The humble track mitt may not share the same glamour of the latest titanium sunglasses or carbon-soled best cycling shoes, but there's a reason we've all been wearing them for the last 80-odd years without much changing.
Cycling demands a lot from our hands, and hand protection from gloves, especially on longer rides is invaluable at times. I know if I'm heading out for an epic, racing, or doing several hours in the saddle in hot temperatures I like to wear a pair of track mitts or cycling gloves.
They protect our hands if we crash, offer important protection from the sun's rays and help dampen out road vibration and prevent callouses. I spent months testing a whole range of gloves and mitts to create our best cycling gloves buyers guide and to arrive at my top picks.
The Rapha Core mitts impressed me from the off during testing and the get the best overall badge of honour. For a start, they're cheaper than the top-end Pro Team mitts but despite not being a top-tier pro team product, I found them to be really great and gelled with them from the off.
I've said the same of other excellent cycling kit in the past and the same is true with these gloves. I didn't once have to consider the fit of them or how they felt for a second in all the time I used them. I put them on and went riding and that was it. They were completely comfortable and the fit was excellent. No tight spots around my fingers, no sharp sections of stitching or scratchy labels etc. And that's probably the highest praise I can give them.
Get your sizing right and it doesn't matter what you're using them for, these gloves will put a smile on your face.
The best value award goes to the Endura Xtract Mitts that actually pack in more features than most of the other gloves in the test for in some cases less than half the price.
There's a handy velcro hand closure, soft thumb wipe, pull tabs to remove the gloves, and a good amount of gel padding on the palm. The mitts are comfortable, and have worn well, what more could you want?
If you're looking for a solid all-rounder to do a bit of everything well, whether that's commuting, sportive riding, or mtb at the weekend, or you just want to try your first pair of cycling gloves without spending too much, try a pair of the Xtract mitts, you won't be disappointed.
The Pearl Izumi Pro Air mitts are really interesting mitts and so take the honourable mention award from the mitts I've tested. They pair a mesh fabric on the back of the hand with an Ax Suede Loredo palm. Ax specialises in materials and technologies for gloves if you haven't heard of them before. In short, the palm looks and feels like thin leather. There's also a really soft microfibre nose wipe.
I really like the mix of styling that comes with the Pro Air; the lightweight fabric and nose wipe on top feel techy and modern whilst the palms look and feel harks back to a different era, which to my mind works really well and doesn't feel mismatched in the slightest.
Design aside, I really liked the tactile feel the gloves offer. The thin palm really lets you feel the handlebar which is a plus for me. You still feel protected, just more connected to the bars.
I rode them on the road but could see them working across a range of disciplines and fitting in with a range of on-bike stylings.
