Specialized Element 1.5 gloves

rumbataz

I'm about to replace my old Sealskinz gloves as they're a little ragged now and the gel pads have all but disappeared. They've served me well for many years but have never really been warm gloves - but that hasn't mattered much as I've never cycled over the winter months before.

However, this year I am cycling during winter so am about to buy a pair of Specialized Element 1.5 Winter Gloves. The only thing stopping me at the moment is the £40 price tag. I don't like the 'lobster' type of glove - I like a glove to look like a glove! I'm not too bothered about waterproof gloves but they do need to be windproof, very warm and have some reflective elements on them.

So, does anyone have a pair of Specialized Element 1.5 Winter Gloves or anything else they can recommend for up to £40 that they consider to be even better in terms of being warm and windproof (and reflective)?

DKay

I have a pair of these and they're more of an autumn glove, rather than one suitable for deep winter as they don't have much insulation. Pair them up with glove liners though and they're fine for anything down to freezing, although my hands run quite warm. They Windstopper material on the backs works fine and offers a small amount of water resistance, but they do get absolutely soaked in persistant rain. The cuff can feel a bit clammy from sweat in dry conditions. They size up large, so go a size down. I only paid £20 for mine a year ago and probably wouldn't have bought them at £40.

rumbataz

Thanks for the advice! I managed to track them down at about £21 in a sale at Rutland Cycling. I've already got a pair of Ronhill Sirocco gloves (which I use as my running gloves) that are very thin so I'm going to experiment with wearing those as liners if the Element 1.5s are not warm enough.

Like you, I didn't want to pay £40 for them but at £21 they seem to be a pretty good deal.

rumbataz

First ride this evening with these gloves and I was very impressed. It was quite chilly outside but my hands felt comfortable at all times. My hands also didn't ache from gripping the handlebar. These are definitely a step up from my Sealskinz gloves. They don't mould tightly to your hands but are comfortable to wear, nevertheless.

The cuffs are quite long and secured wit Velcro, so they will fit over most of your layers without any problems. I bought the bright yellow ones and these really do stand out at night and contain additional reflective details so headlights catch them quite easily.

All in all, I'm really pleased with these gloves - I also managed to control my Edge 1000 without having to take the gloves off.

As mentioned before, I wouldn't have paid £40 for these gloves as I don't think they're worth such a high price. I paid around £21 and I consider that a bargain.

dwanes

Good to hear that you like them.
I got some (bright yellow) yesterday from the Rutland deal, but haven't had the chance to try them yet, they do seem good quality for £21
My fingers need well insulated Mittens when temps get towards freezing but these look like they will be ok at around 4 - 9 deg for me.

rumbataz

I'm not sure how well they'll cope at freezing temperatures but it was quite cold this evening - around 4.5 degrees C according to my Garmin Edge 1000, so pretty cold. I bought a large size as I have a pair of thin Ronson Sirocco gloves that I use when I go running and those could double as liners and then my hands could squeeze into the Elements.