Giro Hoxton LF: First Impressions

I know, I know.  Winters out here are wimpy.  It's getting to be in the 40s when I leave for work and head home at night, and of course my weekend rides don't see too much of a temperature increase during the day this time of year.  I decided to try out the Giro Hoxton LF gloves this year to keep my fingers from freezing to my levers, and I have to say so far I'm pretty happy! 

Plus, a great color to keep you visible! 

The Hoxton LF is technically a men's glove, but I have gigantic hands that usually can't fit into women's gloves.  I also really liked the bright red color that these came in - it's called "glowing red," and it certainly lives up to its name!  I think the Tessa or Rulla is the women's equivalent, though I recall seeing a Hoxton collection for women at one point that doesn't seem to be showing up on Giro's site anymore.  

Giro gloves have always worked well for me, and the Hoxton LF (for long finger, long fingered, or something close to that) is no exception.  They're comfortable and lightweight, but seal in warmth pretty well, and so far have kept my digits toasty down to about 40 degrees.  They wash well and are easy to put on and take off, though to be fair I only have about 100 miles with them so far.  

They're super comfortable - seriously. 

As far as riding goes, there's no bunching or uncomfortable seams that I've found, and they seem true to size (I wear a men's small, for those wondering).  They're honestly like the flannel pajamas of cycling gloves - I've never owned anything softer or more comfortable.  From three miles to thirty, they've consistently been comfortable.

My few initial critiques mostly have to do with the tech compatibility.  Giro advertises these as tech compatible - which is *technically* true.  But it feels like your fingers are ten times as big as before, and getting the tech compatible thread to hit where you want on the screen is about as easy as trying to use a seatpost as a stylus.  Sure, you can do simple actions like click on app icons, but typing e-mails, selecting one item out of many, or writing anything...unless your hands get super sweaty, then forget it.  Moisture does help conduct whatever magic is used in touchscreen technology, and after riding in a rainstorm I did notice that I was able to do just about everything on my phone.  On another note, these are not waterproof, but they're not advertised as such and I certainly didn't expect them to be.  

I also would like to see some reflective bits on these.  The grey areas on the gloves could have had some reflective piping just to add a bit of extra safety when you're signalling at night.  They're impossible to miss during the day, but with the shortened days and stormy dark weather we've been having, I would feel a lot better with reflective areas.   

So far though, I'm happy with how these have worked and impressed with the quality and comfort.  Hopefully they will keep going through the next few seasons, and as long as they stay holding up as well as they have been, there should be no problem.