Gore Bike Wear Alp-X 2.0 Windstopper Gloves

The Gore Bike Wear Alp-X 2.0 isn’t designed to be a full-on winter glove, but since I received these back in the autumn I’ve rarely worn anything else.

And that’s not because my hands have super-thermal properties – quite the opposite, in fact. OK, at the time of writing we’ve had a pretty mild winter, but nonetheless I’ve still been riding in temperatures where I’d normally want something with much more insulation.

The gloves are made from Gore’s Windstopper fabric, meaning the cold-protection they offer belies their thickness. Gore recommends them for temperatures down to freezing, but they’ve performed perfectly well worn with a pair of under-gloves when it’s been sub-zero.

My one criticism of these gloves is their poor performance in the wet – Gore claims the gloves are showerproof but they’ve got pretty sodden in a couple of showers, so I wouldn’t recommend them in the wet.

The glove doesn’t have any lining so it feels rather seamy when you put it on, although this isn’t uncomfortable. They are an excellent fit (I tested the women’s version and a men’s cut is also available) and I’ve not had any problems with my hands moving inside them on the bars. There’s a nice long elastic cuff with a big velcro tab which means sealing the gap between sleeve and glove is easy.

They’ve washed really well and aren’t exhibiting any ill-effects of going through the machine at least a couple of times a week in the last few months.