Top 12 Best Cycling Gloves You Should Buy In 2022 Review

The best way to protect your hands is to wear a pair of gloves. It doesn’t matter if you’re into challenging mountain bike rides, bike touring, or just riding down to the shops, gloves make a real difference.

There are plenty of choices for whatever kind of riding you’re into and whatever riding conditions you’re undertaking. There are also a number of price-points to match. Our list of the 12 best cycling gloves hopefully covers all the bases.

Top 12 Best Cycling Gloves On The Market Reviews

So, let’s get this review underway and take a closer look, starting with the…

1 OZERO Mens Winter Thermal Gloves – Best Touch Screen Sports Gloves

These are a warm pair of gloves.

They are full-fingered and made with a combination of polyester, cotton, and a waterproof TPU. They don’t have any color options, so you’re stuck with black with hints of grey here and there. Happily, you get a good choice of sizes from small to extra, extra-large.

They come with a well-insulated soft lining that will keep out the cold for most of the year. The elasticated cuffs also do a great job of keeping out the cold, rain, and even snow.

Warm and toasty…

As well as keeping out the elements, they insulate your hands from cold winds. When we’re moving quickly in cold weather, well-insulated gloves are essential for keeping our hands warm.

Despite having a TPU waterproof coating, the OZERO Mens Winter Thermal Gloves are not fully waterproof. They are fine for light to medium downpours but are likely to fail in heavy rain. This is due to the fingers not being fully waterproofed with sealed seams.

Realistically, the number of times any cyclist is likely to venture out into the wet is limited. We, therefore, think that the lack of full-waterproofing isn’t a deal-breaker. However, it’s something to keep in mind.

Get a grip…

More positively, OZERO Mens Winter Thermal Gloves have silicone beading on the palms, which provide excellent grip. We also like the touchscreen compatible fabric on the index finger and thumb. This means you can take calls and send messages with your gloves on.

Nice.

Since these are cycling gloves, we would have liked to see some extra gel padding to protect against vibration. Long hours on a bike can leave us susceptible to carpal tunnel syndrome and handlebar palsy. However, the gloves have nothing to protect you from either, and that’s a bit of a shame.

Good but not 100% for cycling…

The lack of any specific kind of protection for cyclists is most likely because these are a multi-purpose glove. Overall, they do a fair job, but keep in mind they’re not a dedicated cycling glove.

2 Atercel Workout Gloves – Most Comfortable Sports Gloves

The Atercel Workout Gloves are also not a dedicated cycling glove. Consequently, you can’t expect many of the features that are specific to cycling. However, despite some of their shortcomings, they’re reasonably well made and offer fair value.

Let’s take a closer look…

They come in a choice of two colors, black or red, hardly a great choice. The choice of sizes is a little better, from XS to XL, though there is no XXL or XXXL. Happily, the XL is sized quite generously and fits people with palms measuring between 8.9” to 9.6”.

The biggest problem, like with most all-purpose gloves, is that there’s no specific gel or foam padding. Over long rides, this can leave you open to hand injuries. Over short rides, you’ll be fine, but there’s no way we’d even consider these for all-day riding or touring.

Super comfortable…

More positively, the gloves provide enough non-slip material on the palms to provide ample grip in all conditions. Additionally, they feel super comfortable to wear. This is in part down to the Lycra and breathable elastic microfiber combination.

Other pluses include the finger loops that make taking off the gloves so much easier. You also get toweling coating on the backs of the index fingers to wipe away sweat. For cyclists, that’s undoubtedly a useful feature.

No need to flap…

A final useful feature is the strong Velcro fastening at the wrist. Thankfully, once you’ve fastened the gloves, they stay that way. Flapping gloves whilst you’re cycling is one issue we’re pleased to be without.

3 Endura FS260-Pro Aerogel Cycling Mitt Glove – Road Bike Gloves

These are the first pair of dedicated cycling gloves on our list.

