Triban RR 900 Thermal Cycling Gloves review

Decathlon's Triban RR 900 Thermal Cycling Gloves are around half the price of many alternative options, yet still do a great job of keeping your hands warm.

In fact, the RR 900s are said to be Decathlon’s warmest cycling gloves, with a fit and degree of padding that feels more like a ski glove. Decathlon describes the gloves as being “for cyclists riding in temperatures close to 0°C”.

That level of warmth might be too much, though, unless you’re regularly cycling in freezing or sub-zero temperatures.

The bulky construction makes shift levers awkward to use too.

Triban RR 900 Thermal Cycling Gloves specifications

The gloves have a fleecy lining and you can feel there’s a substantial amount of fibre padding between that and the water and wind-resistant outer surface.

The glove is pre-shaped with a curve, so there’s less likelihood of the synthetic suede palms rucking up as you grip the bars. At the base of the thumb and in the heel of the palm there are added pads of Technogel, designed to relieve bar pressure.

Whereas many cycling gloves are cut to fit under the sleeves of a cycling jacket, the cuff of the Triban RR 900 gloves is too bulky to squeeze inside a sleeve. It’s long and is closed with a Velcro tab, and there’s a ribbon puller inside to help get the gloves on and off.

The index and middle finger have touch-sensitive tips. There are reflective strips on the two outer fingers and the bright yellow colour should help with hand signals (there’s also a black option that should cut down on washing).

Triban RR 900 Thermal Cycling Gloves performance

The Decathlon Triban RR 900 Thermal Cycling Gloves keep your hands warm, perhaps too warm for the cool and damp winter weather that's common in the southern UK, where I tested them. They’d been a good option if you ride often when it’s close to or below freezing.

The gloves hit the mark in terms of Decathlon’s positioning and they're priced competitively. There’s no waterproofing as such, but the outer fabric offers some water repellency in light rain.

Elsewhere in the range, the even less expensive Triban RR 500 gloves are rated by Decathlon for temperatures between 6°C and 11°C, which suggests they should be a good match for temperate winter conditions.

With so much padding, the Triban RR 900 gloves are quite bulky, so I found using the controls, particularly the shift levers, quite tricky – it’s easy to hit the wrong lever.

Some more expensive gloves manage to achieve warmth in cold conditions without the amount of bulk here. The bar grip is good though and the gel pads are well situated to reduce pressure.

The gloves are easy to get on and off with the loop pullers and you can ensure a close fit with the Velcro tabs. If you like to wear a watch when riding, the long cuff can get in the way and make it difficult to ensure a fit without a gap.

The touch-sensitive parts of the fingers are positioned quite a way down from the fingertips, which makes using a bike computer or phone quite hit-and-miss. Anything more tricky than swiping between screens requires taking a glove off.

Triban RR 900 Thermal Cycling Gloves bottom line

For cold-climate riders, the Triban RR 900 Thermal Cycling Gloves would be a great option at a very competitive price, but they may prove too warm for temperate climates.