Bearing in mind their £25 price tag the Pinnacle WTP Gloves are a great success. Yes they lack breathability, which on longer rides especially does become an issue. And yes, the quality and functionality of the fabrics isn’t always of the highest order. But equally they do their primary job of keeping your hands warm very well. On top of that they have the details of a more expensive winter glove, including a decent adjustable cuff. In short, great value for money and sufficiently equipped to keep you comfortable during your winter riding.
Reasons to buy
+
Great value
+
Good level of detail inc. nose wipe
+
Well-designed adjustable cuff
+
Performed well in freezing conditions
Reasons to avoid
-
Lack breathability
-
Fleece lining could be improved
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Pinnacle is Evans Cycles in-house brand. As well as producing complete bicycles they also offer a wide range of components and accessories. Known for its affordability Pinnacle’s clothing line includes many items for jackets to bibs, jerseys to gloves.
The Pinnacle WTP glove is an insulated waterproof glove aimed at keeping you warm and dry during the winter months.
[Ed. Note: We were sent these gloves with a quoted price of £25 and have reviewed them in that context. On Evans Cycles and Sports Direct’s websites, the gloves are still being sold for £25 – but the list price has been inflated to £49.99 and a 50 per cent discount applied, keeping them at £25. Should the gloves ever be sold for more than the £25 we were initially quoted, we’ll update the review to reflect their change in value.]
Pinnacle WTP gloves - the construction
Priced at just £25 it would be easy to assume that the Pinnacle WTP gloves would be short on quality and detail. Not so.
On first examination I was impressed with the feel of the materials and the quality of the construction. A closer look revealed a number of touches that you’d certainly expect to see on a more expensive winter glove but not so much on ones so affordable.
The fingers are pre-shaped. There’s a protective panel on the inside of the thumb and the forefinger as well as a padded palm made from the same textured fabric. The nose wipe is generously sized and pretty soft. The cuff features neoprene at the rear as well as a Velcro touch and close fastening. All these details are present on the WTP gloves.
(Image credit: Luke Friend)
Pinnacle doesn't provide much detail on the chosen fabrics. The top of the glove features a layer that’s designed to be waterproof, with the material having a ‘ripstop’ like feel to it.
The palm of the glove is taken up by the aforementioned synthetic palm padding. Underneath that is a faux suede material, which is left exposed on the fingers and the outside of the thumb, to use as a nose wipe.
Inside is a lining that’s soft but not all that cosy. It’s less fleecy than you might expect, or want, from a winter glove.
Elsewhere, the cuff appears well designed. It’s a decent length and features some adjustability via a Velcro strap. The glove is finished off with some reflective detailing.
Finally, they prove to be nice and light too, weighing in on my kitchen scales at 58 grams per glove.
Pinnacle WTP gloves - the ride
Pulling the gloves on for the first time, the fit is good. The cuff extends nicely beyond the wrist and I’m able to tuck my jacket sleeve under before using the velcro fastening to cinch it securely.
(Image credit: Luke Friend)
The gloves do feel a little stiff, which is due, it seems, to the waterproof outer. Over the first few miles of this ride, dexterity isn’t great, which is accentuated by the fact that I’m using electronic shifting. However, a few miles into the ride and I was locating the shifter paddle with little to no problem. To be fair, there’s always a trade off between insulation and dexterity in true winter gloves.
Happily, the gloves quickly had my hands and fingers feeling nice and warm. And vitally they kept them that way. This did come at a cost though. On stopping I removed the gloves to find that my hands were pretty clammy and the insides of the gloves damp.
This was repeated on all my subsequent rides. In freezing temperatures the gloves did a stellar job of keeping my hands warm but the fabrics didn’t allow them to breathe. It’s worth pointing out that the clammy feeling only really became apparent when I removed the gloves. When riding, I could feel they were a little damp. But they were warm, and that’s what matters the most on those really cold days.
As for the waterproofing, the fabric on the top of the gloves kept out plenty of drizzle and survived the odd shower. I didn’t ride them in anything heavier than the conditions described. However, I’d hazard a guess that like many ‘waterproof’ gloves they will have a tipping point.
Another detail worth noting is the glove’s nose wipe - it’s both large and well positioned covering the entirety of the thumb. Importantly it’s nice and soft against the skin too.
Elsewhere, the padding on the palm struck the right balance for me between providing additional comfort without becoming obtrusive and affecting your feel on the bars.
Value
At £25 the Pinnacle WTP gloves are positioned at the lower end of the winter gloves price bracket. The dhb Waterproof gloves are comparable in price at £30 / $36. They offer better breathability but lack the adjustable cuff. In terms of warmth, both gloves perform well in cold temperatures.
At the other end of the price bracket sits Castelli’s Estremo gloves. They provide superior protection against the wet and the cold while allowing your hands to still breathe. However, at £100 / $99.99 they are four times the cost of the Pinnacle gloves.
Verdict
It’s only fair to temper expectations of performance products that don’t break the bank. So viewed against their £25 price tag and the Pinnacle Winter Gloves are a great success. Yes they lack breathability, which on longer rides especially does become an issue. And yes, the quality and functionality of the fabrics isn’t always of the highest order. But equally they do their primary job of keeping your hands warm very well.
On top of that they have the details of a more expensive winter glove, including a decent adjustable cuff. In short, great value for money and sufficiently equipped to keep you comfortable during your winter riding.
Luke Friend has worked as a writer, editor and copywriter for twenty five years. Across books, magazines and websites, he's covered a broad range of topics for a range of clients including Major League Baseball, the National Trust and the NHS. He has an MA in Professional Writing from Falmouth University and is a qualified bicycle mechanic. He has been a cycling enthusiast from an early age, partly due to watching the Tour de France on TV. He's a keen follower of bike racing to this day as well as a regular road and gravel rider.
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