The best cycling gloves

The best cycling gloves aren’t just about keeping your hands warm, they also help keep you comfortable as you ride, and protect your hands in the event of a crash.

Whereas the best winter cycling gloves have a much greater focus on insulation and weatherproofing, you’ll want to wear the best cycling gloves for warm weather riding to keep your hands more comfortable as you ride and ensure that your grip remains firm.  That’s about strategically placed padding and silicone printing between your hands and the bars.  But summer cycling gloves also help with sweat absorption on the hottest days and even UV protection for the backs of your hands.

If you have an accident while riding, a good pair of summer gloves will protect your hands too.  Your hands are often one of the first things to make contact with the road surface and abrasion and road grit can be uncomfortable to clean up and slow to heal.

The best summer cycling gloves don’t add a lot of bulk or warmth either, so your hands shouldn’t overheat.  But if it is a bit chilly, or you’re heading off-road and might be riding through vegetation and nettles, a set of lightweight full finger gloves might be the ticket;  we’ve got those covered in our selection of the best summer cycling gloves as well.