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SEVEN DAY CYCLIST
CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING
LATEST UPDATE NOVEMBER 30th 2025
HOW DO WE REACH THE OVERALL RATINGS FOR PRODUCTS WE REVIEW?
Castelli Estremo Gloves
126g Large Black £125
The Castelli Estremo Gloves are sturdily constructed wind-proof and water-resistant gloves for winter cycling. With features that defy the weather to do its worst, luxury is not ignored. I like them a lot for all-round utility and comfort – which, frankly, you’d expect at this price point. Be it pre-dawn late autumn commutes or day rides as the mercury dips towards 0C and below, they’ve proved themselves to be just the ticket.
Pros: sturdy, wind-proof, very water-resistant, tactile inner, long gusseted cuff, grippy palm, suitably reinforced, breathable.
Cons: price, no reflective detail.
Specification
The Estremo (Extreme) Gloves are part of Castelli’s Rosso Corsa (Red Racing) range. As such they are very much at the top-end of a hi-end brand. You’d expect a lot for your £125 (although you may find discounts).
Pre-curved, they are made out of Gore-Tex Windstopper X-Fast, which is designed to shut out the wind pretty much completely and is water-resistant (not totally waterproof). There’s a water-resistant membrane with larger pores than its famed waterproof sibling. The inner is fleece-lined. There’s reinforcement between thumb – with its Microsuede pad (a bit like extra-tactile Terry) - and fore-finger and a silicone palm print for grip. The Neoprene cuff is high, with a broad gusset with a full-length Velcro closure.
Finger tips are not stitched-in: good for keeping the elements out, so follow Castelli’s advice and take the gloves off carefully. I’ve not managed to get them inside out when removing them, but did so deliberately just to see what happened. I am with Castelli; my advice would be to try not to. Getting them back in was not too difficult, but who wants to be faffing around on a cold snowy night?
I have always been a bit dubious about touch-screen compatibility, although I have found some gloves that have helped me overcome general cack-handedness. The Estremo do not claim to offer any help, which is hardly a deal-breaker for me, and is unlikely to be a feature of thicker winter gloves.
Designated temperature range is -5C to 5C. I’ve put this into testing context in the next section.
As you’d expect, a bit of colour is offered by the famous scorpion logo, the Castelli name, and the Rosso Corsa marque. The scorpion logo sits at the top of a pad, which protects that soft part of the hand between little finger and wrist.
Context
Testing has taken place in late autumn and early winter in the English Midlands. This has seen temperatures range form -3C to 12C, with wind chill taking things down to a “feels-like” -6C, at the lowest. With respect to Jim in Green Bay, Archie in Altnaharra, and Vladimir in Moscow (not that one), who have reminded me that this is a pretty wimpy winter, these relatively gentle temperatures come with a good deal of precipitation to add to the chill.
Size and fit 5/5
Sizes range from XS to 2XL – that is 18.4 cm to 26 cm and above circumference. It is worth measuring. The circumference of my hand, at the base of the fingers, ignoring the thumb, was 23 cm, smack in the middle of the large category. There’s no finger length measurement (which generally adds uncertainty when buying cycling gloves, in my opinion) and the fingers are made longer as the circumference increases. The cuff can cope with a lot!
Castelli recommend to drop down a size if you find the palm is loose. I’d say the palm is a little loose on ours, although not enough to effect comfort, and I’m not sure that I’d feel snugger so much as gripped tightly if I went lower. In my opinion size and fit match up, but you know your hands better than I do. My finger tips are at the end of the fingers, the pad feels like it is in the right place, the palm has some acceptable flex, and the cuff forms a decent seal against the elements even without the gusset closed.
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​The cuffs are quite chunky. Ideal for a hook ’n’ loop arrangement on the cuff of your jacket, such as he Showers Pass Elite 2.1 Jacket, but potentially fiddly under slimmer elasticated or semi-elasticated cuffs.
Care and durability 3.5/5
Care instructions are clear. Max 30C machine wash and line-dry in the shade. Do-nots proliferate: no tumble drying, no dry-cleaning, no softeners, no bleach. I’d not expect any ill-effects from bunging this in with the general wash – although I’d close the cuff to avoid snagging on those delicate lacey items, like the ones Mrs. Steve puts in.
Being a belt ‘n’ braces sort of chap, I tend to wash technical items – or pricier cycling gear – with a technical wash and to dry away from direct heat.
After a machine wash, drying is far from rapid. You are looking overnight. Don’t apply direct heat.
Performance 4.75/5
Of necessity, educed dexterity is the price one pays for warmth in winter. Never fear, one can still perform all the necessities to control the bike. However, I have not managed to use a touch screen effectively – not had I expected to – and pushing buttons to toggle between light modes has needed practice. I have found them best paired with larger, more assertive light switches and reassuringly clickable remote controls. As you’d expect, fingers do not feel as agile, but this is expected and has had no negative impact on steering, braking, or changing gear. I’ve managed zips and buckles with ease, although I do tend to add beefed-up fobs to jacket zips, in particular.
Grip feels very secure, be it on tactile Fizik bar tape or silicone or cloth tapes. Likewise, on rubber ergo grips or more traditional rubber grips. Bumping around over forest tracks has never caused my hand to slip.
I’ve not used these with pogies//bar-mitts, which I have found paired excellently with Sportful’s Classic Winter Gloves. No reason why you should not, but the temperature has not been close to requiring it. Put it like this, I’ve not had frozen when the weather app pointed to a wind chill factor taking things down to minus six. True, after an hour or so, my fingertips knew it was very cold for an English autumn morning, but that was as bad as it got. Certainly, no numbness, and when working hard, things quickly became comfortably warm.
The following day, when light rain showers allied with the wind chill for a joint attack (ambient temperature at 1C, windchill at -2C), the again failed to freeze my fingers. Even better, no dampness could be felt on the inner lining. Steady, but not heavy, rain blew in later. No impact for the hour I was out for, but I’ve not been able to best beyond that. On the one occasion where there’s been really heavy rain – only a shower – the out glove felt wet, but did a good job of keeping my hands comfortable. Drying time on the bike varied, but with the rain kept out, it mattered little.
Value 3.75/5
There’s no denying it, £125 is a lot of money for a pair of gloves. However, the winter enthusiast and the monarchs of the mountains (where it can get very chilly at any time of year), will appreciate the quality and functionality.
I recently tested the Sportful Classic Winter Gloves, which has many merits, but is more of an autumn-spring glove, with a bottom-line of 5C. A very good glove in many ways, but not one for deep winter.
Castelli’s own Perfetto Gloves don’t go so low on temperature, having a similar range to the Sportful mentioned above, and will eventually let in water, but lack of bulk makes them attractive in milder winter conditions.
The Giro 100 Proof Winter Gloves are probably a closer comparison, as are the Café du Cyclist Winter Gloves, both of which roughly match the Estremo Gloves temperature range. The latter is reputed to have a greater impact on dexterity, but I cannot comment directly. The latter claim an edge on dexterity, but come in at £135. The Giro model has a rrp of £84.99.
I’ve found the Chiba Bioxcell Winter Warm-Line Winter Gloves very effective. They are significantly cheaper, but the temperature range is not so low, especially on long rides. Still well-worth a look if on a stricter budget.
Summary
Excellent winter gloves with numerous features that make for comfort, but, above all, they do their job as a winter glove. It is not that there are not rival claims for your cash, but they are few that quite match up to the technical functions of the Estremo. I look forward to a winter of warm, dry hands!
