Chapeau Leather Mitts

Back in the day, cycling mitts (or gloves) were either crocheted, leather, or sometimes both. Today it's more common for them to be made of man-made materials but there is still a market for a more classic-looking glove. The Leather Mitts from Chapeau tap into that demand nicely, with Chapeau's iconic bowler hat logo a nice match for the retro-influenced white leather backs. Chapeau has used modern leather from Pittards combined with various other more modern ingredients to result in a comfortable and stylish glove.

It's not just the fabric, I found the cut a pretty good approximation of the shape of my hands. Generally with leather gloves, you aim for a fairly tight fit to begin with so that the leather can yield a bit over time and conform to your hands. I have fairly large hands and the supplied large size was just right – a squeeze to begin with but comfortable from the outset too. I found I mostly just didn't really think about my gloves while I was riding, even on longer rides, and as ever, that's a pretty good indication of comfort.

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They're only available in one colour, with a white leather back and a black palm. The white leather is a soft sheepskin, perforated with holes so small they are really barely more than pores. Unlike some, you won't get crazy tan spots from these gloves. Chapeau says that this offers uncompromised breathability, but they don't let as much air through as a mesh back. This never resulted in reduced comfort, but on really hot days it would mean they became a bit more tricky to remove as my hands sweated.

The palms are very well ventilated. They're made from a combination of more textured Pittards leather and a couple of different meshes. The leather is positioned in the areas where you'd want a little more padding, which are also the areas most susceptible to wear. The leather sections around the thumb and the base of the palm have some thin padding, while there is none added at the top of the palm. You may have a preference for a well-padded or an unpadded glove – what we have here is what I'd consider the happy medium, with just the right amount of padding.

In between the leather sections on the palm is a 3D mesh material which is both breathable and comfortable. A second type of much finer mesh is used under the base of the fingers. This feels a little bit flimsy and I was worried it would be a weak point, but after a couple of months' using the mitts it's not showing any inclination to disintegrate.

Care is pretty straightforward – I've just been chucking them in the washing machine in a low-temperature wash with non-bio detergent. The leather seems to cope with this pretty well and I've not yet had to treat it – it comes out pretty much as supple as it went in.

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As there's no Velcro or poppered strap, they aren't the easiest to put on or, particularly, to take off. I found that careful removal would take a few seconds longer than some other mitts. On the outside of the wrist is a small section of stretchy Lycra which yields a little, but they are still a bit fiddly.

A welcome concession to bodily function, the large soft snotwipe is the best I've used. It does the things that you'd want a snotwipe to do; I don't think we need to delve into further details here.

Priced at £35, these are decent value. They cost the same as the Gore Bike Wear Retro mitts, which are made from similar materials, and are significantly less than other full leather mitts from the likes of Rapha and Giro, although more than those from Galibier. I've enjoyed wearing these mitts and they're likely to be a go-to pair for all but the hottest days.

Verdict

Smart, comfortable, easy to look after and sensibly priced