Rapha, nice but a bit pricey?

Could you not patch them with something more durable?y

I've held onto my old ones and thought about it but there's not much to attach a patch to. The hole is right up to the edge of the leather. Might be possible though.

I have the Giro leather mitts which are nice and not pricey - although the pads are much more bulky

I tried some non-leather Giro ones in a shop ages ago and thought they were ok, but not great, and a bit loose (I have pretty small hands for a big bloke). I'll have a look for those though.