Altura Shield Womens Waterproof Gloves

The Shields are attractive looking gloves. Yes, ours are pink, but it’s a funky, high viz, hot pink rather than a girly pink, and there is a grey option if you want something more subdued. There’s a reflective motif across the knuckles and on low-light mornings it’s reassuring to know your hands are just that bit more visible when you're indicating.

The gloves are made from a hardwearing but pliable soft shell fabric and they really do keep the water out. They are comfortable to wear with a soft, fleecy inner that keeps your hands warm without causing them to get too sweaty. This inner is not only insulating and breathable, it also contains a silver fibre which has an anti-microbial action to help prevent smells building up. One slight snag was that, in common with many winter cycling gloves, they're hard to get back on to slightly damp hands once you've removed them at a rest stop – the lining can stick a little. This isn't a huge problem, though.

Gel pads on the palm add to the comfort while the synthetic suede backing to the thumb makes a luxurious nose wipe. We found the finger length good for female hands, as is the breadth of the palm, and the Velcro-fastened cuffs are long enough to keep your wrists covered. There’s also a generous pull tag to help get them on.

All in all, the Shields are effective winter gloves, offering decent levels of protection from the elements without too much bulk, and they represent good value for money at this price.

Verdict

Warm waterproof gloves that offer good value for money.