For those of you not familiar with Prendas they are an online retailer who specialise in clothing. They are passionate about road bikes both from the modern and classic eras and this is reflected in the range of clothing offered on the site.
I purchased the gloves (along with a few other items) just like anyone can by using their online shopping system. This was incredibly easy to do, shopping cart, well you know the drill. One thing to mention is the part where you are asked to fill in some body metrics based on height, weight etc, so that they may check the sizing ordered matches your body shape. This is a very useful tool as it seems in the world of cycle clothing no two manufacturers use the same size template.
Coming in four colours (red, blue, white and black) there should be one to suit either your tastes or club colours. As spring had sprung and summer was looming I decided to opt for the white mitts. I thought that if we do get some good weather the white tops of the mitts will reflect any of the heat off. I am still hoping for some prolonged sunshine to test this theory to it's fullness.
The mitts really did "fit like a glove" with no tight spots where your fingers meet the palm, and no excess bulking when gripping the handlebar. The glove is cut low on the wrist so giving a very free moving feel. Part of this must be attributed to the exclusion of velcro straps and relying on a good cut and a bit of lycra. The padding on the palm was just right for me as I don't like an overly bulky glove. My preference is to have some interaction with the handlebar, and not feel isolated by thick padding. What is also worth noting is the grip of the palm, this I have found to be excellent in either wet or dry conditions. The large towelling area provides a large, but unobtrusive, area to either mop your brow or deal with any unwanted mucus. I also liked the way in that the palm piece extended a bit further back towards the wrist offering a bit more comfort. Showing that 'God is in the detail', I really appreciated the small finger loops which made taking the gloves off a breeze.
Durability wise these are wearing well with over three months of daily use. Even a brush with a dirty chain on the white tops came out in the wash. I am pleased to say that they have retained the shape and have not gone baggy. I am looking forward to a long period of service with these mitts.
Final Words
For £24.99 these mitts would be a great buy, at the Prendas price of £19.95 these are an absolute steal. While non of the features are a Prendas first and so you may have seen them before, what is rare is that all of these present in one glove. I can't recommend them highly enough, and for those who don't like wearing mitts, these may be the ones for you as the airy almost not there weight is great added bonus.
