Q36.5 Winter Rain Gloves Review: Impressive waterproofing for knitted gloves

The Q36.5 Winter Rain Gloves are what the brand sees as its most versatile pair of gloves. Being made from a knitted construction means that they are equipped for insulation during colder weather, while an extended cuff aims to prevent cold air from going up the sleeves of any jersey or jackets.

Construction

In addition to the knitted construction, the gloves feature a waterproof membrane lining between the two layers of polyamide knit. Interestingly, this is the only item of kit that Q36.5 makes that is not produced in Italy or as part of a surrounding 350km radius, rather they are made in Taiwan. This is due to this fabric being somewhat unique to the factory that the brand uses.

To aid usability, conductive fibres are used in the index finger and thumb so as to allow for touch screen usage, while on the palms are silicone grippers. Being knitted also gives a great level of dexterity often not found in heavily waterproofed and membraned gloves. Colour wise there are seven options, with sizes from S to XL.

The ride

The Q36.5 Winter Rain Gloves were immediately comfortable. Having narrower wrists and big hands I often find that gloves can be a nightmare to get over my hands and then sit comfortably but Q36.5 gloves were easy to get on, while the cuff is well elasticated so that it creates a good seal. It also sits nicely high up the wrist so you don’t get any gaps for cold air to enter, while they can be rolled down a touch for a bit of airflow if required.

Even with the three layered construction, the gloves allow for impressive levels of dexterity and feel, meaning grabbing specific items out of pockets or shifting Di2 buttons in the cold and rain is easy to do. The silicone grippers on the hands also mean that in the rain the gloves do not slip off the hoods at all.

The touchscreen capabilities are somewhat middling, and I found that this worsened once the gloves were wet. In the dry it was mixed I think likely due to the thickness of the material. This thickness however does make the gloves usable in lower temperature conditions, around 5˚C which is impressive for a knitted glove in my experience.

However, performance in the rain is key for these gloves given the name, and in this regard they excel. In 8˚C with heavy rainfall, the gloves performed impressively. After around 90 minutes they did start to get saturated and I could feel water inside of them. But because of the membrane construction and dual layers of knitted fabric, there is very limited windchill and the gloves remain insulated. This results in no real drop in temperature of the hands even in heavy rain.

Q36.5 gives a usable temperature range of 0-18˚C, and I’d agree with some caveats. In rainy conditions, 18˚C would be manageable but likely a bit warm, while 0˚C would only be practical with no rain. I think, from my testing, a more realistic usable range is 4-14˚C .

The lack of reflective detailing is a little frustrating. I’m a big fan of gloves featuring this given that your hands sit on the outside of the handlebars and can be useful to show width of a cyclist as well as for signalling. An upshot is the bright colour options that are available, but in the darker colours the visibility it a bit naff. That’s a small bugbear of mine, and riding with lights will boost visibility more than clothing for the most part. The size range is also a bit small, going from S-XL whereas a lot of gloves have a broader range. The knitted fabric however does mean the sizing is not as restrictive as a more heavily constructed glove.

Value and conclusion

I’ve been a big fan of Q36.5 and the brand's drive to produce and source things locally. However, this can increase the price when compared to the competition.

These are the first item I’ve tested from them that is sourced outside of Europe and price wise they appear a little more reasonable as a result. At £60 / $85 they are similar in price to the Sealskinz Waterproof gloves at £50 / $85, and very close in terms of performance and indeed construction. Van Rysel are the main outlier in this category with its £24.99 waterproof knitted gloves, but it tends to offer exceptional value across all of its clothing.

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The Q36.5 Winter Rain Gloves are brilliantly versatile, being effective across a broad range of temperatures and genuinely very effective in the rain. They do get saturated with water after long periods of persistent rain, but at very limited detriment to hand temperature. Touch screen usability is middling, and they are not the best value knitted rain gloves available, but the fit and performance make them a great choice to cover a wide range of winter riding conditions.