Pearl Izumi rates the Thermal Gloves for 55 to 70°F, which is a specific window but a well-used one. It covers most of fall, most of spring, and a lot of early starts in between — the rides where bare hands go stiff in the first 20 minutes but a full winter glove has you sweating by the time the sun clears the ridge. The back of the hand uses a brushed thermal fleece that traps heat without stacking up bulk over your knuckles, so the glove still folds cleanly around the bar tape instead of fighting your grip.

The palm is where these earn their keep. It's a soft synthetic leather with a wool-like hand feel, supple enough that you still register the texture of the tape and the detent of a shift lever through it, and it holds on a damp hood or a cold aluminum bar. The blend runs 79% polyester, 18% polyurethane and 3% polyamide on the palm, with 91% polyester and 9% elastane across the back — a stretch back panel paired with a structured palm, which is how the glove keeps a close fit without any closure strap.

A few details make daily use easier. Both the index finger and thumb are touch-screen compatible, so you can stop a ride file or answer a text without stripping a glove off at a stoplight. A pull-off tab on the middle finger handles removal, which counts for more than it sounds like when your hands are cold and the cuff is damp. On that cuff: it's a slip-on elastic wrist with no adjustment, and riders have flagged the entry as snug. Measure your hand circumference against the chart below rather than going off your usual glove size.... Read More