British weather eh? Blazing March sunshine, followed my Arctic blasts and a rain-washed April. And Cyclo’s point? You never know when you’re going to need a good pair of gloves and at a mid-range price of £29.99 the 2012 Sugoi Evolution Full Finger Glove might just be the pair you should opt for. The word ‘Sugoi’ is a Japanese term for ‘Incredible’ and whilst this might be over egging things just a little, these are a really fully featured (as well as fully fingered) pair of gloves. The padding system, here swishly called ‘V-Control’ padding, is excellent throughout with particular emphasis on foam padding across the palms too reduce ride vibration and well considered pads to protect the ulnar nerve – a feature that seems to be becoming increasingly wide-spread.
Being full-fingered means the Evolutions should see you through three seasons with plenty of meshing to help air-flow and temperature control and a terry thumb, bonded to keep its shape, useful for wiping away a drop or two or perspiration. The combination of synthetic, vented, leather palms, gel detailing and a silicone Sugoi logo on the index and middle (i.e. breaking) fingers make for superb grip even in the wettest conditions and with a good choice of sizes – from x-small to x-x-large – getting close to a second-skin experience is as simple as following the sizing guidelines when you buy.
Black, red or white, each with a hint of 3M Scotchlite, may be your only colours choices, but at this price and with this much on offer in terms of tech-spec it would be churlish to complain.