Rapha Deep Winter Gloves and Merino Liners

If, like me, you really struggle with poor circulation, and keeping your hands from getting cold on a ride is a perennial challenge, then you'll be very interested in Rapha's Deep Winter Gloves. Yes they're very expensive but they're among the warmest winter cycling gloves I've ever tested.

The Deep Winter Gloves are part of Rapha's 'modular winter glove' system, which comprises the regular Winter Glove and the Deep Winter glove here, a Merino Liner and a lobster-claw overmitt. The idea is you layer up your gloves depending on the conditions. Most cyclists are au fait with the idea of layering up, and taking the same approach with gloves also works .

I tested the Deep Winter gloves with the Merino Liners and found the combination an unmatched pairing for the coldest rides I've been on this winter.

The Deep Winter Gloves are constructed with a stretch nylon outer that is both windproof and waterproof due to a durable water repellant treatment and an OutDry membrane bonded to the shell with an insulating tricot lining. Sandwiched between theses layers is the Primaloft ONE insulation that provides the warmth. It comprises microfibers that form tiny air pockets trapping body heat with little bulk -

The padded Pittards leather palm provides good grip on the handlebars and the fore and index fingers are compatible with touchscreen phones, so you don't need to remove your gloves to answer the phone. There are also some reflective stripes and a large nose wiping area on the thumb.

The fit of the gloves - I tested a medium pair - is really good, but they are big gloves and there's a bit of space between your hand and the glove liner compared to most other snugly fitted winter gloves. This is deliberately to allow space for that Merino Liner.

On their own the Deep Winter gloves are incredibly warm, as warm as the snowboard gloves I usually resort to on the coldest early morning rides. That slight amount of space between hand and glove also works well to prevent your hands getting clammy when the temperature rises or you're on a hard training ride, and acts to keep a nice layer of warm air circulating around your hands.

When the temperature plunges and you need more warmth, the Merino Liners come into their own. These are very slim and thin merino gloves with ribbed cuffs. They're not designed to be worn on their own, but with the Winter or Deep Winter gloves.

With your hands clothed in the Merino Liners they fit easily into the Deep Winter glove, but your freedom of movement is noticeable restricted. On the bike they're still comfortable but you don't quite have the same range of movement as without the Merino Liners.

The payback is incredible warmth, it's a combination that has kept even my hands and fingers warm (and I mean warm and not simply not cold) on the coldest morning rides I've so far experienced.

They're an expensive pairing, the Merino Liners are £40 and the Deep Winter Gloves are £110, but the unparalleled insulation, attention to detail in the design and the excellent fit makes them worth it. Out of interest I had a look at mountain outdoors gloves with a similar Primaloft insulation. The Rapha combination is about the same price, and actually cheaper than many.

You don't have to buy both though, and you could always add the Merino Liners at a later date. I've always struggled to find cycling winter gloves that can actually keep my hands warm and dry on the most horrid rides, but the Deep Winter gloves alone provide more than adequate insulation and rain protection.

The flexibility to adapt to changing conditions the pair offers is very appealing though. They're the first gloves I've tested that can really keep my fingers warm when the temperature is below freezing and there's a cold wind blowing through the lanes. Four hour rides with a sub-zero wind chill are no problem for these gloves.

It's not been cold enough really to employ the Merino Liners more regularly, but the Deep Winter gloves alone have kept my hands free of the cold that can frequently make longer rides in challenging conditions unpleasant.

Verdict

Seriously warm gloves for the coldest rides those with poor circulation