GoreWear (that’s their name now) sent me these gloves for review. It was a strange thing. I got an email, because apparently I’m on their media list. The email asked what products of theirs I’d like to try. There was a link to a form. Because I have a glove problem, always searching for better ways to keep my hands dry and warm, I put a check next to these. I don’t think I specified color. Then I clicked SUBMIT and promptly forgot all about them.
Some weeks later an envelope appeared at the house, and I tore it open to discover (and remember) the Gore C3 Gore-Tex Infinium Stretch Mid Gloves in Fireball/Black colorway. Very exciting. Also, a prime example of a marketing department unable to come up with a product name that doesn’t read like the fine print on a pharmaceutical ad, but that has nothing to do with the quality of the gloves. It’s just a thing that always bemuses me.
No matter. These are good gloves.
Here’s what I like about them: The grip is fantastic. They have a micro-suede palm with some small “gripper beads” at the base of the fingers and some bits of gel padding in the palm itself. Somehow, they’ve nailed the ergonomics of this, so that the grip on the bars is solid, but the glove feels supple and comfortable too.
Because it’s Gore, of course the wind protection is perfect, and there’s a micro-fleece on the inside, across the back of your hand, that adds warmth and comfort. Another success is the tactile pad on the index and thumb tips, which actually works. I’ve had a lot of gloves that claim to have solved this tactility issue, but this the first pair that’s actually done it for me.
The effective temperature range for these gloves is 40F-50F, in my opinion. Some folks (I see you California) will wear them up into the 50s though. They retain a lightness and breathability that a lot of gloves in this class don’t have, because they’re not bulky at all. The Infinium material Gore uses features a thin membrane that lets moisture out but block all wind from coming in. It’s very clever. That’s who these people are. This is what they do.
I could even imagine wearing these under a larger pair of winter gloves for maximal warmth in deep winter, because they are definitely thin enough.
That brings me to fit. I’m a nailed-on medium in almost every time of clothing ever for all-time. I found the fit on the C3s to be a little slim and the fingers slightly long. This is not at all a showstopper, but if you have “meaty” hands, you’ll likely want to go up a size.
Finally, the folks at Gore want you to know that this product has been tested for harmful substances, produced in fair labor conditions, and that they maintain transparency in their production methods. Those things are important.
The Gore C3 Gore-Tex Infinium Stretch Mid Gloves (phew) come in four color combos, neon yellow/black, black/black, black/red, and fireball/black. The neon and fireball configurations remind me of the stuff hazmat workers wear, and I like that, though given my druthers I’d probably go for all black or black and red, because I’m an under-the-radar kind of cyclist.
They retail for $60, but at time of writing are on sale for $30 which is an astounding deal, and you should get on that ASAP.