The best cycling gloves will protect your hands and keep you feeling comfortable whilst cycling. A good pair of gloves or 'mitts' as they are often called, is a staple of many cyclists' kit bags.
Short finger cycling gloves are generally all that's needed in warmer temperatures. They are one of the pieces of kit that provide road cyclists with protection in the event of a crash; they also minimise irritation on long, hot rides, and can improve comfort on rough roads.
I don't personally wear cycling mitts for all of my riding, but if I've got a big ride or a race, I always put a pair on and am always glad of them. In the winter, a pair of the best winter cycling gloves is important, so don't forget them.
I have tested all of these gloves in events and races, and they are all excellent options. My best overall pick goes to the Rapha Core mitts, a great pair of gloves that cost less than the top-tier Rapha option.
Head down to the bottom of the page for expert buying advice and FAQs.
Best cycling gloves
➕ Very comfortable design
➕ Simple, classic styling
➖ No dedicated thumb wipe panel
The Rapha Core mitts are my best overall pair of cycling gloves. They are comfortable, soft, fit-and-forget gloves that should look great with a range of kit. They cost less than the top-tier Pro Team mitts from Rapha, but overall, for me, they are more comfortable and are slightly looser fitting. The gloves use a perforated mesh backing and a lightly padded palm.
➕ Great value for the features included
➕ Nice Terry cloth thumb wipe panel
➕ Ample Gel palm padding
The Endura Xtract mitts are our best budget option. An excellent pair of gloves that don't cost the earth. They have a good amount of palm padding, a Velcro wrist closure and a soft nose wipe panel. There are even a couple of pull tabs to help you take them off. An excellent pair of quality gloves from Endura.
➕ Lots of palm padding
➕ Stylish design
➕ Nose wipe panel
The Castelli Arenberg 2 Gloves are the brand's most padded gloves, and are named after the roughest section of cobbles at Paris-Roubaix. If you want a quality glove with plenty of padding, step this way. The gloves use Castelli's CDS (Castelli Damping System) to try to filter out some road vibration before you start to feel it.
➕ Nicely padded palms
➕ Pull tab
➖ May not be faster for every rider
If you are interested in some aero gloves, then these ones from GripGrab are a nice option. Aerogloves use a longer cuff to try to boost aerodynamic performance. These have a silicone gripper to keep the wrists in place and some light palm padding. The way you hold the bars and the angle of your wrists may dictate whether an aero glove is faster for you, but they are a nice option.
➕ Low-key classic styling
➕ Reflective strip on hand
➖ No thumb wipe panel
The Le Col cycling mitts are another understated, go-with-anything option that features some light palm padding for added comfort. They aren't aero gloves, but use a slightly longer cuff and a slightly tighter fit than the Velotoze or Endura options. There are two pull tabs to help you get them off, and the cuff will pair very neatly with fitted jerseys or arm warmers.
➕ Comfortable and lightweight
➕ Stylish design
➖ Higher retail price
The MAAP Pro Race Mitt is a great mitt, but it is the most expensive in the guide. The Pro Race Mitts are light and very breathable, using a thin mesh and grippy, hooked palm, which has light padding in places. I used these gloves for the Marmotte sportive, over nine hours in the saddle across various mountain passes, and they really looked after my hands. They are comfortable, stylish and breathable, if expensive.
➕ Superlight, minimalist design
➕ Rubber palm gripper is nice and tacky
➖ Minimal palm protection
The Velotoze Featherweight gloves are super thin, minimalist track mitts. If you don't like too much padding in your gloves, or just want the thinnest ones possible, look at these. There is no palm padding, just transparent mesh with a gripper applied. The gloves are very comfortable and feature just the right amount of compression, which makes for a lovely fit.
➕ Touchscreen compatible
➕ Lots of palm padding
➕ Large nose wipe panel
Thin, long-fingered gloves are versatile pieces of kit that can work well in warm weather, and our last two options are from that camp. The Specialized Dual Gel gloves are surprisingly good value all-rounders that are perfect for road, gravel and even MTB riding. They are thin, and not aimed at boosting warmth, and have a nice nose wipe panel and a lot of padding, which is not as chunky as it first appears when you hold the bars. They work fine with a phone touchscreen, so go for these if you need to use your phone a lot.
➕ Thin and light
➕ Great palm padding
➖ Touchscreen compatiblity not great
Here's the long-fingered version of the Castelli Arenberg glove, another excellent yet lightweight long option. This glove has all the great padding that the short finger has, in a thin, fitted long version. There are some silicone grippers on two of the fingers, but the gloves don't work very well with a phone touchscreen. These are another nice option for a bit of everything, warm road rides, cyclocross, gravel or MTB.
