First impressions of these gloves are good – thick, comfy with nice stretch zones on the fingers and the back of the hand, a solid goathide double-stitched palm and firm knuckle armour.
When trying the gloves on for the first time the thermal layer felt plush and thick but over the course of the review period the lining flattened, leaving the gloves feeling a size bigger than they did at the beginning.
The thermal lining is pretty good at keeping the cold out but I wouldn’t rely on them when the temperature drops below 4°C.
I don’t usually like thermal gloves because of their inevitable bulk, but these gloves weren’t too bad and I retained full extension in my fingers and wrists, which was helped by the presence of stretch panels.
If you’re looking for an all-year glove, I would say these don’t fit the bill. I would say they are best suited to autumn and the early stages of winter but not the full depths of chill that can strike here in the UK.
The strange weather at the start of 2019 – cold one minute then strangely warm and sunny – gave me a chance to try them in unseasonally warm weather. That’s when they become uncomfortable as it felt like I was sitting in the sun wrapped in a fleece blanket.
In the right conditions, however, the Pro Tenere gloves impressed me with how waterproof and windproof they are. No leaks whatsoever and they didn’t even soak up the rain. The water seemed to bead up and sit on the surface.
One potential problem area in the waterproofing department is the long cuff, which may need to sit outside the sleeve of some jackets, which would leave an inlet for water to run inside. It would be much better if there’s room for the cuff inside the sleeve.
I also felt it was a shame the gloves lacked a visor wipe blade – that little bit of soft plastic is so helpful when its raining hard and I missed that ability while reviewing the Pro Teneres.
The thick (133g) thermal lining meant I had to go up a size from my usual XL to a 2XL. The wrist adjustment Velcro had enough tolerance to get a tight fit around my wrist and also has a feature to prevent the Velcro strap being pulled through the eyelet.
The Velcro on the cuff restraint is long enough to secure the gloves if worn inside a jacket sleeve, but there’s only just enough room to do them up if worn outside the jacket.
I don’t usually have a problem with finger length in gloves but going up to a 2XL meant the fingers were around 8mm longer than usual so I struggled to feel the buttons on the bike’s controls as the tips would gather up.
The gloves have not shown any manufacturing defaults but wear and tear started to show pretty early. Velcro started to bobble up, threads started to show and wear appeared on the material on the palms.
The great grip and feel I had from the palms wore off over time and the unique feel they once had has now gone.
For those who use sat navs, smartphones etc these gloves have a finger that is touchscreen sensitive but it only intermittently makes contact, so I found myself constantly taking my glove off to operate my smartphone.
I feel there isn’t much Pro about these gloves which are more expensive than established thermal, waterproof gloves like the Richa Carbon Winter Waterproof and Spada Blizzard. The glove doesn’t fail at what it’s designed to do – it’s just isn’t much wow appeal.
Fit & Comfort
I had to go up a size compared to my normal summer glove, but once the thermal liner bedded in the gloves felt a little loose. The flex panels on this glove meant I could extend my fingers to be able to still feel the bars and levers.
Waterproofing
These waterproof gloves have not failed once. From a little shower to full-on monsoon conditions they held their own.
Protection
The gloves have hard armour from a knuckle plate that has very little flex in, but it sits well on my knuckles and the thermal liner creates a comfy barrier between armour and knuckles. There is also a soft form pad on the palm of the glove.
Build quality
The gloves have started to show some signs of wear and tear after only 1200 miles use, which I found less than impressive. The touchscreen-compatible finger also failed.
Features
These gloves have excellent waterproofing, hard knuckle armour and a relatively effective thermal liner, but they lacked a visor wipe blade, which I would prefer on a winter glove.