So, let’s start by looking at the padding…

Frankly, this is what differentiates the Endura FS260-Pro Aerogel Cycling Mitt Glove from cheaper cycling gloves and multi-purpose gloves. The thick gel padding on the outside palm and at the base is superb. The level of protection you can expect from endurance-related cycling injuries is excellent.

But there’s more. These gloves also have good quality padding on the palms that give you high levels of grip. Plus, you also get a reasonable amount of padding, on both sides of the glove, to protect your hands in the event of a crash.

Built for the road…

The base of the gloves features a Velcro fastener, and all is as it should be. It’s small, but it works well. All too often, the Velcro fails quite quickly, especially after a few wash cycles, but you can expect a lot more from these gloves.

As you’d expect from cycling gloves, they’re made from breathable material to keep your hands cool during your rides. These are very warm weather gloves. On cold days they’re sure to be found wanting.

Not exactly cheap…

These are high-quality gloves that are firmly aimed at the more serious cyclist who’s likely to be covering a lot of distance. They have all the features us cyclists love, though with a price tag that we’re not quite so happy about.

The Endura FS260-Pro Aerogel gloves come in a good selection of colors and sizes.

4 Castelli Arenberg Gel Bike Glove – Best Gel Padded Cycling Gloves

Next, in our review of the Best Cycling Gloves, we have a pair from Castelli, the oldest name in cycling apparel.

They make outstanding cycling kit, and the Castelli Arenberg Gel Bike gloves are no exception. These are beautifully well-made gloves that will last and last. They’ll take long rides in their stride and always look super cool in the process. Having the Castelli logo splashed across your kit never gets old.

You get a decent choice of sizes though the color choice is a little limited.

These are out and out cycling gloves…

However, our friends in wheelchairs also find a lot of love for them. This is because of their hard-wearing properties combined with their high levels of grip. It speaks volumes for just how good they are.

One of the key features is the superb gel padding on the palms. Your palms and ulnar nerves are going to say a big thank you if you’re wearing these. These are just as good, if not better than Endura FS260-Pro Aerogel gloves. Regardless, on long rides, you shouldn’t feel any adverse effects from vibration coming up through the bars.

No excessive gravel rash…

Though the Castelli Arenberg Gel Bike Gloves are short-fingered, they still have a surprisingly high level of padding to protect you in the unlikely event of an accident. The thick suede should hopefully take the worst of the road and protect you from excessive gravel rash.

These are warm-weather gloves and so are designed to be breathable and keep your hands cool rather than warm. Castelli Arenberg Gel Bike Gloves achieve this brilliantly, which is exactly what you want from a high-quality pair of road gloves.

5 Giro Monaco II Gel Men’s Road Cycling Gloves – Best Padded Cycling Gloves

Giro is another company with a strong cycling pedigree. Whilst they don’t have quite the same history as Castelli, but who does, they are still a well-respected cycling brand. They’re best known for their amazing bike helmet range, but their cycling apparel is right up there in terms of quality.

To start with, it’s great to see Giro offer a wide size of both colors and sizes. You’ll have no problems finding a decent color and getting a great fit. We’re big fans of the Highlight Yellow.

Superb padding…

One of the best features of the Giro Monaco II Gel Men’s Road Cycling Gloves is the 3mm thick Technogel padding on the palms. There’s no doubt that the padding is truly awesome. We can’t think of any road cycling gloves with anything better. Any cyclist that suffers from hand problems through distance cycling should seriously consider buying a pair of these.

We also like the supple leather on the palms that help you keep a sure grip on the bars. Additionally, the leather is a great material for protecting your hands in the event of a crash.

Cool as a cucumber…

They have a breathable microfiber covering on the rear of the gloves that keeps your hands cool. On long rides, your hands feel comfortable. What’s more, if you ramp up the effort, they have a toweling absorbent layer so you can wipe away your sweat.

For any road cyclist putting in high mileage rides, these are about as good as it gets. As long as you’re happy to pay the premium price that goes with this premium product, we can wholeheartedly recommend them.

