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dhb Aeron XC Full Finger Gloves

8
£25.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Flyweight gloves for excellent connection in mild weather
Grippy palm
Few seams
Breathable
Good nose wipe
Large label inside
No padding
Minimal protection if you plan on crashing
Weight: 
40g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The dhb Aeron XC Full Finger Gloves are lightweight, grippy and breathable, making them suitable for milder conditions, and being thin they allow an unhindered grip and feel of the bar.

At just 40g the Aeron XC gloves are certainly lightweight, a stripped-back summer glove for no-nonsense riding. If you're after padding, then these aren't for you. There's none. What this does mean is that thanks to the ultra-thin construction, connection with the handlebar is superb, and having used them when riding both mountain bike and gravel bikes I can sing their praises for use with both drop bars and flat bars.

2020 dhb Aeron XC Full Finger gloves - palm.jpg

The silicone print ensures no hand slippage and is more than up to the job, even on rocky descents in both dry and wet conditions. Unlike some gloves, such as the Endura Hummvee Lite Icons, the grippy silicone spreads across all the fingers as well as into the palm. On a mountain bike I found that this made little difference, but on a gravel or CX bike the added surface – especially on the little fingers – really helped you cling on when using the drops.

The generously sized nose wipe panel on each thumb is lovely and soft and doesn't have nasty seams around the edge like I've found on some gloves. That theme continues throughout the glove, with seams being kept to a minimum. There are no seams across the palm, which aids comfort, and also none across the knuckles or backs of the hands, which also helps breathability.

2020 dhb Aeron XC Full Finger gloves - thumb.jpg

The majority of the glove is made from 90% nylon and 10% elastane, and then the palm is 100% polyester. Both front and back, including the fingers, are perforated which has meant that during some pretty hot months of testing the breathability of the gloves is excellent; even on rides in the mid-20s they have been comfortable.

2020 dhb Aeron XC Full Finger gloves - back.jpg

A downside of being so thin and breathable is that they don't offer much protection from the wind as your speed picks up, nor do they offer much protection against prickly bushes and brambles, but you can't have it all.

> Buyer’s Guide: 9 of the best summer cycling gloves

At £25 the Aeron XC gloves don't fare badly against their opposition, especially as they perform really well. Of the gloves we've tested that they're similar to, the Supacaz SupaGs are £10 more expensive, as are the Specialized Grail long fingered gloves. The Endura Hummvee gloves mentioned earlier are slightly cheaper at £20, but for drop handlebars the extra grippy fingers of the dhbs really help.

Overall, these gloves perform really well, their lightweight construction resulting in a positive and confident connection with both drop and flat bars, but because they're so thin, protection from the elements is near non-existent. They're ideal for mild weather riding on all sorts of bikes!

Verdict

Flyweight gloves for excellent connection in mild weather

road.cc test report

Make and model: dhb Aeron XC Full Finger Gloves

Size tested: Large

Tell us what the product is for

dhb says: "Aeron XC collection

New for 2020, dhb’s Aeron XC collection is focused on helping you hit top speed in your off-road adventures. Whatever your ride, from MTB trails to gravel, the blend of durability and comfort will ensure you can put the power down with confidence.

Re the gloves specifically, dhb says: "At home on MTB trails and cross-country racing, their excellent ventilation and protection will ensure you are cool, comfortable and in control on every ride."

They are indeed excellent on a mountain bike and also perform well when you're riding on cyclo-cross and gravel bikes as well. Because they're so thin they're only really suitable for warmer weather.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From dhb:

Mesh back delivers great ventilation

Perforated suede palm for breathability

Silicone print grip

Minimal, pull-on stretch cuff

Nose wipe panel

Information

Main: 90% Nylon, 10% Elastane(Spandex)

Palm: 100% Polyester

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Well stitched.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Really breathable and comfortable, and grip well.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

The material is pretty thin; for day to day use they've been fine, but whether they'd survive a hands down crash remains to be seen (thankfully).

Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10

Nice and tight without pinching or restricting.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
8/10

The size guide was accurate.

Rate the product for weight:
 
9/10

Super-lightweight.

Rate the product for comfort:
 
7/10

Minimal seams really help in this area, but the label is annoying and can leave sharp edges even when it's been cut out.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

They're £10 cheaper than offerings from Specialized and Supacaz, but the Endura Hummvees we've tested recently were really good value at £20.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Fine.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Performed well, super-breathable which makes them excellent for warm weather.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Nose wipe is so soft.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Annoying label.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

They're well constructed and the minimal seams are great. Breathability is excellent but this does limit their use to warm weather as the wind will whistle through. Shame there's also a label to cut out, otherwise these could have been exceptional.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 22  Height: 6ft  Weight: 74kg

I usually ride: Specialized venge pro 2019  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Jamie has been riding bikes since a tender age but really caught the bug for racing and reviewing whilst studying towards a master's in Mechanical engineering at Swansea University. Having graduated, he decided he really quite liked working with bikes and is now a full-time addition to the road.cc team. When not writing about tech news or working on the Youtube channel, you can still find him racing local crits trying to cling on to his cat 2 licence...and missing every break going...

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