If it’s value-for-money winter gloves you’re after then I’d recommend you at least have a pair of these on your list for consideration.
DXR are a French company and their kit is exclusive-to-Sportsbikeshop here in the UK. This keeps prices down and that’s reflected in the spec level for these gloves, which are warm, waterproof gloves made entirely from leather for just fifty quid at the time of writing this review.
I’ve been wearing them throughout the depths of winter and have been very impressed with the warmth and the comfort they offer.
The Winter Carbons have a relatively thick thermal liner, so the first bit of the name is certainly accurate when saying which season they’re designed for.
I wouldn’t say the thickness hampers control in a big way, though. I have used some winter gloves and been desperate to switch to thinner gloves as soon as there’s a vague sniff of warmer weather. That’s not been the case with these, which balance feel and warmth very nicely.
I’ve worn them in temperatures going down to 5°C and my hands have been warm enough to ride for 45 minutes to an hour without too much discomfort.
They can’t work miracles, but for the thickness they have very good insulation properties.
Waterproofing has been spot-on, too, keeping me dry through several wet rides.
And when it’s raining there’s a rubber wipe on the left hand that does a decent job of clearing rain off the visor - though it took me a while to adapt to its unusual position at the top of the thumb.
I consider a wipe like that to be an essential on a glove designed for use in poor weather, but not every manufacturer agrees so it’s to DXR’s credit they’ve put one on a £50 glove.
Photography: Joel Blevins
The lining is comfortable, the leather is robust and flexible and is also protected by grippy overlays around the outside of the hand and where you wrap your hands around the bars.
The Carbon part of the title derives from the protectors for knuckles and the first three fingers on each hand.
That impact protection contributes to a CE safety rating to the basic Level 1, with the ‘KP’ mark showing the knuckle armour is rated to actually protect your knuckles.
If I have a criticism then the cuff fastener is a bit flimsy. It’s not the strength of its closure that concerns me, more that it will split prematurely as it doesn’t seem up to the job of continual fastening and unfastening.
If I had a pair of these in the longer term, I’d set the cuff fastener so I didn’t need to undo it to get the gloves off. It’s not important to have a tight fit at the top of the glove and it would guard against any damage on the closure flap.
Overall, I think these gloves provide the sort of quality that would command almost double the price from a more recognised brand.
Fit and Comfort
The sizing is accurate (I wore a medium, which is the same as I would take in all brands except Rev’it and Alpinestars, when I need a large). I couldn’t complain about the comfort at all as the lining is soft and the construction is flexible.
Protection
They meet the basic Level 1 of CE, including properly rated impact protection for the knuckles.
Warmth and breathability
They did the job for me in conditions down to 5°C and I’ve also used them in warmer weather (13°C or so) without them leaving my mitts feeling sticky.
Waterproofing
They kept me dry on a handful of wet weather rides.
Features
They’ve got everything I need, especially for a glove costing fifty quid. The rubber visor wipe is a real plus.