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Alé Aria Gloves

8
£30.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Simple summer gloves that give great results in minimalist fashion
Weight: 
35g
Contact: 

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Alé Aria Summer Gloves are an excellent example of why sometimes things should just be kept simple. A bit of Lycra, a hardwearing palm and subtle padding make the Arias barely noticeable in use, which is great for mitt and non-mitt wearers.

Testing policy at road.cc is that if the product is something you wouldn't normally use, you're unlikely to be given it to test. If you wouldn't choose the product in the first place, it would be on the back foot from the start. Sometimes, though, it's nice to get the chance to be converted – and that's what the Arias have done for me.

> Find your nearest dealer here

When I started riding I always wore gloves – thinking back to my first 'racer', a 5-speed Apollo Crusader at the age of eight, I can still recall the black pair I had. They made me feel proper pro when racing around the housing estate against the BMXs and mountain bikes.

Since then, though, my use of the short-fingered mitt has been in steady decline for reasons I don't really know – well, okay, tan lines is one of them! I also like to feel everything that is going on with the bike, so I avoid thickly padded gloves that mute things.

The Arias fit the bill, though. The palm is lightly padded, just slightly thicker where it needs to be for comfort without bunching up, and when paired with decent bar tape they're damn near perfect in the comfort stakes.

Running across the palm are strips of silicone, for grip, and they work very well on wet and slippery bar tape.

The rest of the construction is a simple printed Lycra back – black with a range of three coloured logos on offer, white, yellow or pink. It'd be nice to see some brighter colours to match the rest of Alé's vibrant kit.

I like the fact that there is no Velcro strap to secure them or finger loops to remove them, as while they are great at the start and end of the ride, I find they can irritate during. The stretchy material makes them easy to get on and off anyway.

For the 30 quid asking price they can't really be knocked. Yeah, you can grab a pair from Aldi or whoever for a few pounds, but the Alés are a quality item. I visited the Alé factory recently and saw how everything is handmade, plus there's a department where they go through every item to check for stray threads and imperfections; that's what you're paying for.

> Find more road.cc reviews of summer mitts here

To sum up, the Arias are a great, simplistic pair of mitts that are so unobtrusive they feel like you aren't wearing any at all. The fit is close, and without any form of fastening for tightening they offer a smooth transition from glove to skin for aerodynamics.

On the whole, an impressive pair of performance summer gloves especially for those who like the minimalistic feel.

Verdict

Simple summer gloves that give great results in minimalist fashion

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Alé Aria Summer Gloves

Size tested: Large

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The Aria Summer Gloves are simple printed Lycra mitts that give a nod to the aero thing that is going on in pro cycling at the moment.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From Alé:

Slip-on crono gloves in printed Lycra. The glove features an anti-slip silicone material on the palm and a medium padding for comfort and shock absorption.

Back: 80% Polyester, 20% Elastane(Spandex)

Finger inserts: 80% Polyamide(Nylon), 20% Elastane(Spandex)

Palm: 66% Polyester, 34% Cotton

Palm reinforcement: 100% Polyester

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
9/10
Rate the product for sizing:
 
9/10

Most gloves are measured across the knuckles but the Ales are measured at the wrist. This seems to work: they are snug without being tight all over. No worries on the sizing front from me.

Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Thirty-degree wash with the rest of your kit and they dry in next to no time.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Lightweight, close-fitting mitts that offer comfort and protection.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The minimalist fit.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Some brighter options maybe, to match the rest of the bold Alé kit.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

For someone who doesn't really wear mitts I was mightily impressed with the Arias. Their lightweight simplistic construction means you hardly notice you are wearing them, and the thin, simple palm is comfortable enough to take road buzz out. Well worth the 20 quid outlay.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: Mason Definition

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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1 comments

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couldgetacarforthat | 7 years ago
0 likes

What he just said basically. Gloves reviews are highly subjective depending on what you prefer but I like these. Definitely summer wear though!

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