At a glance Love cycling and fashion? These crochet gloves with baby pink or blue bows on are both fully functional and fully fashionable.
Tested by
Claire Maxted, tester for The Bike List
Performance
“Oh wow those gloves are soooo cute, where did you get them?!” Was the reaction of my group of girlie friends when I rode to meet them in the pub. It was a) the baby pink bows (also available in blue) and b) the grey crochet detail on the back (also available in white), that drew the “Oooohs!” Immediately the conversation turned to crochet and cycling, pastimes I’ve never heard before in the same sentence. Girl-friends of mine who don’t even own bikes are now trawling the internet for a two-wheeled bargain so they have an excuse to buy a pair of Bow-Peep gloves. Top marks to AnaNichoola for producing that reaction first of all – anything that encourages more people to get their bums on a saddle is great by me.
So I’ve proved these gloves have the wow factor, Gok Wan will probably be broadcasting as much to the nation soon enough, but how do they fare around the handlebars?
Well, the 1.5mm padding and silicone palm mesh provide ample padding and grip in all the right places. The finger loops are super handy for pulling the gloves off at the end of a sticky ride, and the Velcro fasteners are very easy to use. Although it leaves funny criss-cross patterns across my knuckles, the crochet is very comfy, and also easily machine washable on a delicate cycle.
Do be careful with the Velcro fasteners however, as if you catch them on the bows the lovely ribbon sadly starts to fray, which makes them look like you’ve given them to your cat to play with. Maybe a popper would be better here, or the new anti-snag Velcro that you often see on waterproof jackets now, although that would put the price up.
The first few times I wore these gloves, I found that the strip of material between my thumb and forefinger was slightly tight, but after wearing them on several rides, the gloves seemed to mould to my hands. They are a size M and now fit really well, so if you’re trying them on in the shop, be aware that if they feel ever so slightly tight anywhere, they will loosen up and mould to the shape of your hand.
If AnaNichoola wanted to go one step further, they could also go for bows with a thin line of reflective material worked into them. Although this might lose one notch of cute-ness, it would definitely provide another notch of usefulness for night riding.
I use these gloves on my road cycling commute to work but I would never ever take them mountain biking – you’d lose a week of your life cleaning the mud out of the crochet with a toothbrush! On rainy road rides, I’ll stick to the AnaNichoola Kestral Gloves as the goat-leather makes them more wipe clean. But on a nice day the Bow Peep gloves are the perfect functional yet girlie accessory for long training/club rides and sportives. Personally, I love wearing them on my 12 mile round trip commute – they are the perfect mix of comfort and cute-ness and I’m super impressed that they make my non-cycling friends want to rush out and buy a bike.
At £25, of course you can get bog standard cycling gloves for less, but do bog standard cycling gloves have crochet? And do they have bows? And do they make you the absolute envy of your fashionable girlie friends? No. There’s your answer. These gloves are a great value accessory for every fashion conscious female rider. With the Bow-Peeps gloves, finally there’s no reason to dress down just because you’re on your bike.
Click here to see AnaNichoola's latest video featuring the Bow-Peep Gloves.
AnaNichoola says:
AnaNichoola Bow-peep gloves have been designed with the commuter and newbie cyclist in mind. They offer sofa-like comfort, with lashings of soft padding on the Armara palm, perfect for short journeys. The up-to-date retro/kitch crochet back, decorated with a big bow makes a nod to the current popularity of “cycle chic” culture, Dutch style bikes and slow cycling.
These gloves are machine washable and ergonomically crafted to female hands. Available in 3 sizes and 2 colour options.
Find out more and buy from www.ananichoola.co.uk