6 PEARL IZUMI Men’s PRO Gel Vent Glove – Best Value for the Money Cycling Gloves

The gloves come in a choice of just two colors though there is a decent selection of sizes through to XXL.

One of the glove’s big selling points is their level of breathability. On this measure, we think they perform well. However, we still think there are better alternatives.

Let us explain…

The PEARL IZUMI Men’s PRO Gel Vent Glove makes a big deal of having a patented vented gel system on the palms of the gloves. It a cool idea, pardon the pun, and it works well. But, unfortunately, the amount of breathable material on the backs of the gloves is less than you find on gloves from brands like Castelli and Giro.

This means that the gains that Pearl Izumi make on the palms are therefore lost on the backs. They are still relatively breathable, but a little bit of redesign on the backs would make a difference.

Fewer vibrations…

The gel padding on the palms is a more convincing story. It’s nice and thick and does a good job of dampening down road vibrations. Protection for your hands in the event of a fall is good on the palms though a little thin at the rear.

The gloves also have nice Velcro fasteners. They do a great job and don’t weaken with frequent use and wash cycles. We also like the finger loops that make taking the gloves off a breeze. Additionally, the absorbent cloth on the index finger and thumb is useful to wipe away sweat.

Great value for money…

The PEARL IZUMI Men’s PRO Gel Vent Gloves are not up to the same quality as a premium-priced pair of cycling gloves. However, the price is significantly lower. If you want a solid pair of gloves at a reasonable price, we think these are a pretty good option.

7 Seibertron Dirtpaw Unisex Touch Recognition Full Finger Glove – Best Winter Cycling Gloves

These are some of the best cycling gloves for winter riding. Seibertron Dirtpaw gloves are full-fingered and are ideal for riding in winter. But what we particularly like though is that even in warmer months, they don’t feel unduly uncomfortable. This is down to the inclusion of plenty of breathable material.

They are designed for motorcycle or mountain bike use, so you expect them to be well-padded and tough. This is exactly what they are. The palms have two layers, and the fingers have impact-resistant plastic reinforcement.

Superb levels of protection…

If this isn’t enough, you also get direct injection rubber on the back of the gloves. That’s a lot of protection in the event of a crash. In our experience, if you’re riding a mountain bike, you may well need it!

One feature lacking is gel or foam padding to protect against carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar nerve damage due to vibration. The double-layered padding will do little to help, but it’s not enough.

And there’s more…

We’d also like to see better quality and wider Velcro fasteners at the wrists. They’re too small and difficult to use for the size of the gloves.

Despite missing a couple of features we like to see, overall, these are well-made gloves and offer very good value at an affordable price point. We also appreciate the fact that the gloves have touchscreen capability. For winter gloves, this is pretty much a must these days.

8 INBIKE Cycling Gloves – Best Affordable Mountain Bike Gloves

Let’s get straight to the good stuff. The INBIKE gloves have thick gel padding, 5mm to be precise, at the base of the palms, and on the outside edges. The padding is perfectly placed to protect your hands against the worst that vibration can throw at you.

For such an inexpensive pair of gloves, it’s surprising to find this degree of padding.

Allow the air to flow…

They are made from a polyester mesh that makes the gloves nice and breathable. For the times you work up a sweat, they have a covering of terry cloth on the index fingers and thumbs to help wipe it away.

Another feature we’re also a fan of is the tab, at the base of the palms, that helps you pull them on and off. We prefer the tabs over finger loops. This is because a tab is easy to use and is less liable to tear over time.

Another plus is that the gloves have wide and strong Velcro fasteners at the wrists. They feel like they won’t fail and leave your gloves flapping around after a few rides. Never a nice feeling or a great look.

A few improvements…

Honestly, there’s a lot to like about these gloves, especially at the price-point. However, there are a couple of things that we think could be better.