Last updated on 8th July 2026 We updated the guide by adding new products best suited to riding in summer conditions.
How to choose the best cycling gloves for you
- Do you need more comfort? If you're looking to try to reduce vibrations on long or rough rides, choose a pair of gloves with thicker padding on the palm, which some riders find helps.
- Do you ride regularly in hot weather? You will want to go for a thinner glove, certainly one with a fingerless design. They will deal with sweat and water better, but also reduce hand soreness on those long, hard days.
- Do you ride in cold weather? Go for a full-length finger. If you ride in the wind, rain and/or cold, consider a glove with windproof panels, waterproofing, a thicker cuff or extra insulation.
- Do you need any other features? Towelling to wipe a snotty nose, and pull tabs to take the gloves off can help.
- Are you racing? Whilst not essential, gloves can protect your hands in the event of a crash; we use our hands for everything. Gloves are a small item that can help protect your body.
Everything you need to know about the best cycling gloves
Gloves should fit you fairly snugly; poorly fitting or too big gloves could interfere with your shifting and braking. Sizing should be your main priority to ensure your gloves are comfortable to wear. Aside from that, choose a style and design you like that meets your price point, and get yourself a nice pair.
Do I need gloves for road cycling?
You don't need cycling gloves to ride, and plenty of cyclists prefer not to ride in gloves. It's probably more common to see cyclists without gloves on road rides these days.
Our hands, though, are essential for all aspects of life, not just cycling. Crash once and take the skin off your hands, and you will realise the importance of wearing gloves.
There isn't much safety equipment that we cyclists can take advantage of. I was always taught to wear gloves when riding growing up, and sometimes I wasn't allowed to race or train without them.
My advice is to wear a pair of gloves for a big day out, race or ride; they help me feel that little bit more ready and have kept my hands more comfortable on long, hot, sweaty days in the saddle.
Are aero gloves faster?
As part of a trip to a wind tunnel for our CN Labs testing, we tested the GripGrab TT aero gloves to see how they fared and to inform our own testing and strengthen this guide.
In our wind tunnel run, when riding in a standard upright position and holding the gear shifters, the aero gloves tested marginally slower for me when riding in that particular position. Whether aero gloves actually make you faster is going to come down to your own position on the bike, as well as the actual fit of the gloves and how they sit on your wrists.
Either way, wearing some gloves is also going to offer some valuable hand protection and may be worth thinking about for extra grip and security on time trial handlebars.
Do gloves need a nose wipe panel?
A nose wipe panel can be really useful if you find yourself clearing your nose or being a bit snottier on the bike. It's very convenient and keeps things a little more civilised. Lots of brands seem to be making lightweight gloves without a nose wipe currently, but it's still a really useful feature to look for in your gloves.
Why fingerless gloves?
In the summer on a road bike, full-length gloves are slightly overkill most of the time, although there are some excellent lighter-weight options available. Short-fingered gloves or mitts provide the right amount of protection whilst helping hands stay cool and providing good dexterity.
Indoor training can often get a bit hot and sweaty, and using the best smart trainers can be hot work. A light pair of cycling gloves can also be valuable when riding and training indoors.
Will cycling gloves make a difference?
In many cases, yes, they will. Particularly if you are prone to getting sore or chafed hands after several hours on the bike, some cyclists have also experienced nerve issues in their hands from repetitive use, and gloves can help minimise any potential repetitive strain-related injuries.
They will also come into their own if you ride over rough ground or poor surfaces, which transmit a lot of extra vibrations through the handlebars.
If you have ever crashed your bike and had to deal with gravel rash on the palms of your hands, you will definitely understand and appreciate the benefit of wearing gloves. However, like most things, this is a choice that comes down to personal rider preference.
How we test cycling gloves
I have been riding and racing in cycling mitts for over fifteen years and have learnt a lot about what works and what I like and don't like in that time. I have tested all of the gloves in this guide myself, riding indoors and outdoors for long periods on road and gravel bikes, as well as regular washing to put the gloves through their paces.
I have tested each pair of gloves in this guide for hours on the bike. I've ridden indoors on my smart trainer to see how they perform when soaked in sweat in the middle of a workout. I've also worn them on slightly chilly spring mornings as the day began to warm up and on warmer days outdoors on short and long rides, even for a road race. I've used them all in anger, riding hard in and out of the saddle, as well as for more relaxed rides to put them through their paces and find out how they perform.
Testing is the backbone of the tech department at Cyclingnews, and how we test is taken seriously, so read on to find out more.
