Thin and minimal versus warm and bulky—it’s a conundrum that has many a mountain rider packing a few different pairs of gloves in the backpack. Last winter, I tried the CX Glove from FXR Racing and found that it worked just as well on the trail ride in and out as it did in the technical stuff.
Since it’s more of a midweight glove, I was concerned at first that the CX Glove would be too bulky, but it turned out to have just the right amount of Thinsulate to keep my digits warm without hindering my dexterity. Bunching wasn’t an issue and thanks to the soft, leather pre-curved palm and finger design, I could keep a comfortable grip on the bars and control of the throttle.
What really impressed me about the CX Glove, however, was that my hands stayed dry throughout the day, even after the really deep days of digging out stuck sleds. Normally, I’d have to do a glove swap mid-ride to avoid having soggy hands, but this winter I was able to keep the same gloves on throughout the day. They didn’t make my hands sweat and there were only a few times that I switched to a fresh, bulkier pair before heading back to the truck.
The one downside (depending on how you like to wear your gloves) is that the CX Glove is taller so tucking the cuff underneath your jacket sleeve isn’t really an option. That being said, the gloves do have a wrist adjuster and a cuff pull cord to keep the snow out.
As for durability, the gloves were showing some signs of wear on the leather palm and on the stitching at the end of the season but I’ll definitely be wearing them again this winter.
For more information, see the FXR Racing website.