Firstly, they are not as well made as they could be. They’re undoubtedly nowhere near as well made as gloves from Castelli, Endura, or Giro. But then again, given the price, we wouldn’t expect them to be. The problem is that we think you could end up going through two or three pairs of these to every pair of better-quality gloves.

Secondly, for mountain bike gloves, we think they’re too low on wrist protection. They need to come lower over the wrist. They’re OK for road gloves but don’t meet the needs of mountain bikers.

Great value for the money for less extreme mountain bikers…

In short, the INBIKE gloves offer a lot for a very reasonable price. They have a couple of shortcomings but otherwise offer a good option as either road bike gloves or mountain bike gloves, if you’re riding less-demanding trails.

9 Fox Racing Ranger Mountain Bike Gloves – Best Grip Mountain Bike Gloves

The Fox Racing Ranger gloves are a lightweight, and comfortable full-fingered gloves. The main part of the gloves is made from a Polyamide-Nylon, Polyester, and Polyvinyl-Chloride mix. The palms use imitation leather with silicone coated fingertips.

You get a choice of four colors though, in reality, it’s just two different kinds of red and grey. It’s nothing to get excited about and could be a lot better. Happily, the size choice is much better. These are one of the few gloves that go right down to an XXS size.

We’re sure petite ladies, children, and Donald Trump will approve!

The Fox Racing Ranger gloves are not bad, but they’re far from perfect for use on mountain bikes.

This is why…

If you’re riding a mountain bike over rough trails, there’s a good chance you’ll have a spill at some point. Consequently, you expect plenty of padding and protection to cover you for this eventuality. In this respect, the Fox Racing Ranger gloves fall short.

They offer no protective coating or impact-resistant plastics on the back of the gloves. On the palms, the faux leather is relatively thin and runs the real risk of tearing right through on a heavy fall. In short, the protection is not great.

Good vibrations, not!

When it comes to protecting your hands against vibration, they are also ineffective. You get nothing. No gel or foam to help reduce the chance of handlebar injuries due to either handlebar palsy or carpal tunnel syndrome.

OK, with all the bad stuff out of the way, they do have a few decent enough features that might make them a possible option in some circumstances. They use breathable material, they are warm enough to use over three seasons, and they feel nice and grippy. Additionally, they have enough water resistance to protect your hands against the rain during lighter showers.

So, who are these gloves for?

As we have said, these gloves are not all bad. If you’re going on shorter rides, over less-demanding trails, and not in cold and wet conditions, they’re a fair choice. For mountain bikers who don’t throw themselves off their bikes every five minutes, they could work.

10 Giro Bravo Gloves – Most Stylish Cycling Gloves

Here’s another great pair of road gloves from Giro.

Let’s start with the color selection. Franky, this is nothing short of superb. They have an amazing choice of colors to suit anything a road cyclist could ever which for. Far too many manufacturers bring out a choice of colors that are way too limited. Not so, Giro.

The Giro Bravo is one of their mid-range gloves. We’ve already reviewed the range-topping Monaco. And if you want to look for something more affordable from Giro, you should check out the Jag.

Very well made…

Although the Bravo is only their mid-tier glove, you would be hard-pressed to tell, given its high level of stitching and attention to detail. These are well made and would easily fit into the top-tier of virtually every other cycle glove manufacturer.

They are made from Nylon, Polyester, Suede, and Spandex. They’re strong and hard-wearing. These are a pair of gloves that will survive multiple long rides and machine-washing abuses whilst still being able to come back for more.

Increased comfort…

They’re stretchable and breathable, which makes for a comfortable fit and ride. The 3mm gel padding also takes care of excessive vibration to further increase your comfort.

To protect your hands and fingers, in case of an accident, you can rely on the thick suede on the palms. Additionally, the suede helps to give you an excellent grip in all weather. The rear of the gloves doesn’t quite afford the same protection as on the palms, but it’s adequate for road cyclists though not for mountain bikers.

