These are among the best fitted winter gloves I’ve ever tested. Richa’s design department has done a brilliant job of creating warm, waterproof and good value cold weather gloves.
The Richa Cold Protect gloves employ a Gore-Tex membrane to keep your hands dry. The exterior is a blend of leather and textile with a soft rubber knuckle guard.
The gloves are CE-certified (though the knuckle cover isn't approved as knuckle protection) and have harder guards on the fingers and additional abrasion protection on the little finger and palm.
The overall design is very good. The cuff is small, making it easy to slip underneath your jacket sleeve and there are some nice finishing touches on the palms and fingers with soft leather for a stronger grip on the bars.
It uses a conventional two-strap closure system with a wide Velcro tab at the bottom and a single strap around the wrist. And that’s pretty much it for features!
I used these gloves to ride from the UK to Bulgaria in sub-zero temperatures through winter, including rain and snow, and even used them on a skiing trip.
They proved warm down to 6°C, though as the temperature dropped even lower they would let the cold in within 15 minutes of setting off.
As I entered snowy Slovakia I had to marry the gloves with a pair of large handlebar muffs to fight off the plummeting temperatures. They’re warm gloves, but not Arctic warm. If you’re after a serious winter-buster for long commutes then these are not the gloves you’re looking for.
However, I was still glad I had these gloves as heavy-duty winter gloves are twice as bulky and lack feel. My trip involved some off-roading and I needed the grip and feel of these gloves, which a thicker pair wouldn’t offer.
What’s impressed me most about the Richa Cold Protect gloves is the superb fit. Normally the fingers are either too long or short for my medium-sized hand, but these gloves fit perfectly.
They’re not too tight and allow plenty of space for my fingers to breathe, which is important for cold weather gloves as it allows warm air to circulate.
The interior is snug and soft, but unfortunately they do suffer from wet hand-sticky-liner syndrome. If wet hands make contact with the glove’s inside lining it can easily pull it out and be a real faff to push back in.
But, if your hands aren’t wet when you stick them in they’ll stay like that. These gloves are fully waterproof and the Gore-Tex liner meant they never let a drop in, even in continuous and heavy rain.
The negative in the wet on the pair I reviewed was the absence of a visor wipe – a bit of a let-down for a winter glove – but Richa have since updated the glove and newer versions come with a rubber-like wiper blade on the left forefinger.
The Richa Cold Protect gloves are neither ultra-warm nor thick winter gloves. Think of them more as a lighter-weight winter touring glove where grip and feel of the bars and levers are more important.
They’re warm down to around 6°C, fully waterproof, lightweight and are an incredibly good fit. If you’re not riding for hours on end in seriously cold conditions then these are perfect.
Fit & Comfort
One of the most comfortable winter gloves I’ve tested – perfect (for me) finger length, space and interior comfort.
Waterproofing
The Gore-Tex liner has proved waterproof in very heavy rain.
Protection
The gloves are CE-approved, but lack proper knuckle impact protection.
Build quality
While the exterior is well-made, the interior is easily pulled out if you put a wet hand inside the glove, and it can be frustrating to push back in.
Features
The subsequent addition of a rubber visor wipe is a plus, but some CE knuckle armour would be a useful upgrade and would help push the score up a bit.
Former MCN journalist Andy Davidson and his partner Alissa Potter are travelling the world by bike, and reviewing products for Sportsbikeshop while they’re on the road. You can read more about their adventures at their Mad Or Nomad blog.