bspoke Boston Gauntlet gloves, a pair of cycling gloves that hope to bring a bit of class to the commuting market.
After the first ride wearing these I strode into the office with warm hands, holding the gloves and was asked if I had been off murdering people, someone else commented “no, he's driven the jaaag in” – interesting initial opinions from the non cycling fraternity but do they have a point?
First thoughts were that they didn’t look very ‘cycley’, the mock leather back on them added a certain perception that the wearer had a classic car or mafia links.
They are, in fact, a very comfortable pair of cycling gloves that do a good job in beating the cold air away from vulnerable fingers. The soft Bemberg lined inners were smooth with no hint of niggly over-stitching or unnecessary tightness, the test pair fitted me like, well, a glove. The mock leather backs do a good job in reducing wind chill and protecting the rest of the gloves in showers, though recent deluges have clearly found the limits of the Boston Gauntlet. The addition of popper studs to close the wrist sections are a nice touch which all add to the 'old boy' image of these gloves and the deep cuffs fit nicely inside a windshell outerlayer.
There are only a couple of gripes I have – after a few weeks use the stitching at one of the finger joins inside has come adrift, not catastrophically but it leads me to wonder if the rest will work loose. Secondly, what temperature are they for? In Britain it seems to either be autumnal or wintery, the boston gauntlets keep your hands too warm for autumn when you are starting to lean toward full finger gloves but they don’t offer quite enough protection for your fingers in wintery temperatures as we have had this past few days. They certainly do help but I cant help thinking that they don’t quite tick the boxes, that said, I still like them – especially for the price.
Talking of price, the rrp is around £30 but on the bspoke website at the time of writing they are on sale for just £15.49 for all sizes which is a steal, I have ordered a pair.
Verdict
Uncomplicated, smart looking gloves for a helluva price at the moment. Would I pay £30? Maybe not, would I pay £15, for sure.
road.cc test report
Make and model: Bspoke Boston Gauntlet
Size tested: Black, Medium
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
BSpoke say they design clothing for men and women who love to cycle but dont love traditional cycle clothing. There certainly is a gap in the market for this and bspoke do well with these gloves. You could wear them around town in the winter and nobody would think they were for cycling.
Rate the product for quality of construction:
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
7/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
9/10
Rate the product for value:
9/10
Did you enjoy using the product? yes, they were comfortable and kept my hands pretty warm
Would you consider buying the product? I have
Would you recommend the product to a friend? yes - the 'im not a cyclist - cyclist
Age: 24 Height: 5ft 10 Weight: 70kg
I usually ride: felt ar4 My best bike is: i like my felt and my orbea ora tt bike equally
I've been riding for: 5-10 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, commuting, club rides, general fitness riding, mtb, triathlon
Dont forget Linford Christie
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