Louis Garneau Sotchi Gloves

Price: £44.99 (Currently on sale at £24.99)

From: Evans Cycles

Tested: Four months

I’ve been using these gloves daily for my short commute to Singletrack HQ and for occasional longer road rides of up to 20 miles. I’ve found them very comfortable and was impressed with the amount of dexterity they afforded.  Locking my bike up and unlocking the office doors could be accomplished without removing gloves – a first amongst winter gloves I’ve owned.  The finger length was good for my longish fingers. The adjustable cuffs were very snug and comfortable.

The gloves provided a good grip when both dry and wet with very little movement. It’s not been a particularly harsh winter so I’ve not had a chance to test these down to the claimed suitability lower limit of -20°C. However, I found that below 0C the tips of my thumbs in particular tended to get quite chilled. This appeared to be down to the lack of Windstop Lycra over the pad of the thumb. As long as I kept my thumb behind the bar, my hand remained comfortable down to -2°C, the coldest of my rides. The cold weather performance was impressive given how thin these are.

For typical UK Autumn to Spring weather these are very suitable.  While not in anyway waterproof, even in moderate rain they never felt soggy and dried out quickly.

While the gloves have a small amount of 3M reflectiveness, I would have preferred more.  I didn’t feel my road signalling was particularly visible with the primarily red and black finish.

I’ve had a few issues with the durability of the gloves though; the piping on the glove has a tendency to stick to the velcro cuff fastening, causing the piping to become quite scruffy.  This may have contributed to the following larger issue. More recently, the piping around the cuff of the gloves has started to come apart at the stitches causing the material above to become stretched.  I’m not sure how easily this could be repaired with needle and thread. I should say that these gloves have been in daily use and the damage could be down to how I pull them on.

Overall: Very comfortable, lightweight gloves that are ideal for typical UK Winter weather.  Remain comfortable and retain a good grip in the wet and cold. Could be a bit more durable.

Patrick Ward

Review Info