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Chapeau! Leather Mitts – review

Classy leather mitts with plenty of padding

The Chapeau! Leather Mitts bring together some really nice features to create a classy-looking glove that doesn’t look out of place whether the rider’s on a vintage or modern bike. There are some elements that could be better thought out, but overall these are top-notch mitts.

The first thing you notice the Chapeau! mitts is the material, which is a supple water and sweat resistant Pittards leather, which was right at home on the handlebar of my L’Eroica bike, even if the rest of me was decidedly lacking in class.

The Pittards leather is perforated to improve ventilation
  • Specification

  • Price: £34.99
  • Sizes: S-XL
  • Website: Chapeau
  • UK distributor: Velobrands

The leather itself lives up to its billing by not soaking up much sweat or rain while riding, unless you’re out in really poor conditions.

If it’s warm out then the perforations in the leather help with breathability on the top combined with the 3D meshed palm, which you can see through if the mitt is held up to the light. I’ve certainly used lighter, more breathable mitts, which may be better suited for really hot rides, but on the whole you don’t get sweaty palms too quickly with these.

The rest of the palm is made up of three pads: one across the top of the palm, one on the ball of the hand and another under the thumb. It gives a fair amount of padding, which I personally like, though some riders may prefer a mitt which offers a bit more ‘feel’. Horses for courses, that one.

Elsewhere there’s a sweat/snot wipe on the outside of either thumb, which works well either for wiping sweat from your forehead or cleaning glasses. There is a particularly soft opening at the thumbs, too, which improves comfort further, especially when riding in the hoods.

The 3D meshed palm has plenty of padding

So far, so good, but I found it particularly difficult to get the mitts off. This is partly down to the close cut fit but also due to the openings of the fingers. Although there’s a thin hem, it isn’t particularly substantial and so can’t be used to pull the gloves off, nor is there a loop specifically for the job.

Conclusion

Minor flaws aside, these are really good and well-priced mitts which look classy, particularly on a classic bike (but the don’t look out of place on a modern machine, either), while also performing well by combining a soft, supple and water resistant outer leather with breathable, well-padded and comfortable palms.

Pros

  • Supple, water resistant leather
  • Comfortable mesh palm
  • Soft sweat/snot wipe
  • Classic look

Cons

  • Difficult to get off
  • Not as light as other mitts

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