Craft Tempest gloves £22

Swedish based Craft know exactly what’s needed for cold weather clothing, which is hardly surprising given the company’s location. Craft enjoys a strong following among European-based cyclists, but having the task of supplying clothing to the mightily successful CSC team has helped to raise its profile further afield.

Which is a good thing as the samples RCUK have been testing are highly impressive, none more so than these Tempest gloves. Finding a good pair of gloves that balance the demands of protection from the elements while also not restricting a good grip of the handlebars is far from easy. The Tempest gloves manage to pull the job off surprisingly well – in fact, I’m hard pushed to think of another glove that does as well.

They’re made from a windproof and waterproof material, with a fleece lining offering much warmth for your fingers. All the internal seams are impressively unobtrusive and a textured Clarino synthetic leather palm with a sticky silicon bead covering the thumb and first two fingers gives ample grip on the brake levers. An elasticated cuff is long enough and stretchy enough to fit under or over your jacket and under-layers, and keeps any errant breezes out.

I’ve been wearing the Tempest gloves in a range of conditions and they’ve really impressed. Comfort is fantastic and the fit is spot on, and they cope with the wildy changing temperatures and conditions frequenting the UK at the moment really well. Only on the really cold days will you want a more substantial glove – by which time you’ll most likely questioning the sanity of heading outdoors…