Ashmei Merino Gloves

Thin, light and impressively warm, the Ashmei Merino Gloves are great for use on their own in the spring or autumn, or as a pair of liner gloves in the depths of winter. At 30 quid they are a pricey solution, though, especially when they don't actually incorporate a huge amount of the wonder wool.

• Pros: Comfortable, lack of bulk
• Cons: Expensive

Merino has long been touted as a wonder material for winter wear as it is very warm but also highly breathable, making it ideal for use in socks or gloves to protect your extremities.

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The Ashmei Merinos are thinner than the non-merino Grip Grab liner gloves I usually wear, but wearing them side by side reveals the Ashmei gloves are a bit warmer.

The best thing about their slenderness is that they fit snuggly under any glove you wish without affecting dexterity for changing gear or braking. It's always good to keep a little bit of room inside your gloves to trap heat, and the thinness of these maintains that.

The fit is good and they feel really nice when on too. The slim cuff is unobtrusive whether inside another glove or tucked up inside a jersey sleeve. It is quite short, though, so on its own there is a chance of chilly breezes hitting an uncovered wrist compared with many cycling gloves.

Come spring or autumn, when things have warmed up a little, the Ashmeis are warm enough to be worn on their own, even in higher single figure temperatures. Although, one thing that is lacking is padding; most liners are like that so it's not a major criticism, but if you have a bike with a firm ride these might not work for you on their own.

The thumb and index fingertips are compatible with smartphone screens and the rest of the fingers use silicone strips for grip.

Unlike Rapha's similarly pricey (£40) Merino Liner gloves, which are made from 100% merino, the Ashmeis use a mere 33% alongside 46% polyester and 16% elastane, though that does give plenty of stretch to get them on and off.

For the £30 price tag I'd like to see a higher percentage of merino in the gloves really, for performance. Although they are warm I can only imagine they'd be more impressive with more wool, based on my years of testing merino garments.

> Buyer's Guide: 21 of the best winter cycling gloves

While we haven't reviewed many gloves of this ilk, a glance around the internet finds that you can get liner gloves made with merino from just over a tenner, like Madison's Merino Winter Gloves. They look to be a little bulkier than the Ashmeis but with many of the same attributes – for less than half the price.

In conclusion, I do like the Ashmei Merino Gloves – they feel great, offer a nice fit and perform well – but I can't help feeling that they are overpriced for what they are.

Verdict

Lightweight liner gloves with minimal bulk, but pricey for what you get