Often times when manufacturers send us products to test, they throw in a couple additional items for us to try. We don’t always end up reviewing those products for many reasons, but the biggest is simply because we just don’t see the relevance to our audience. To that end, the Giro LTZ gloves sat on the shelf for a month following their arrival with the Giro Selector. We just didn’t see what we would say about a pair of gloves. But then Mike remembered one of his mantras – race like you train and train like you race. That’s when he recognized that using a pair of cushioned gloves on regular training rides was not the best choice since he tended to leave his gloves behind on race day.

So he decided to give the LTZs a shot. Giro calls it a pro-level, ultra-minimalist glove. The gloves use a tailored Lycra upper combined with what Giro calls a “Cool Skin” synthetic palm. On the thumbs you will find a micro fiber wiping surface.

After more than a month of riding with the gloves, we can definitively say that while Giro may call them “ultra-minimalist;” we would say that these are as close to riding bare-handed as you can get. That’s what makes these the perfect glove for triathletes that prefer to train as close to race-day conditions as possible.

These are not winter gloves, however. In temperatures much below 50°F you will definitely be looking for something with a more insulation. But for spring and summer rides, the gloves work perfectly. No matter how hot and sweaty our hands become, we never have had to worry about losing control of the bars.

Race like you train and train like you race. It only makes sense to wear the gloves you are going to race with. Or if you are like Mike and race sans gloves, then take a look at the LTZs. You’ll train with just a bit of additional control without the padding that you’ll be lacking on race day.