Best summer cycling gloves: Low-profile and high comfort mitts for road and gravel riding

Best summer cycling gloves overall

It’s not so often you get a product which just does its job without any issues and is also reasonably priced. But Santini has managed it here - which is somewhat a surprise, as their kit can be amongst the most expensive.

The super thin backing of these gloves really helps reduce heat build-up, whilst the open foam and grippy suede do a great job of preventing overheating and excessive clamminess. They’re grippy, without being distractingly so, and provide a good amount of cushioning while still offering good ‘bar feel’.

For long rides on super rough terrain, you’ll want something with a bit more cushioning - but that level of padding has its own trade-offs. As an everyday pair of mitts for riding, racing, and excursions off-road, these are a great all-round option and are actually reasonably priced.

Best for handlebar grip

GripGrab uses its unique InsideGrip design in these lightweight gloves. It places silicone grippers on the inside surface of the gloves, so they don't slip around on your hands while you're riding.

There's no padding, minimal seams and soft artificial suede palms in these mitts, so they're designed to enhance your bar feel, rather than provide you with extra comfort.

As with many aero cycling gloves, there's no closure to get in the way of airflow - you just pull your hands through the stretchy cuff. You do get reflective details on the little finger though.

Best for high-comfort padding

Named after the hardest section of pavé in the Paris-Roubaix Spring Classic road race, Castelli's Arenberg Gel 2 gloves are made to keep your hands as protected as possible.

These feature gel inserts on the palm, which it calls the Castelli Damping System (CDS). It's designed not only for comfort and greater control of the handlebars in tough terrain but to help prevent damaging the main padding on your hand (pronator teres muscle), which, when subjected to prolonged and excessive impact, can compress the median nerve, often know as the labourer's nerve.

The gloves use a mesh backing to help maximise breathability and have a microsuede nose wipe on the thumb to prevent soreness.

Best lightweight cycling gloves

The 100% Brisker gloves were so highly rated by our MBR siblings that we had to take a look at what the brand was up to on the road cycling side.

The Sling is a super-lightweight minimalist option; the perfect summer cycling gloves for riders looking to retain maximum road feedback, but improve bar grip. There are long and short finger versions available and both feel like you're not wearing gloves.

With no padding, these aren't going to be for riders who suffer from bar discomfort, but they will be music to the ears of road cyclists who like a low-profile grip and want to ensure they maintain as much radial grip as possible.

Best cycling gloves for durability

Made using top-notch sheep leather, on a test of the unisex version of the Monaco II Gel mitts we found the palm to be incredibly comfortable and soft. It also moulded well to the hand, with small holes over the centre of the palm for ventilation.

The Giro Technogel padding delivers very good pressure distribution, impact absorption and durability, which makes these great summer cycling gloves for lots of long days in the saddle.

There are some gloves which offer even more cushioning, but the further you go down that route, the worse the bar feel and control is.

Best cycling gloves for standing out

The shiny side of us absolutely loves the amazing summer cycling gloves from Supacaz. The 'oil slick' colour option certainly draws attention to the unique design of the SupaG gloves.

There's minimal padding, which will be great for those wanting to keep road feedback and radial grip on the bars, but not so much for anyone wanting palm cushioning on long rides.

If the statement you make with your mitts is more important than nerdy, marginal gains details then these are a great option to go for - the build quality is still good.

Best budget summer cycling gloves

Altura's latest iteration of its popular Progel mitts has been redesigned to reduce seams in the palms and increase the level of gel padding for additional bar comfort.

There's a synthetic suede palm, well-placed padding and a silicone print for grip and a mix of bonded and sewn seams - as well as a stretch lycra upper. The cuff sits quite low on the wrist.

The Progel mitts sit towards the lower end of the market, but they're comfortable and well made, although we did find some threads had come loose after a few wearings.

Best summer cycling gloves for gravel

This rather bizarre-looking pair are the ideal summer cycling gloves for gravel riders who are looking for max trigger finger grip in all terrains.

The thumb and first two fingers are designed to assist riders' confidence when braking and shifting gear, while the uncovered fingers help hand temperature regulation and overall flexibility and dexterity.

Grip comes from a duo of gel inserts and silicone print on the palm, designed for comfort on rough stuff, on and off the road.

Best summer cycling gloves for premium feel

As usual with Assos, there is an unquestionably quality aura to the GT Gloves C2. The fabrics used feel great with the breathable back complemented by the comfortable yet fairly minimal padding in the palm.

The overall design is equally restrained, with raw cut fingers, no pull loops and no wrist closure; the gloves rely on being a good fit for a secure feel - fortunately, with six sizes available you should be able to get exactly the right fit for you.

The fact that they are only available in black won't suit everybody, and neither will the price tag, although these are actually pretty reasonable by Assos standards. Durability is rarely a problem with Assos products, so they should last a decent amount of time