11 FIRELION Cycling Gloves Bike Bicycle Gloves – Best Cycling Gloves for Protection

These are full-fingered mountain bike gloves. But not only are they full-fingered, but they are all-weather gloves too. They are thick enough and well-insulated enough to ride through 4 seasons. Even better, they’re also sufficiently breathable to allow you to ride in the summer months in reasonable comfort.

Not bad for a pair of relatively affordable bike gloves.

As well as being warm, they’re also well padded. They have thick padding and reinforcement on the palms to help you out in an accident. The padding on the backs is adequate if your riding easy trails on a road bike. However, if you’re into more extreme mountain biking, these won’t do as they lack protection on the rear of the fingers and knuckles.

OK, but could be better…

To keep down road vibration, there is liberal use of gel padding. It’s OK, but we think the quality could be better. Also, the application is not best placed to protect the ulnar nerve. The placement of the gel at the palms is fine.

We suspect that over time the gel protection will quickly erode and become ineffective.

Excellent grip…

When it comes to grip, we have no complaints. The grip is excellent, even in the wet. Regardless of the kinds of conditions you are riding in, you can be assured that these gloves won’t slip on the bars.

One final positive is that the gloves are touchscreen compatible. The touchscreen material on the index finger and thumb means you can keep the gloves on whilst you talk to your mum and follow Kim Kardashian on Twitter.

12 GEARONIC Cycling Shockproof Foam Padded Sports Full Finger Short Gloves – Best Budget Cycling Gloves

These are full-fingered bike gloves, but you can get a short-fingered variant if you prefer. They are also inexpensive; in fact, they are the most affordable gloves on our list. They come in a poor range of sizes with no small or extra small options. The choice of just three colors could also be better.

The gloves are predominantly made from synthetic leather. They are comfortable and breathable but offer very little in the way of warmth on colder days. These are essentially warm weather, summer gloves.

Good level of padding…

We’re sure you’ll agree that it’s good to see the palms have heaps of padding. These will do a decent job of protecting your hands in the unlikely event of an accident. The padding helps to provide plenty of grip too. Though as far as dampening goes, it does a pretty poor job.

The foam padding is thin and not hard-wearing. Plus, the placement at the palms could be better. The upshot is low levels of protection from road vibration. What you get is better than nothing but not by much.

Not for touring…

If you’re planning on doing long rides or touring, don’t buy these gloves. They won’t adequately protect your hands and are likely to wear quite quickly. The foam padding looks like it will lose its dampening qualities over a relatively short space of time.

With the GEARONIC Cycling gloves, you get what you pay for. The price is low, and so is the overall quality. They’re fine for a multi-purpose glove. They’re fine for using at the gym or on occasional short rides. However, for frequently used cycling gloves, we don’t think they’re good enough.

Best Cycling Gloves Buying guide

Grip

Grip has to be the most important aspect of any cycling glove. There’s no doubt that without a good grip, things can wrong very quickly. This is even more the case if you’re involved with extreme mountain biking.

Full-fingered gloves generally are a better choice than short-fingered alternatives where grip is key. This is part of the reason full-fingered gloves are favored by mountain bikers. Though, of course, that is only part of the story.

Materials that help to provide the best grip include leather, suede, and silicone beading. And it’s not unusual to see a mix of these materials. Any of these are likely to provide an excellent grip in all weather conditions.

For mountain bikers who are looking for maximum grip, we’d recommend either the…

FIRELION Cycling Gloves or the Fox Racing Ranger Mountain Bike Gloves

For road bikers, in better weather, we’d recommend the…

Giro Monaco II Gel Road Bike Gloves

Padding

Gloves play an important role in protecting your hands in the event of an accident. Full-fingered gloves will do a better job of this. Often, they’re made with more layers and with thicker materials. This is because they are made for warmth in the colder months, as well as for protecting the hands.

