Sportful Sotto Zero gloves review

Sportful's Sotto Zero winter gloves make use of Primaloft Silver insulation material and are designed for the coldest conditions. Testing showed them to be grippy and warm, if a little on the sweaty side.

The Sotto Zeros are constructed with a softshell covering on their back that's effective at keeping cold winds at bay and also offer a degree of water resistance, while still being breathable. Below is that layer of Primaloft Silver insulation, while the liner that encases your hands is smooth and fleecy.

• Best cycling gloves
• Best road bikes

The outside face of the palm and digits are made entirely of a very grippy silicone print fabric. This really helps to plant your gloves on the bars, and there’s little tendency for the gloves to slip around as you ride.

You also get touchscreen active tips to the index finger and thumb, and a large, soft wipe thumb pad that’s useful for clearing glasses in the rain.

Sizing of the Sportful Sotto Zero is a bit strange. I tested a large pair that was about right for my fingers, which were just at the end of the gloves. However, the fit around the circumference of my hands was a little loose, so I found my hands slipped around a bit on the soft fleecy lining, and there was a bit of a tendency for the palms to bunch.

There’s some low-profile extra padding built in under the usual pressure points on the palms, although it’s not enough to add much protection. If your hands get sore on longer rides, you may find the Sotto Zeros don’t help much here.

The cuff is long enough for good overlap with your jacket and there’s a wide, effective Velcro closure, meaning there’s no ingress of cold air. The wide opening means the Sotto Zero gloves are easy to get on and off and, since the lining is bonded to the outer, there’s no chance of it inverting.

In temperatures around 5°C, I found the Sotto Zero gloves comfortably warm from the outset. Sportful suggests that they're suitable for lower temperatures and I’d certainly feel happy using them down towards freezing.

I did find my hands getting a bit sweaty once I’d warmed up though, so they might not be the best choice if the temperature is getting closer to 10°C.

The Sotto Zero gloves are available in the black and orange colour combo I tested or a choice of black with red highlights, or all-black. There’s a large reflective Sportful logo on the rear for a bit of extra road presence.