Richa Cold Protect gloves review | Goretex waterproof winter gloves tested

Date reviewed: Jul 2024 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £129.99 | www.nevis.uk.com

As I write this review it’s the middle of summer 2024, and I was wearing these Richa Cold Protect gloves this morning. But this isn’t a test of the frankly rubbish weather we’re having, it’s of what should be considered winter (maybe spring and autumn too) gloves…

I’ve been wearing the Cold Protects on a BMW R1250GS, Zontes ZT350-T and 2001 Honda VFR800 for more than six months now in all weathers, to find out how good they are…

Construction, fit and feel

The Richa Cold Protect gloves are a textile / leather mix, with goat hide on the top, sides and palm reinforcements.

Accordion sections in the base of the fingers allow for easy movement, and the cuff is compact enough to be easily tucked under your jacket’s sleeve. I’d like a little more Velcro on the cuff, but there’s enough to keep the flap down when drawing them tight against the wrist.

I’m usually a size large and these fit me well apart from a tiny amount of excess length in the little fingertips.

Feel of the bike’s controls is always going to be restricted in winter gloves, and the thickness of the fingers and thumbs can make it a little more awkward to operate smaller buttons, but there’s nothing unusual or disappointing in the Richas.

The logos, as well as the three stripes on the cuff, are a reflective material to give a little more visibility at night, or a model is available with fluorescent yellow detailing.

Protection and certification

The Richa Cold Protect gloves are only certified to Level 1 under EN13594:2015, which means they haven’t been tested for knuckle-protection performance.

The padding and soft rubbery section across the knuckles will provide some level of safety, but not up to the minimum standards, which is a shame as most gloves do have certified knuckle protection (look for ‘KP’ on the CE label).

The outside edges of the palm and little finger have ‘Superfabric’ slider panels with hard dots on that appear to be a ceramic material, to help the gloves slide in a crash while providing additional abrasion protection.

All motorcycle clothing sold in the UK and Europe is deemed to be Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This is a good thing for riders as it can help them choose kit that has provable levels of safety as to meet this legislation, it must be tested to a recognised standard. To fully understand the labels found in all bike kit, click here.

Warm and cold weather use

The Richa Cold Protects aren’t the absolute warmest gloves I’ve tested: at 5°C on the Zontes with hand guards fitted, I started getting cold fingers after about half an hour’s riding. Enough for many commutes, but worth being aware of.

On the GS at 8°C with the heated grips on minimum (and hand guards), they were absolutely perfect, so whether these gloves will be warm enough for you depends on the bike and when you ride it.

On the flip-side of this, the Richas have proven great in the rain during warmer days well into double figures, which is why they’ve proven so versatile.

Once you start losing heat from your hands, no gloves will be able to do that much, so heated grips can be vital if you ride a lot in the cold. Just keep in mind that heated grips can make the waterproof membranes in the palms of any gloves effectively ‘reverse’, and let water in. With hand-guards though, it’s not an issue as the rain’s kept off.

Wet weather use

I’ve had no problems at all with water getting past the Richa’s Gore-Tex membrane, and while these gloves are undoubtedly more expensive than they would be with another membrane, Gore-Tex does provide a solid guarantee that these will keep you dry. If they were to fail within what’s considered the ‘useful life’ of the gloves, Gore-Tex will repair, replace or refund them.

It's always best to seal your gloves under the sleeve of your jacket to stop water wicking up the lining, so it’s great that the cuffs of these gloves are so compact, with no unnecessary plastic sections to bulk them up.

A useful visor wipe is fitted to the left forefinger, which can be invaluable for swiping rain away in bad weather.

Fastening

The cuff fastener could benefit from a little more area of Velcro loops, but it stays in place fine. The wrist restraint does a great job of keeping the gloves securely on the wrist, but the tab on the end could do with being wider or fatter, as it can occasionally slip through the buckle when putting them on, which can be frustratingly awkward to sort out.

Lining

The 100% polyester lining is soft and comfortable, and while it’s not laminated in place, and does moves slightly when taking the gloves off, I’ve not had any issues with it pulling out. I do take care to grip the fingers when taking any lined gloves off, especially when my hands are damp with sweat – or I had to put them on wet hands – but after around 1,500 miles of use I’ve had no issues.

Touchscreen compatibility

The forefinger and thumb of both gloves have conductive material to allow you to use your smartphone, but the thickness of course makes them harder to use than they might be.

The end of the thumb provides the most control, but it’s still very difficult to press small buttons, even on the Chigee AIO-5 Lite. The forefinger is barely usable as the conductive patch doesn’t reach over the tip of the finger.

Three alternatives to the Richa Cold Protect gloves

Fit is of course very personal, so try gloves on for yourself, looking for the features you need. If you want greater levels of warmth, consider heated gloves, but here are some other options…

• Held Twin II | With an RRP of £199.99, at the time of writing these Helds are available for just £119.99. What makes these a benchmark for winter gloves is the genius twin-pocket design that makes them suitable for a wider range of temperatures. Read our full review of the Held Twin II gloves here.

• Five TFX1 GTX | The RRP of £219.99 is high, but these are full-featured gloves (and they’re currently available for £164.99 on the street). These are intended more as waterproof summer gloves, avoiding the need to be dry AND hot. Expect a full review soon…

• Richa Arctic | At £99.99, the Arctics were described by our all-year-round commuting tester as ‘fantastic winter gloves’. Read the full review of the Richa Arctics here.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the motorcycle gloves we’ve tested here and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership

Richa Arctic gloves review: Verdict

The Richa Cold Protects might not be the absolute best for deep winter riding, but they cover a large proportion of what many of us ride in and have proven valuable through far too much of 2024.

When temperatures get to zero and below, you’ll need heated grips (and hard-guards ideally), but Richa seems to have found a good balance with the Cold Protects. Besides the lack of knuckle protection, they’re well designed, and the use of Gore-Tex does increase the price, but it also adds a level of confidence that your hands are guaranteed to stay totally dry.

Do you own these gloves? Tell us what they’re like, or ask us questions about them at bikeclub.bennetts.co.uk.