Cold fingers aren’t just painful, they make it harder to control your bike. Here’s how to keep your hands warm whatever the weather throws at you

Good gloves are vital for winter cycling. Along with your ears and toes, your hands really feel the cold on a bike. Your body diverts blood away from the extremities to keep your core warm when the temperature drops.

Windchill is significant on bike as well. At a cycling speed of 10mph, an air temperature of 0ºC feels like a miserable –5ºC. At 20mph, zero degrees feels like –7ºC. And it’s even worse when you’re wet, which you might will be in a British winter. The chilling effect is compounded by the fact that, unlike your legs, your hands don’t move much while cycling, so they get even less blood pumping through them.

How warm your gloves need to be depends on how badly you feel the cold. Some cyclists will get away with a thin pair of long-fingered gloves. Others will want the thickest, warmest, driest gloves they can find. If you suffer from particularly cold hands, perhaps because you have Raynaud’s syndrome, good gloves alone may not be enough. You might also need liner gloves and/or chemical hard warmers such as HotHands.

There’s a trade-off between warmth and dexterity. More insulation means thicker fingers that might fumble with gear shifters. Rubber or silicone on the palms and fingertips can help with grip and the operation of gear and brake levers. Other useful features are bright colours and reflective details, which will emphasise your hand signals in dark or gloomy conditions, and a fleecy patch on the thumb for the inevitable runny nose. Cuffs need to be long enough to avoid exposing skin at the wrist.

Some cycling gloves are unisex; others have men’s and women’s designs. Aside from the colour options the only real difference is sizing: women’s gloves are smaller. Any gloves that fit comfortably are fine, regardless of who they’re intended for.

Here are 10 good choices to keep your hands warm this winter. Note that prices are RRP. You’ll make significant savings if you get them as part of a Cyclescheme package.

Altura Road Merino Unisex Liner Gloves £25

These liner gloves can be worn by themselves when the weather is merely cool. There’s some reflective detailing to make them stand out more if you do that. On colder days, they’re designed to go underneath a more weatherproof pair to boost warmth. The merino fabric is soft, breathable and still insulates well if becomes damp with sweat. Cuffs are long to keep your wrists cosy, and the snug fit means they should fit easily under your outer gloves. Sizes: XS-XXL.

Van Rysel RR900 Thermal Cycling Gloves – Yellow £29.99

Decathlon’s cycling gear is always good value – you can buy Van Rysel winter gloves (the RC100) for as little as £9.99. These ones are warmer, with ‘Softermic’ insulation and a windproof outer layer to keep you toasty on the vast majority of UK winter days. They’re water resistant rather than fully waterproof, which is sufficient for light rain. You can operate a touchscreen while wearing them, and the palms have gel pads for comfort. Although they’re available in black, the bright yellow option is more striking. Sizes: XS-XXL.

DHB Neoprene Cycling Gloves £32

These close-fitting, flexible gloves don’t look like they would be that warm. The reason they are is that they’re made of neoprene, the stuff wetsuits are made out of. As you’d expect, this insulates very well when wet; material that will keep you warm in the North Sea isn’t troubled by winter rain. Neoprene will also keep you warm in cold and dry conditions. Having said that, these gloves are probably better suited to road cyclists who will be riding harder and who will appreciate the shifter-friendly finger dexterity. There’s some reflective detailing. Sizes: XS-XL.

Oxford Bright Gloves 4.0 Black £44.99

Although only available in black, they’re called Bright gloves because of all the reflectivity on the back, which will help nighttime signalling. A waterproof membrane under the outer surface keeps your hands dry, while Primaloft insulation keeps them warm. The padding on the palm is textured with silicone for grip, and the forefinger and thumb are touchscreen compatible. The cuffs are fairly long and have a hook-and-loop closure – Velcro, basically. Sizes: XS-XXL.

Altura Nightvision Unisex Waterproof Insulated Cycling Gloves £45

Designed for commuter cyclists, these gloves have the extensive reflective detailing that’s a feature of Altura’s Nightvision range. They’re also breathable and waterproof – to 8k/8k. The back of the gloves is a stretch fabric, so they fit fairly snugly instead of sitting on your hands like gauntlets. Long, stretch cuffs keep out cold winds, and the Amara synthetic suede palm is silicone patterned for grip. The gloves are touchscreen compatible. They’re available in black, light grey and yellow. Sizes: XS-XXL.

Endura Women’s Strike Glove – Hi-Viz Yellow £45.99

The women’s version of the Strike glove is smaller than the men’s but Endura hasn’t taken the stereotypical ‘shrink and pink it’ approach: it comes in hi-viz yellow or sober black. A breathable, waterproof membrane is sandwiched between the water repellent outer layer and the insulated inner to keep your hands warm and dry. The synthetic leather palm is gel padded and patterned with silicone for grip, while the backs have reflective printing. The outer material is stretchy, giving the gloves a closer fit, and the cuffs are long and fastened with Velcro. Sizes: XS-L. (Men’s version: XS-XXL.)

Gorewear Windstopper Thermo Split Gloves £74.99

Part mitten, part glove, the split-finger format keeps your digits warmer without sacrificing braking and shifting dexterity. Some designs split the glove between the middle and ring fingers; this Gorewear glove leaves only the index finger (and thumb) free. Whether one-finger braking will work for you depends on your bike. If it has hydraulic discs, one finger is fine. The gloves are completely windproof and well insulated. As they’re only water resistant, they suit colder, drier days best. Thumb and finger are touchscreen compatible and the palm has grippy silicone on it. There are reflective details on the back. The cuffs are stretchy neoprene. Colours: black or neon yellow and black. Sizes: XS-XXXL.

Castelli Perfeto RoS Glove £85

The slimline, tailored fit of these gloves makes them a good choice for roadies and anyone else who uses drop-bar integrated shifters, which require finer control than flat-bar trigger shifters. The outer material is Gore-Tex Infinium Windstopper, an exceptionally windproof stretch fabric. It’s fleece lined, and Castelli rates the gloves for temperatures from 4ºC to –14ºC. As with the Gorewear Windstopper gloves, they’re only water resistant rather than waterproof. The palm is padded for comfort, with silicone for grip and a touchscreen compatible fingertip. The cuffs are stretchy neoprene. There’s a little bit of reflectivity. Sizes: XS-XXL.

Gripgrab Nordic 2 Windproof Deep Winter Lobster Gloves £90

As the name implies, Gripgrab’s Deep Winter gloves are intended for sub-zero conditions – assuming the roads are safe to ride on or you’re going off road. Like the Gorewear gloves, they’re a split-finger design that leaves the forefinger free for shifting and braking. So, again, your brakes need to be good enough for one-finger operation. The outer fabric is windproof and very (15k) breathable. A water repellent coating will cope with light rain or snow but they’re not waterproof. They’re very warm, however, thanks to ample Primaloft insulation and the split-finger style. Colours: black or hi-viz yellow. Sizes: XS-XXL.

Sealskinz Upwell Waterproof Heated Cycle Glove £175

Each of these gloves has a heating element in it, powered by a rechargeable battery that lasts up to six hours per charge. There are three levels of heat control or you can turn it off completely. The Upwell gloves are still pretty warm without heating as they’re insulated by Primaloft Gold, and their Aquasealz waterproof membrane is also windproof – as well as breathable. The padded palms use goatskin leather, which is durable but clearly won’t suit vegans. Cuffs are Velcro fastened and long. The gloves can’t be machine washed or tumble dried. Sizes: S-XL.