Meet the heated gloves designed for winter riding
Winter riding can be a nightmare, battling with cooler road temperatures, potential ice on the roads, slippery white lines and of course the cold. Anyone who has commuted in the colder months of winter can agree that it’s not fun, if you are lacking the proper equipment to keep you warm like heated grips/gloves, a face warmer and insulated trousers, boots and jacket then your journey will be significantly more difficult.
The frozen fingers whilst riding a motorbike can not only be uncomfortable but also extremely dangerous if you lack the mobility to be able to grip the clutch and most important the front brake properly, that’s why we have compiled a list of some of the best heated gloves on the market to make sure your hands are kept toasty warm in the winter months, anyone else looking forward to spring?
RST PARAGON HEATED GLOVES
£199.99 from RST
The RST Paragon heated gloves are a perfect pair of gloves for those riders who want easy to use gloves without the hassle of cables and wires. Heat from these CE Approved, waterproof gloves is supplied from a battery in each glove to give you more manoeuvrability when out on the road.
As standard, you are supplied with a cable and two batteries (one for each glove) with more batteries being available for purchase so you can reload on longer journeys.
The gloves boast a battery length of 4 hours on the lowest setting (40°C) and an impressive 2.5 hours on the highest setting available (60°C) with a medium setting also available, the charging time for these gloves are three hours meaning you may need to prepare in advance if you plan on going on longer journeys.
They have double stitched seams, a visor wiper on each glove, hard knuckles and a waterproof strap to ensure your hands are kept perfectly dry in the cooler months of the year. Not only that but they include digital touch screen index fingers ensuring you won’t freeze up by removing the gloves to operate a mobile phone.
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Macna Progress RTX DL Kit
€199.95 from Macna without batteries
€279.95 from Macna with batteries
Macna have created the Swiss Army Knife of gloves with their Progress RTX DL gloves which have an incredible amount of features crammed in with the Dutch brand focusing heavily on rain protection thanks to Direct Laminate, this water repellent coats the outer shell of the glove meaning water has no chance of making your gloves wet and damp, this will increase the warmth of the glove and ensure the efficiency of its heating capabilities.
You are offered three different ways to power the heated gloves thanks to their dual power technology, the gloves can be powered by either a 7.4 Volt supply or the 12 Volts from your motorcycle battery. Macna sell a heated jacket which these gloves can be connected to and powered via the jacket, to add to this, they also sell heated pants and socks to keep you extra toasty on those cold mornings.
Alternatively batteries can be installed inside the cuff of the glove which gives you a wireless power supply. Thirdly these gloves can be connected directly to the motorcycles battery via a cable which can be hidden within your jacket. With four different levels of heat and a mobile phone app available to track the battery life of these gloves, they are no doubt a superb investment.
Keis G701 Heated Motorcycle Gloves
£195.00 from Keis without batteries
£294.00 from Keis with batteries
Keis are another who have adopted the method of multiple ways to power your gloves whether it be from battery packs installed inside the gloves to a cable connecting to your jacket or to your battery, the variance in options available is a great addition as it gives the user the chance to choose what works best for them, some riders prefer to be able to plug and play with no hassle meaning the battery/jacket cable will work well, others don’t want to have to mess around with cables and therefore prefer to opt for batteries installed inside of the gloves.
These gloves pack a punch thanks to bonded textile construction which helps to minimise slippage between the multiple layers on the glove from the 3M thinsulate insulation to the outer boned layers.
They are easy to use with a button situated at the back of the glove to turn on and off and cycle through the different heat settings available to the user.
If you opt for the button you can expect to be waiting 5 to 6 hours for the batteries can charge and I would recommend purchasing a spare set for this reason, on the road you can expect to get 4 hours of constant use from these batteries at the highest level and up to 8 hours running at the lowest setting meaning a commuter can get away with charging the batteries once or twice a week.
On the glove finger you will find a smart phone friendly touchpad enabling you to use your phone without removing the gloves and a visor wiper.
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IXON IT-Yate Evo
€269.99 from Ixon
If you want a smart, adaptive worry-free glove then this is for you. Ixon have set the bar high with these gloves thanks to their CLIM8 technology which has been implemented to ensure your hands never get cold when on the road.
These gloves are battery-powered only but they pack a punch thanks to their futuristic technology, the CLIM8 system is incredibly cool and makes this glove stand out above the others.
CLIM8 is an adaptive technology which automatically regulates the temperature of the gloves to how warm or cool they are depending on the temperature outside, for example, if you are riding in a 30mph zone your hands may be warmer than if you were blasting down the motorway at 70mph. The gloves will automatically adjust the temperature to ensure you remain comfortable.
When you get the gloves out of the box you will need to calibrate them via Bluetooth on an app on your mobile phone, this will take a few minutes to set up as it needs to measure your skin temperature.
Then when you go to ride your motorcycle and put on the gloves, they will automatically activate without needing to turn them on/off, saving power when the gloves are not in use. If you find them to be too hot or cold when riding you can manually adjust the base temperature on the previously installed application, once you are happy with these gloves you do not need to use the app and the gloves will work independently.
There is a trade-off to this that is a 3-hour battery life, this is significantly less than other pairs of gloves on this list but if you are happy to splash out on some spare batteries then these are a solid investment. The gloves do not absorb water and contain insulation throughout to retain heat as much as possible.
Gerbing XR Leather
£169.99 from Gerbing
The Gerbing XR Leather gloves are a brilliant short cuff glove for those riders who may not want or need anything too high tech or flashy. The short cuff allows it to be worn under the sleeve of jackets preventing any water from dripping down into the glove in wet conditions.
Due to the short cuff they are not compatible with batteries therefore the only way of using these is to connect it to the 12v battery on the motorcycle using the cables provided. They contain a button on the outside of the glove to regulate temperature and cycle on/off.
Inside the glove you will find a waterproof membrane meaning if they do get wet and the rain penetrates through the leather, you will still be protected from the water and your hands will stay warm and dry.
We hope this list has been able to help you make an informed decision on your choice of gloves.
Happy riding!