Mountain bike gloves are usually full-fingered. They often come with extra padding and reinforcement on the front and back of the fingers as well as on the palms. This kind of padding is needed due to the increased likelihood that a mountain biker will have a spill.

As the speed and difficulty of a trail increases, then so do does the risk of a fall and, with it, the need for a better-protected glove.

Half-fingered gloves often afford good levels of protection on the palms but fall short on protection at the rear and for the fingers. Also, the gloves are short, unlike the gauntlet style of full-fingered gloves, so offer little to protect the wrist.

If you need high levels of hand protection, you should look at the…

FIRELION Cycling Gloves

Vibration Dampening

When riding over any large distance, the vibrations you get through the handlebars can cause serious damage to your hands. The two most common kinds of repetitive injuries can lead to tingling and numbness. If things get especially bad, excessive vibration can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome and handlebar palsy.

Both of these conditions are serious and can put a quick stop to your future cycling plans.

To counter these problems, all good quality cycling gloves will use a gel or foam padding to eliminate the worst of the vibrations. The thickness, quality, and exact placement of the gel or foam padding will have a big impact on the level of the dampening effect.

Long term protection…

Padding should be strategically placed on the base of the palms and the outside of the gloves towards the little fingers. A good quality glove, with good padding, will stay effective and protect your hands for a long time.

To further help alleviate any potential problems, we also recommend that you practice not gripping the handlebars too tightly. Plus, be careful not to lean too heavily onto your handlebars and try to engage your core. Be aware that putting excessive force and weight onto the bars can cause neck, shoulder, and back problems as well as hand problems.

If you’re riding long distances over a normal week or month, we strongly recommend getting a pair of quality gloves. In this instance, cheaper gloves would be a false economy. For this reason, for high mileage and endurance cyclists, we recommend the…

Giro Monaco II Gel Men’s Road Cycling Gloves

Breathability

Breathability is important for all kinds of gloves. And for riders using all-weather full-fingered gloves, a high degree of breathability is essential. Since full-fingered gloves are usually lined for cold weather, if they’re not breathable, in the warmer months, they’ll be too hot and become unwearable. The…

FIRELION Cycling Gloves

….can be worn all year round. These are the gloves we’d recommend if you’re looking for breathable all-weather gloves.

Road cyclists usually chose half-fingered gloves and are also most likely to ride in the warmer months. It’s not that they don’t ride in the cold, but these days you can bet there’s a good chance that in the winter, they’ll be on Zwift or have switched to sessions in the gym or pool.

Because short-fingered gloves are used predominantly in the summer months, you can expect the rider to be riding long distances and also be working up a sweat. This is why road gloves have large areas of breathable material, often on the backs of the gloves, to help with heat dispersion.

For effective heat management, on longer and hotter rides, we would recommend either the…

Giro Monaco II Gel Men’s Road Cycling Gloves or Endura FS260-Pro Aerogel Cycling Mitt Gloves

Looking for some more superb bike accessories?

If so, check out our reviews of the Best Bike Racks, the Best Truck Bed Bike Racks, the Best Bike Mirrors, our Best Bike Chains review, our Best Bicycle Seat review, as well as the Best Bicycle Tool Kit you can buy in 2022.

But what are the Best Cycling Gloves?

So, there you have it. The 12 gloves we’d reviewed cover a lot of riding possibilities. The best gloves for cycling for your needs will come down to how often you ride, the weather conditions, and the kinds of rides you do. The good news is that there are plenty of great choices. But just be sure to pick gloves that fit your specific cycling needs

Of all the gloves, the…

Castelli Arenberg Gel Bike Gloves

…stood out and are, therefore, our top pick.

Castelli is a cycling apparel legend, and this in itself is enough to make us want these gloves. However, these gloves have a lot more to offer than their history alone. They are also beautifully made and are likely to last and last. Additionally, they offer high levels of breathability as well as high levels of protection for your hands against vibration and in the event of an accident.

These are cool looking gloves too.

Enjoy your bikes, and enjoy your rides.