I read a lot of winter glove reviews. Knowing the quality of Castelli, minimal material with maximum warmth, I bought the Espresso GT gloves. What I found, and please keep in mind where you are and where reviewers are, these gloves are great in the 40s and down into the high 30s all day long. I was comfortable down to 37 degrees. Below that my finger tips know it is cold and I am OK for a few hours of riding in these gloves. The pluses are 5 finger dexterity with not much bulk (I have some very puffy bulky lobster finger gloves with liners that are way inferior to these) and Castelli knows how to pack max efficiency into a thin material (gloves and tights); additionally the waterproofing is outstanding while the fuzzy interior does not get sweaty. I was able to take my gloves off at times and get them back on with ease. As far as location of the reviewer: If you live and ride in So Cal your temp acclimation will be way different than a cyclist in Minnesota. So the stated temp ratings are relative to what they, and you are acclimated to. I live and ride in the PNW (Seattle area) so mild winter temps (mid to high 30s) and plenty of wet. Great gloves for my temps and precipitation. Totally worth the price, on sale... a no brainer!
I have been blown away by how warm this piece of gear is. I�ve worn this jacket in the high 20�s to mid 40�s, and quite frankly, had to use the zipper to help regulate things when above 40 degrees. I still think Castelli�s PERFETTO jacket is the most versatile piece of gear in their line, but when below 40 degrees, this jacket now easily the best choice for the job. Road or gravel, this jacket will fit the need. I am 6�1, 178 lbs, and a large fits great.
These gloves are great for temps down to about 45F (7C) - lightweight but warm and water resistant with just a little bit of padding. Good PNW gloves for when it's chilly, wet but getting warmer through the day.
I just bought a second pair of these after 2 seasons I liked them so much. On my older gloves, the cuff eventually kind of shredded apart where you pull them on. They fixed that problem with an updated cuff. But the only downside with the updated version is that it is very tight which makes them a little hard to get on and off. In fact, as with almost all gloves when your hands are already cold and damp, putting these on can be frustrating. I'll still use them though - in the right temp range they're very good.
So many gloves purchased, so many returned. These are the only gloves that worked for me in the mid to lower 30� area were battery operated gloves, which are extraordinarily helpful but very bulky. So far I�ve done two rides with them. Daytime, 3 1/2 hours 18.7 mph, sunny, 33�, windchill 22�. Last night, a gravel ride, nighttime, 23 miles, 2000 feet of climbing, 2 hours, 15 minutes, 14 miles an hour 31�, windchill 18�.
The first five-10 minutes of both ride, my fingers were a little cold, but not unbearable. I put in a very light glove liner. However, after 30 minutes, the liners came off. I just use the glove and they were not even zippered at the top.
Y the wind proofing is top-notch. Yes, the gloves got moist inside, but my hands never felt clammy or cold. I can�t explain why. They just didn�t. Yes, I am raving about these gloves. They are just that good.
