Bluegrass Vapour Lite gloves review

The Bluegrass Vapour Lite mountain bike gloves are the brand’s lightest-weight offering, designed to be comfortable for long days on the bike.

They’re made from a four-way stretch material with perforated palms and a breathable, mesh back.

With no Velcro tabs, the minimalistic cuff only has a silicone section to help keep them secure. This makes getting them on or off easier.

Each of the finger’s ‘gussets’ – the side portions of the finger sections – is made from a thin mesh material to improve moisture wicking.

Bluegrass Vapour Lite gloves specifications

There’s a small microfibre sweat panel on the thumb, while the join from thumb to index finger is cut out to help unhindered articulation.

Additionally, the thumb-to-index-finger portion is reinforced with a secondary, tougher material to improve durability and reduce the chances of blisters.

The index and second fingers have a silicone print, claimed to improve grip. The index finger and thumb also have capacitive seams, claimed to work with touchscreens.

The gloves are available in five sizes, from extra-small to extra-large, and five colours. The black version is pictured.

True to Bluegrass’s lightweight claims, my pair of medium-sized test gloves weighed a mere 31g.

Bluegrass Vapour Lite gloves performance

The Vapour Lite gloves are seriously minimalistic. The thin, flexible palm provides as close to a glove-free feel as you can possibly get.

Their palm material doesn’t bunch up, crease or fold as your hand closes when your fingers grip the handlebars.

This is constructed from a single piece of material, further boosting comfort thanks to a lack of seams or stitching.

Their subtle four-way stretch fabric means the gloves shrink to the form of your hands, gently hugging them. Once again, this reduces the chances of bunching or creasing, helping to improve comfort.

A small triangular-shaped cut-out between the thumb and index finger aids with thumb articulation, stopping the palm from pinching when the thumb is closed towards your index finger.

Despite a lack of cuff adjustability, the stretchy fabric helps keep it closed tight over your wrist.

This gives the Vapour Lite a secure and well-fitted feel over the entire hand and its opening. However, the stretch-focused fit isn’t so tight that it constricts movements or feels overbearing; finger and hand flexibility is no less than when not wearing them.

With perforations on the palm, a mesh backing and mesh sides to the fingers, even riders with the hottest and sweatiest hands will have a fighting chance of keeping cool.

I found the amount of air flow on offer best suited to temperatures over 10°C, and they can be a little too cool when the mercury drops further.

Despite their low-key looks and construction, these have proven to be some of the toughest gloves on the market.

After a lengthy period of use, the palms have remained free from rips and tears, with the seams also intact. The only visible damage is a small amount of fraying at the tops of the little fingers. This was caused by clipping trees with my hands while riding, rather than a particular weakness in their construction.

The silicone printed dots on the index and second finger have started to flake off, but this hasn’t affected finger grip.

Equally, I’ve had mixed success rates with the capacitive stitching in the thumb and index fingers permitting touchscreen usage.

Bluegrass Vapour Lite gloves bottom line

Thanks to their thin, stretchy, minimalist design, the Bluegrass Vapour Lites are the best-feeling, most comfortable lightweight gloves I’ve used in recent times.

The palms don’t bunch or crease, they’re tight-fitting but stretchy enough to not restrict movement, and have proven to be marvellously robust.

In fact, I liked these gloves so much, I went out and bought a couple of sets.