Held Warm N Dry Gloves | MC TESTED

Held's Warm N Dry touring gloves find exactly the right balance between traditional cold-weather mitts and sportier but less thermally protective pieces. Using a full Gore-Tex liner, the Helds are said to be fully waterproof yet retain enough breathability to stave off the dreaded "clammy hands." The rest of the features are equally high tech, including double layers of leather in selected areas, goatskin palms for improved control feel, and "superfabric" palm inserts said to be 14 times more abrasion resistant than leather. Leather covers plastic knuckle guards, and there's Held's traditional visor wiper on the left hand's index finger. The gloves also include a number of flex panels for comfort, and reflective strips for conspicuity.

In use, the Warm N Drys are a perfect compromise. They have nearly as much control feel as typical warm-weather gloves, which is saying something. The palm padding is slightly thinner so that heated grips have more of an effect-that's the one place you really want less insulation. We found that as long as the bike has some wind protection for the hands and heated grips, the Warm N Drys are comfortable down to freezing temperatures.

For $200, these gloves should be perfect. They’re not quite, but the miscues are minor. One, the cuffs are about an inch too short for riders who prefer the glove over the jacket sleeve. (Held says the design is an intentional compromise.) And, two, the wrist cinch straps are slightly too short; it’s still a squeeze to get out of the gloves even with the straps fully released. These are fairly minor complaints about that one set of gloves you reach for in temps between freezing and 60.