Friday 22 April 2011

Nice New Mitts from AnaNichoola

I have never really been one to hunt out and buy cycling mitts that were of a particular style or design. The ones I have accumulated over the years are mainly out of functional need - for example thick padded ones for the cobbles of the Paris-Roubaix cyclosportive last year - or just giveaways as part of an event goodie bag.

In any case women-specific gloves have tended to be much of a muchness and they have never really excited me, so I am quite neutral about what to wear on my hands when cycling.

The good news is designers are thinking more about producing aesthetically pleasing women's cycle wear.
One designer who has thought alot about this is AnaNichoola who recently launched a line of women-specific fingerless gloves.
The Kestral is designed for the woman who'll be out riding for a few hours, while Bow-Peep is more for the commuter lady cyclist.

I had the priviledge of trying out the Bow-Peep mitts during the 10-mile Tweed Run bike ride through London.


What I liked:
The cotton crocheted upper side of the glove provided some warmth while allowing my skin to breathe and not letting my hands get too hot on that warm day.

There was ample padding for when cycling around town.

The loops between the fingers meant I could remove the gloves quickly and easily.

The Velcro is good quality so mitts could be fastened securely.

The grey crocheted design coupled with the pink bow and the grid design on the palm side gives an overall stylish look that does not look out of place even when in smart clothes.

It's good that there is a range of sizes that fit my big hands!

What I need to bear in mind:
The Bow Peep gloves have been designed as commuter gloves, so the padding is not suitable for long rides. If I plan to be out on a 3hour+ club run I'd probably be better off using the harder wearing Kestral gloves.

I am not so dainty with my sportswear and sometimes I do tear around a little without too much care for what I'm doing with my garments. I would have to take care not to scuff the bow or catch it in the velcro!

Overall, I would recommend the Bow-Peep as a great glove to wear when commuting around. Whether you are going for the cycle chic image, the casual look or even wearing your tweeds this glove will fit the bill nicely.

P.S. I hope to try out the Kestral mitts in the near future.

Tweed Run photo by Wig Worland

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Love the mitts photo. Really nice shot.