Riders in the current cold snap should check out these American Gerbing Gyde S7 Gloves which are heated via two lithium-ion batteries.

These comfortable gauntlet gloves are not cheap at $US249.99 (about $A370) plus postage, but they should keep your hands toasty and dry in the most extreme conditions.

They come with a dual mains charger to charge both batteries at the same time, but it’s an American parallel two-plug connection.

You can twist them to Aussie mains 45-degree angles with pliers or use a convertor. It takes about three hours to charge them to 100%.

The Gerbing Gyde 7v lithium-ion batteries slip into zippered pouches on the back of the gauntlet section.

With the batteries tucked away discretely, each glove weighs about 250g. That might seem heavy, but once they are on, you don’t notice the weight.

Unlike some other heated gloves, there is no need to plug them into an external power source so there are no messy wires. 

And because they are electronically heated, they don’t beed to be as thick and cumbersome as a lot of non-heated winter gloves.

Even so, they have Primaloft insulation that is thinner on the palms allowing plenty of feel on the throttle and levers.

Heated elements

To operate, plug in the batteries, turn them on, slip them inside the pouch and zip them up.

They are now in standby mode which will last all day long.

You can easily turn the heat on when needed via the big silicone button on the back of the gauntlet.

Press again to turn the heat up and down in three stages represented clearly by green, yellow and red lights.

The hottest (red) setting is 57C (135F) and almost unbearable.

However, it would be most welcome if you happen to be crazy enough to ride in a blizzard.

In the hottest setting, battery time is only two hours, but who rides more than two hours in such conditions?

They will last six hours in the lowest heat setting (green) which is 25% heat and plenty warm enough right down to 5C. Medium setting (yellow) lasts about four hours.

If your hands get too hot, turn them off and the insulation traps and holds the heat for ages, depending on the ambient temperature and your speed which determines the wind-chill factor.

The heating elements are right throughout the gloves, which means on the backs of your hands, the palms and right down to the fingertips.

If you have hand grip warmers on your bike, you simply won’t need to turn them on.

Composition

The gloves feel extremely comfortable with a soft, felt liner.

There are two fastening systems at the wrist and end of the gauntlet to make them secure and keep out the cold wind.

They come with handy touch-sensitive pads on the first fingertips of both gloves to use on your GPS or smartphone screens.

The second fingertips and the palms have a grip pad so your hands don’t slip on the bars.

There is also a convenient chamois on the back of the thumbs to wipe your visor.

However, there seems to be no impact nor abrasion protection.

But if you want to stay warm and dry on your ride, they are perfect.

I held the gloves under a tap for several minutes and got no water penetration.

Water just beads off the AQUATEX breathable water-resistant membrane.

The unisex gloves come in black only in sizes small to XXL with a sizing chart available.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com