also work when it's dry and below zero, but they're not quite as toasty and not quite as breathable.

Do you need the Infiniums? No – the C5s are more versatile. Did I enjoy wearing them? Hell, yes!

Value

The £74.99 price is not cheap for a pair of gloves, especially given they are not waterproof.

We've reviewed other lobster-style gloves that were cheaper, for example the £54.95 GripGrab Ride Windproof Deep Winter Lobster Gloves that Stu found suitably warm.

GripGrab also makes the warmer still Nordic 2 Windproof Deep Winter Lobster Gloves. And while Vecchiojo appreciated their warmth and comfort, he found their dexterity limited. These come in at the same price as the Infiniums.

But you don't have to spend this much. John tested the Galibier Barrier Deep Winter Gloves a few winters ago. But they still only cost only £32.68 and are our winter favourites.

Conclusion

The Gorewear Gore-Tex Infinium Thermo Gloves are lovely to wear and work really well in dry sub-zero conditions, though their lack of waterproofing does somewhat limit their use.

They are far from cheap though, so I wouldn't recommend buying them as your only winter glove – unless you never ride in the rain.

If you have the budget, and you want something to keep your hands super toasty in very cold but dry conditions, or you suffer from Raynaud's and need more protection, then these work very well indeed.

Verdict

Easy-to-live-with gloves for dry, sub-zero conditions