GripGrab ProGel Black

The GripGrab ProGel Black mitts are a really comfortable, well-made, and subtly styled pair of short-fingered gloves that offer excellent comfort on longer rides.

• Pros: Excellent padding, good grip, strong construction
• Cons: Lowered wrist tab can be irritating

Mitts have a few different primary functions. They can protect your hands in the event of a crash, they can increase grip, and they can increase comfort on longer rides. The GripGrab ProGel Black mitts manage to do all these things incredibly well.

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Grip is excellent, with a perforated 'Serino' faux leather material used throughout the palm area giving you a firm hold on the handlebar. Unlike some mitts, this same material is used across every part of the palm, which means that however you hold your bars or hoods you are likely to get good purchase.

Another key element is the comfort. As you can see in the photo above, GripGrab has used 4mm DoctorGel pads throughout: one sits across the base of the palm, another stretches from the centre to between the thumb and forefinger, and another runs across the bottom of the fingers. These provide excellent protection against bumps and uneven road surfaces and, having tested close to 100 pairs of mitts, these are safely in the top 5 per cent in terms of comfort.

On the top of the mitts, GripGrab has used three panels, one made of mesh to help with ventilation, the central and largest panel made from Lycra, and across the thumb a microfibre material that can be used to clear glasses or wipe away sweat (or snot). The stitching between each panel is strong and robust, and with the large Lycra area in the middle there is a decent amount of stretch to provide a close fit.

Ventilation is good too. I used them several times in temperatures pushing 30 degrees without ever feeling that I would have been better off with other gloves.

Securing the gloves is via a Velcro strap across the wrist which provides a firm grip and stops them riding up during a ride. This also makes removal easy because you can easily loosen the mitts before using the pull tab between the two middle fingers.

One of the only negative elements I could find is that the gloves have a slightly lowered wrist, which if not positioned properly can be a little irritating, though it only takes a little adjustment to fix.

Within these dropped wrists GripGrab has included a pair of magnets to keep the mitts together, which is a nice touch.

> Read more road.cc reviews of cycling mitts here

In terms of value, their RRP of £32 is comparable to the similar Lizard Skins Aramus GC Gloves and Sportful's R&D Cima Gloves, both £30. Given the comfort, grip and ventilation, it seems a fair price.

Overall I was really impressed with these mitts. They are fairly priced – if more expensive than many – comfortable and well made. Perhaps the dropped wrist could be improved slightly, but that is a minor element on what are otherwise excellent mitts.

Verdict

A supremely comfortable and grippy set of mitts