Novara Rainy Pass Bike Gloves - Men's

I have had FIVE pairs of these gloves going back to when they first appeared at REI in the mid 1990s. I have found them to be very useful and very dependable; although the design changes over the years have often been a step backwards.

I ride in all weather, commuting daily with frequent, all day recreational rides, totaling 3,000-4,000 miles a year. I live in Seattle where winter is in the upper 30s to upper 40s and frequently wet (although less so these last few years).

I swear by these gloves. They have generally lasted for about 3 years of heavy daily use. They are great in the 38 to 48 degree range -- our normal winter weather. Above that they are too warm and below that my fingers start to be a little cold (i often carry liners that i wear under them on the rare occasion that a Seattle night is too cold for them). They are smooth and comfortable inside and allow plenty of dexterity. They are as breathable as is possible in a warm glove and they are light and pack easily in a truck bag or backpack.

They are GREAT in the Seattle rain. They get wet but keep my hands warm, just as they should. Perfect. If i stop and take them off for a long time when they are wet, i sit on them to warm them back up (or even microwave them for 4 or 5 seconds) and they keep me warm and happy. At work in the winter i often place them on my computer monitor so they are dry when i leave.

I have recommended them to many people over the years.

There ARE some concerning issues.

The palm padding on the new models is far too thin,
the newer models are not as warm
some years the inner seams have had too much extra fabric.
the most recent pair i bought wore holes in them very quickly.

The first pair i had, in the early 1990s was when they were gray. I completely wore out that first pair; i wore them for years, until they were falling apart. I bought second pair - still gray. Unfortunately within just a few months i lost one of the gloves. So i bought a third pair, also gray, and i wore them a couple of years until they were close to wearing out with a few holes and seems starting to split open; i threw them in the closet in the spring.

The next year i bought another pair but the inner seams were badly trimmed. The thick excess fabric inside made it hard to shift and eliminated all dexterity aside from just being uncomfortable. I was very disappointed. I returned that pair and bought a different brand glove.

Several years later i noticed a new redesigned model, now black, but clearly the same glove. So I bought a fourth pair and wore it for a couple of years. When started to get a few holes i decided to buy another pair, but they had the same inner seam problem as the third pair i had so i didn't buy them. I continued to use the fourth pair for yet another year.

In 2008 i found the newest model (black) had solved the seam problem and were smooth on the inside again allowing dexterity. So i bought a fifth pair! Early in the winter of 2009-2010 i lost one of that pair, and was lucky enough that the one i had left was a mate to the lost glove from the second pair, which i still had in the bottom of a box!

So this winter i have been wearing a mixed pair, a 1999 gray model on the left and a 2008 black model on the right. They work well, and riding with the different generations side by side has allowed me to really compare the two.



The older model from 1999 is thicker and much warmer than the 2008 glove. The new one is not warm enough. The newer one has much less palm padding, it feels like riding without padding, but the glove from 1999 is well padded, comfortable, and much more like a cycling glove! The older one seems more durable, than the new one, even though it's had more abuse. The older one fits somewhat more snuggly increasing my dexterity (i can operate my cyclometer or mobile phone with the old glove, but not with the new one). The new one has finger tip reinforcement which is VERY useful as that is the primary failure point on the old model. The older glove is splitting at the seams. The newer one has reinforced seems, is a nicer, more neoprene like fabric, but has torn easily.

I'm hopeful that next year's model is black with the reinforced fingertips, and smooth inside seems, but is thicker, snugger and with more palm padding like the older model.