Pity the foolish cyclists who brave the winter mornings in summer cycling gear. The rest of the bunch are wearing their jackets, leg warmers, arm warmers, skull caps, winter gloves, booties and some have even prepared there water bottles with warm water. Yes… it is cold out there and you will suffer if you are underprepared.
Phew are a small British brand who have a small selection of accessories which includes arm warmers and both ‘early winter’ and ‘coldest winter’ cycling gloves. For Australian conditions, The Early Winter Windster cycling gloves have a suggested range of 3 – 12 °C so for Australian conditions will suit most cyclists throughout winter.
For early morning cycling in Sydney, it is still winter so I have switched over to to the Phew gloves to put them to the test. They remind me of slender track cycling gloves. Rather than leather or synthetic leather, gloves are made with four different lightweight fabrics. Each has a purpose; the cuffs are super stretchy, the palm uses wind resistant fabric with fleece on the inside and some padding and ‘grip’ on the outside surface. The fabric for the top of the hands is wind resistant and fleece lined while the thumb has fleece on both the inside and outside.
It shows that Phew have given thought to the selection of materials and construction of the gloves. For example, the fleece on the outside of the thumb is perfect for wiping your glasses or your sweaty brow.
The winter cycling gloves come in sides S, M, L and XL. I used the measurement guide on their website which suggest the Large size. The result, it fit like a glove of course. The fit was a reassuring, a close fit but not constrictive. The finger lengths were a little long with a few millimeters to spare. I would love to see smaller seams for these gloves along with a modification to the sewing pattern as there is some excess material between the fingers. To be fair, most gloves have this excess, so this is an opportunity for Phew to differentiate them-self.
On the road bike, the gloves were comfortable and I found I had a good grip on the bars and reach to the shifters / brake levers.
The Phew Early Winter gloves are lightweight gloves without heavy duty padding – in the event of a fall these gloves would still provide some protection however I would definitely change gloves when Mountain Biking.
If you want operate touch-screen smart phones or cycle computers, you will find it tough with these gloves. I even found it hard to locate the tiny on/off button for my front mounted Fly12 (light & camera) so resorted to starting all of my devices before putting my gloves on and setting off.
The most important function of winter gloves is, of course, to prevent your finger and hands from freezing off. And these gloves delivered. The gloves combine the wind protection and warmth with the internal fleece but are also breathable enough to stop yours hands from sweating like a Yak in the desert.
The Phew Early Winter Windster Cycling Gloves sell online at Phew for £24.99 with £4 shipping to Australia which is just shy of $50 (AUD) delivered. This is competitive price compared with other brands of winter gloves with the same style. The thoughtful design and subtle colour make them a good match your kit. My verdict is yes… a good buy and a good price.
More information and sales: phew.cc
