The Fusion 3-in-1 bike gloves by Louis Garneau are intended for riders who aren't afraid of the elements. An tight-fitting inner glove coupled with a bulkier thermal outer glove provides warmth and protection for your hands when the mercury drops but you're still riding.
Cold Weather Protection
The Louis Garneau Fusion 3-in-1 glove system is designed for cold weather riding. It's called 3-in-1 because there is an inner glove that you can wear by itself; an outer glove that can also be worn alone; or you can combine the two and wear them at the same time for maximum warmth and protection.
The inner glove is black, 100% nylon with a snug fit, but is stretchy and easy to get on and off.. It is a well-designed full-fingered bike glove, but has no padding in the palm. I particularly like the fish-grip palm, which has slightly raised silicone grippers (in a continuous Louis Garneau logo) built right into the material of the palm and fingers. This give it terrific ability to grasp even small metal objects, like screws or tools.
Reflective piping on the back of the hand adds visibility, and these gloves worn alone are quite comfortable down to 35 or 40 degrees Fahrenheit (0-5 deg C approx).
Outer Glove
The outer glove in this set is made from thermo-laminated Lycra with fleece lining. It features the "Ergo Air vent system" which is a small triangular mesh vent in the palm of the outer glove which allows the glove to breathe and wick moisture away in cold conditions. The outer glove is water-resistant, and features a generously long elastic cuff with adjustable elastic drawstring that'll go well over whatever sort of outer shell you're wearing. It also has bold reflective piping on the back of the hand (which faces forward when you ride) to offer extra visibility.
Product Features
Inner Glove
- Easy-fit Microfiber thumb
- Silicone palm provides better grip
- Absorbs excess humidity
- 3M reflective piping - Provides nighttime visibility
- Washable
- Stretchy 100% nylon construction
Outer Glove
- Ergo Air vent system: Breathes and wicks moisture away
- Water resistant
- Fleece lining for added warmth and softness
- Elastic cuff with adjustable elastic drawstring
- Thermo laminated Lycra construction on outer shell provides warmth in cool conditions
- 3M reflective piping on back of hand for better nighttime visibility.
Buying Recommendations
I like these Louis Garneau gloves. The inner and outer gloves are comfortable worn separately or together. When worn together, they've been good for keeping my hands warm down into the mid-20's (F) or -10 (C). Past that, you are really getting into some cold weather riding, and may want to look into some mittens so that your fingers can share warmth with each other. That is definitely a trade-off, however, as you'll loose the remarkable dexterity these gloves offer. Despite what you think might be a problem with bulkiness, even wearing both inner and outer gloves together did not impair my ability to use shifter or brake levers.
Both pairs of gloves are well-constructed, and Louis Garneau has done a good job in the design of the palms and fingers of both to build in maximum gripping features, ensuring that these gloves won't make you feel like you're mucking around in the dark when you try to pick something up.
Downside: The inner gloves are great by themselves, and they work well when paired with the outer gloves for added warmth and protection. However, I can't really think of a time when I would wear the outer gloves by themselves, so the whole 3-in-1 concept might be stretching it a bit.
