off-road.cc

The Inferna’s are a new winter glove for women from Giro. With a windproof backing and thin, grippy suede palm they suit cooler days whilst the stiff finger construction means they are better suited to longer and less technical rides.

• Review - Giro DND Gloves
• Review - Madison Zena Women's Gloves

The Giro Inferna’s features a Polartec® Windbloc® backhand with reflective polka dot print for night time forays and a small, not very useful, snot wipe. The gloves are lined with microfleece making them fit for temperatures in the range from 4 to 10°C, whilst the palm of the hand is made from Giro's grippy Ax Suede™ Echo material, a fabric originally developed for snowboarders and skiers to prevent water uptake and to be tough and protective too. The cuff is of slip on design and made from neoprene, it's stretchy yet tight fitting for a flat finish under the sleeves.

Reflective polka dots for night time roadies

The Inferna’s aren’t your usual winter gloves, they are a lot less bulky than a normal cold weather mitt, but this is in part due to the lack of padding and insulation. The microfleece lining is pretty thin and whilst this aids dexterity, take the gloves much beyond the 4°C recommend range and you’ll get pretty chilly pretty fast.

Thin palm gives great feel on the grips

Gripping the bars and it’s instantly noticeable that the palm is super thin, which I really liked, you get a great feel through the palms just as with a thinner glove. There’s no padding over the palm knuckle area either which is good (I dislike bulk) with only a gel insert at the heel of the hand, no doubt for comfort in different hand position, say on drop bars for example.

Fingers are rather stiff

I did find the fingers of the Inferna’s quite stiff and although these did start to soften as I wore them, large, multiple seams on the inside ensure the ridity stays put somewhat. The finger seams also leave less room for your digits, a factor I find across the range with Giro gloves, the DND’s being another example with the same issue. This stiffness leads to a little less dexterity on the braking finger, hence my comments that these are best for rides where there isn’t lots of technical braking. I used these gloves to keep my hands warm uphill and swapped to something thinner for technical descenst. I still used the Inferna’s for longer and less technical descents though where they kept the wind off the back of my hands well.

There is a windproof outer

When I did have chilly hands I felt the slim, stiff finger sections prevented blood from flowing around my hands and stopped me from warming up. Removing my hands from the gloves, warming them and re-inserting them in the gloves fixed this but if you can't get warm in the first place the Inferna's are going to be a hindrance, not a help, where the thin fabric doesn't do much to retain heat. 

The Inferna’s thoughtfully feature stitching on the finger so you can use them with a touch screen, so as long as you aim right and touch the screen with this stitching, you’ll be able to Instabang and ride at the same time.

Cuff is close fitting and streamlined

One thing to note after your purchase is made and before riding in the Inferna’s - you’ll have to cut out the small loops used on the inside of the cuff to hold the gloves to their packaging. The ends of these loops have been heat sealed to prevent fraying which then sticks in sharply on the front and back of the wrist. Be careful that you don’t cut the actual cuff stitching though. It’s unnecessary faff from Giro, I had two pairs with the same issue, so it’s not a one off.

At £40, they are on par with other windproof gloves of this quality and tech, they are light, they don’t soak up water and provide the most dexterity I’ve seen in a windproof glove. Don’t take them outside the recommended temperature range though otherwise you’ll find the experience rather sweaty or a tad cold. I would only improve them by taking some of the bulk out of the inner seams of the fingers and widening that snot wipe.

• www.giro.com
• www.zyrofisher.com

You might also like:

• Review - Showers Pass Crosspoint Waterproof Knit Gloves
• The Best Clipless Mountain Bike Pedals
• First Ride - 2018 Canyon Spectral CF