Simple, lightweight glove boasting superb feel at a great price.

Read more: Buyer’s guide to the best mountain bike gloves

What do you want from a pair of mountain bike gloves? Good grip even when your hands are sweaty, minimal loss of dexterity and feel so that you have optimal control, a bit of warmth and protection, good durability and an affordable price. If those are your key attributes, as they are mine, then the Specialized LoDown glove ticks all the boxes. Lightweight with a thin, unobtrusive palm uncluttered with stitching and panels, nothing is filtered out between trail, control points and your skin.

The pre-curved fingers and four-way stretch back provide a close yet unrestrictive fit and ensure no annoying bunching of material when you grip the bars. A slip-on cuff keeps the weight down, yet they’re never a chore to put on or take off. And, joy of joys, there are no gel pads, kevlar knuckle protectors or other weird additions to make them look like something from a science fiction costume – the only ‘features’ are subtle silicone lattices on the thumb and forefinger for extra traction on gear and brake levers.