Shimano Windstopper Thermal Reflective Gloves Review

During winter, one deterrent to cycling can be the fear of cold hands, unless you dress like an Eskimo at the North Pole. With the Windstopper Thermal Reflective gloves, Shimano offers an effective, reassuring, and comfortable solution, at a reasonable price for this type of product.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: @3bikes.fr

Protecting your hands from the cold while cycling, while maintaining comfort and dexterity for gripping the handlebars and operating the brakes/derailleurs, is a real challenge, which Shimano seems to meet with the Windstopper Thermal Reflective gloves. These gloves are offered at a retail price of €54.99, which is particularly reasonable for a technical product, and above all, effective, as we will see later.

Against the cold

For many years, we personally used either thick ski gloves or thick mittens for cycling in temperatures around 0°C (and often with a lower perceived temperature due to the wind). This was a “warm” solution, but impractical and especially complicated to hold the cockpit, as well as to access the levers, especially for shifting gears. It was also an unsuitable solution in case of temperature variations during the same ride, for example, an early morning start and a return in the early afternoon at the end of winter. However, many cycling-specific gloves normally intended for such temperatures often disappointed us, turning the end of sessions into real struggles due to cold hands. In short, it was with a bit of circumspection that we began this test, first in temperatures around 5 or 6°C.

Despite their relative thickness, the Windstopper Thermal Reflective gloves prove to be comfortable and quite flexible to handle. Note that for this type of product, we always make sure to choose one size larger than our usual size, in order to leave a little air at the fingertips inside the gloves. We notice that the cut is slightly curved, and the palm has padding cushions spaced apart with a thinner fabric, which has the effect of preventing the feeling of bulk in the hollow of the hands.

Comfort and support

At the fingers, the synthetic leather used facilitates gripping the brake levers, but it doesn’t necessarily inspire the highest confidence regarding its ability to withstand negative temperatures. Shimano claims effectiveness down to -10°C. We haven’t been able to test them in these conditions, but they easily withstood a few rides with -3°C displayed on the bike computer. This protection is undoubtedly provided by the Gore Windstopper membrane used as a lining, which effectively blocks the wind while remaining breathable. On the one hand, this prevents hands from sweating during climbs and cooling significantly on descents, and on the other hand, it gives the gloves a fairly wide range of action. When the temperature warms up to 8 or 9°C, they remain bearable and hands stay dry.

To withstand the cold, the back of the gloves benefits from Metallic Thermal Tech technology, designed to “reflect” heat inwards. It’s hard to say what the exact effect of this technology is, but what is certain is that the Windstopper Thermal Reflective gloves seem more effective to us than the Windstopper model in the range that lacks this technology.

The padded sections on the palms are particularly active in absorbing vibrations and ensuring a firm, non-slip grip, even in wet weather.

Among other details, we note the wiping surface on the thumb (to regularly wipe the traditional runny nose without irritation), and compatibility with touchscreens at the tip of the thumb and index finger.

At the wrists, the gloves don’t extend high enough for our taste, and the elastic fabric is quite loose. While the Windstopper Thermal Reflective gloves can withstand a passing shower, this part facilitates water entry through the jacket sleeves. Nevertheless, this makes the gloves easy to put on and take off.

Finally, a word about the reflective features of the gloves, as their name suggests they have particular capabilities in this area. In reality, only a strip on the outside near the little fingers offers this function. This may be a bit limited, but it should be noted that they are also available with fluorescent yellow or red patterns, which is likely to make the user a little more visible in low light conditions.

Even if they are not perfect in all areas, the Windstopper Thermal Reflective gloves ultimately seem very effective to us, and especially very affordable when compared to some competing models that are not necessarily better at fighting the cold. Warm, breathable, comfortable, and providing a good grip on the cockpit, they are ideal for dry or slightly damp temperatures around 0°C. If you regularly suffer from cold hands while cycling, you can choose them without hesitation.