Cuero Full Finger Cycling Gloves: Quick Review

Cuero Full Finger Cycling Gloves: Quick Review – by Guitar Ted

The apparel choices we make for riding are important and one of those things many of us rely on for comfort and protection are gloves meant for cycling. This review will cover a product from Cuero Fine Leather Gloves that is new for them. It is a full-fingered glove and this will be a type of glove many of us will be looking for with the onset of cooler weather now that Fall is nigh. Let’s check it out…..

What It Is: Cuero is a Texas based company that got their start recovering saddles in leather. They do not provide that service anymore, but along the way they started making a leather, short fingered cycling glove which we reviewed back in 2017. Then afterward a business in sporting gloves started up, and now Cuero is doing a nice full-fingered glove which we had the chance to check out. Here is a bit from their webpage on these gloves.

• Solid black with white logo
• Custom, cast rubber logo
• Heavy duty textured lycra back
• Touchscreen compatible
• Lycra finger gussets
• Lycra wrist piping
• Heavy duty neoprene and cast rubber wrist strap
• One piece textured digital leather palm for perfect, seamless grip
• All seams double stitched for durability

So, when checking out full-fingered gloves, I look for a few things. First off, they have to be easy to get into. There is nothing like trying to wrestle into a skin-tight glove, or worse, a glove with a constriction at the wrist opening. Secondly, the fingers must be easy to get all the way into. Third, the gloves must not bunch up, or cause discomfort due to folded fabric, misplaced seams, or too-tight areas when gripping the bars. If a glove passes those tests, then I am off and running. Bonus points if the glove is easy to take off while riding.

Happily I can report that the Cuero Full Fingered Gloves are passing with flying colors in all those categories. Now, a word about padding. There is none with these gloves, and I love that, personally, but many folks will not like that. Different strokes and all. The Cuero design has one thin-ish layer of leather, with a reinforced panel on the inner side of the index finger. Perhaps a good thing if you use flat bars and twist shifters. There is also a bit of leather on the tip of the thumb and forefinger area which appear to be a sort of extra layer of wear protection. The rest of the glove- back, wrist, and tops of fingers- is an airy Lycra material with the wrist closure being a Neoprene and Lycra mix.

Everything looks expertly sewn and stitched. I have not noticed any flaws or weird seams. The gloves have held up well even through the washing machine trips it has taken. So from a construction standpoint, they get high marks from me. This isn’t typically the case with lesser priced gloves I have tried. Seeing loose threads, openings in seams, and poor construction in cycling gloves is more common than it should be. It’s nice to see a glove so well made, like these from Cuero are.

Ride Performance: I used these gloves during some pretty hot and steamy weather here this past summer. Not the best time to grab full-fingered gloves, maybe, but I can say that these gloves were airy enough that I could tolerate those conditions. I haven’t had the chance to wear these in cooler weather, but I suspect that they will be great for those early Fall days when you need to just ward off the morning chill.

The touchscreen performance was very good. I never had an issue opening up, swiping, or texting with my iPhone. Social butterflies will not be hindered by using these gloves. One handed operation of my pocket camera was easy. Pushing buttons on my GPS device was no big deal, so all in all, these gloves work for the modern cyclist.

During one of my very first rides with these gloves I got caught out with a group riding in a thunderstorm. Later, after I removed the gloves, I noted color transfer from the dye used to make the gloves black. I contacted Cuero and they told me that it is possible that this might occur with some pairs of gloves, but that it should only be a minor thing and an outlier, not the norm. Since having washed my gloves, I have not noted this color transfer since. Perhaps I should have washed them to begin with? Perhaps….

At The Finish: If you like full-fingered gloves and no padding, – granted, not everyone’s cuppa- then you should check out these fine quality mitt covers from Cuero Gloves. You may experience a bit of color transfer, but this should be rare, and perhaps had I washed mine first I would never have had that experience. Nonetheless, since then the gloves have performed admirably and are very comfortable to wear for short or long rides.

The fit, finish, and durability (so far) have been very good. They work for the modern cyclist that demands to be able to use devices, so that is also a plus. After the pair I received were broken in, they were a breeze to get on and off, which is a quality I happen to like in a pair of gloves. In the end, I have a hard time finding fault with the Cuero Full Finger Cycling Gloves. They are a little pricey, but it seems that they will hold up well and give the rider a good value. Lesser priced gloves typically aren’t this well made, so I’d rather spend once, and not have to look again, rather than deal with a cheaper glove that started to unravel on me.

Cuero Gloves are designed in Texas and manufactured by hand in Pakistan. MSRP is $60.00 and they can be purchased direct from Cuero Gloves website here.

NOTE: Cuero Full Fingered Gloves were sent to Riding Gravel for test and review at no charge. We were not paid, nor bribed, for this review and we strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout.