Altura Mitts

Fabric Tech and Padding Performance

The Amara synthetic suede palm is doing more work than it first appears. It's a durable, low-bulk material that gives consistent grip whether your hands are dry on a sunny Peak District climb or damp halfway through a grey Welsh sportive. Leather eventually stretches and loses shape; Amara holds its form across a season's riding and washes without deteriorating.

The high-wicking stretch mesh backhand is where breathability actually happens. On a humid British summer day - the kind where the temperature is only 18°C but you're cooking on the inside - a dense fabric back would leave your hands swimming in sweat and sliding on the hoods. The open mesh construction pulls moisture away and lets air move, so grip stays secure and your skin stays cooler.

Progel technology is the headline feature, and it earns that billing. Gel inserts are placed specifically over the contact points where the handlebar presses hardest into the palm - particularly along the ulnar nerve channel that runs from your little finger toward the wrist. Road buzz is high-frequency, repetitive vibration, and over two or three hours it's that constant input that causes the numbness and fatigue often called cyclist's palsy. The gel absorbs and disperses those vibrations before they become a problem. It's not a thick, squishy pad that distances you from bar feel - it's targeted, so you still sense the road without being beaten up by it.

The microfibre sweat wipe panel on the thumb is a small detail that earns its keep. Wiping your face mid-descent on a rough section of tarmac is far easier when you're not using a scratchy lycra cuff.

Fit, Range, and Finding Your Match

Altura mitts split broadly into two cuff styles, and which suits you depends on your priorities. Slip-on designs - seen in the Endurance range - sit close to the wrist with a clean, aero-friendly finish. There's no bulk, no velcro snagging on your sleeve, and they look tidy under a jacket cuff. The trade-off is that fit is less adjustable; sizing needs to be accurate from the start.

Traditional hook-and-loop closures, used across the Progel and Airstream ranges, let you dial in fit more precisely. That's useful if your hands sit between sizes or if you prefer a firmer hold at the wrist. Either way, the fit should feel snug across the palm - not tight enough to restrict circulation, but close enough that the gel padding stays exactly where it should be on the bars. A mitt that shifts around is a mitt that's not doing its job.

On sizing: measure the circumference of your hand just below the knuckles and check Altura's size guide directly. Don't assume your glove size translates - mitt sizing can run differently across brands, and a half-size up often means the gel sits over the wrong part of your palm.

Looking for full-finger coverage for colder weather or more aggressive trail riding? Head over to our dedicated Altura Gloves page for winter thermal and MTB-specific options.

Pairing Mitts with the Rest of Your Summer Kit

Mitts slot neatly into a warm-weather layering system. Paired with lightweight Altura jerseys, the wicking properties of both work together - the jersey pulls sweat from your torso while the mesh backhand handles your hands, and nothing feels soggy on a long climb. If temperatures drop early morning, a thin Altura base layer adds core warmth without compromising the ventilation the mitts provide at the extremities.

On washing: sweat is saltier than you'd think, and that salt - along with the bacteria that builds up in the Amara palm - will degrade the synthetic suede and eventually affect the integrity of the gel inserts if you let it accumulate. Machine wash at 30 degrees with a mild detergent, no fabric softener (it clogs the wicking fibres). Fasten any velcro hook-and-loop closures before they go in the drum - open velcro in a mixed wash will pull at chamois fabric and lycra bib shorts in ways you'll notice later. Air dry away from direct heat; a radiator will stiffen the Amara and reduce its grip over time. Treat them as you'd treat a quality Altura bib shorts chamois - worth a little care to protect the investment.

A few washes in, you'll notice the mesh backhand stays soft and the gel retains its responsiveness when you follow that routine. Neglect it and you'll be looking at replacements well before the season ends.