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GLOVES – Thoughts from a Returning Rider

8.5K views 36 replies 12 participants last post by  hogcowboy  
#1 · (Edited)
GLOVES

I was so excited about buying my new motorcycle and getting back into riding that I didn’t give protective gear – beyond a helmet – any thought. Until I had already signed the deal and was getting ready to pick up the bike.

It was July – so it was HOT here in central North Carolina. My idea of the “Best Protective Gear” is the gear that you actually wear! It doesn’t do any good if it’s too hot in summer, too cold in winter, or so heavy, uncomfortable or burdensome at any time that you don’t wear it. World class gear never protected anyone in a closet.

With that in mind, and how hot it was, I decided to go with some light mesh gloves. Not having purchased them in advance, I was limited by the supply on hand at the motorcycle dealer that day – unless I wanted to hit a Lowe’s or an Ace Hardware and buy some gloves there.

After trying on most if not all of the ‘warm weather’ gloves at the dealership, I decided on Firstgear Ultra Mesh Gloves, in red. My bikes frame is red, so I confess that probably played a part in my selection. They were light, comfortable, fit well, and seemed to flow a lot of air. Protection is rather minimal, but certainly better than nothing, I figured - and the price was right: $25 plus tax.

http://firstgear-usa.com/mens-gear/gloves/ultra-mesh-gloves.html

They have certainly been comfortable and have enough air flow to make them cool enough to wear, even when the temperature was well into the 90s. Of the 3,800+ miles I have ridden since purchase, over 2k of them were wearing these gloves. They have held up well so far, no fraying or obvious wear points.

My main concern is the lack of protection that comes with the comfort and the mesh air flow. The palm and palm side of the fingers are full leather, albeit single layer, while the remainder of the glove is mesh for ventilation, and neoprene lined for comfort.

Overall I am satisfied with these gloves, especially at the price.

A couple of months later, I came across a pair of “motorcycle gloves” online at what was supposed to be a “great sale” price: $15 – not realizing the MSRP was just $24.95. They were promoted as having a “durable leather palm”, “padded knuckle protector”, “reinforced thumb protection” and were a brand I had heard of, even if I wasn’t very familiar with it: Scorpion. I had a “deal” for free shipping as well. I took the bait, and purchased the Scorpion Solstice Gloves in yellow.

http://shop.scorpionusa.com/c/mens-apparel_gloves_cruiser_solstice_neon

I have actually worn these quite a bit since purchasing them. They are comfortable, but do not flow quite as much air and are not as cool as the Firstgear Ultra Mesh. This worked in their favor, though, as the season changed and the temperatures cooled. I found myself preferring these for a little less airflow and slight additional warmth, compared to the Ultra Mesh.

And it turned out that, yes, for that low price, the sales pitch was too good to be true. Instead of “durable leather palm” the palm is made of Nash – a “soft, suede like material”, sometimes referred to as a synthetic leather, or faux leather. That’s also what the palm and thumb are ‘reinforced’ with, and what the “padded knuckle protector” is covered with. The “padded knuckle protector” is nothing but a thin layer of soft foam – not very protective!

These gloves are quite comfortable and fit well, but seem to provide even less protection than the Firstgear Ultra Mesh gloves – that is to say, marginal at best – but again, better than bare hands, I hope. After approximately 1,500 miles in these gloves, they are holding up well, no fraying and little visible indication of wear.

For cooler weather riding, down to 45F so far, I simply purchased an inexpensive pair of generic Thinsulate 100 gloves from a big box store ($12) in a size appropriate to allow them to fit well over the top of either pair of my mesh gloves – improvised layering, if you will. I took my mesh gloves with me when purchasing the Thinsulate gloves in order to assure proper fit.

I haven’t ridden with this combination more than about 30 miles at a time in 45 degree weather, but so far they've kept my hands pretty comfortable, if not exactly “warm”, for that distance at interstate speeds. Again, protection is not great, but they are at least as protective as the mesh gloves I'm using as a base layer, with whatever additional bit of protection the outer winter gloves may provide. They are a little bulky, but not enough to prevent easy use of the throttle, clutch, front brake and turn signals.

For a total of about $55, I've got two pairs of warm weather gloves and a pair (improvised layering) of cool weather gloves.

While all these gloves have worked well for me so far, I am somewhat concerned about lack of protection. Comfort and the need for gear that I will actually wear and use, and can afford, is still a high priority. I have ordered a pair of Cortech GX Air 3 gloves, which appear to be a notch higher in protection, and I will review them after I’ve had a chance to wear and test them.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts about gloves – what works for you, what brands or models you prefer and what level of protection you consider to be the minimum necessary for normal street riding.

Next up: HELMETS
 
#2 ·
For hot weather riding I would recommend some gloves made for roadracing. If you spend the bucks you can even get some that are vented.
Without vents they are not too bad in the heat and can double for 'cool weather' riding. Cheap insurance if you think about it.
The same goes for cold weather gloves. Get some that are made for motorcycle riding with real protection built in.
The last time I fell (oil on the road) I was wearing full leathers. It ruined my helmet, I was sore for a week. But not a scratch, real protection works.
Like I said, cheap insurance.
 
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#4 · (Edited)
Thanks for the great input - I appreciate it! Please keep the info coming, the more feedback we have, the better.

What is the minimum level of protection you look for in gloves, for "normal" street riding? And what is your "normal"?

My minimum level of protection is still evolving. Right now I'm still using lightweight gloves most of the time, obviously. But I'm aware these offer limited protection, so I'm still trying to figure out the right balance of comfort, protection, and affordability.

My normal riding is commuting (55 miles round trip, mostly interstate/ freeway), pleasure riding (mostly on back roads), occasional short trips (up to 200 miles each way) and using my motorcycle as basic transportation - all when weather permits. I don't plan to ride in the rain, but I don't avoid it to the point that I never get caught out in it.
 
#5 ·
I wore mesh backed gloves with leather and gell padding from Leatherup all summer just like you, there are clearly more protective gloves but considering how many people wear nothing around here (standard summer riding gear in PA is usually tshirt and jeans or shorts with sneakers, no helmet required) that I know I'm better geared than 80% of the riders here since I always wear at least jeans, boots, gloves, helmet and jacket. The nice thing about those gloves is that they are so airy my hands were never hot.
For cold weather I have 2 pairs.
One is a pair of lined leather gauntlets from BILT that I wear most of the time, I think they were $19,99 at Cyclegear. They have a hard plastic ( I think, it could be metal but seems light?) knuckle armor plate inside them. The coldest I rode my commute with those gloves ( 71 miles on the interstate) was 27f, my hands got cold but not numb, so I felt they were adequate for that temperature. I wish the cuffs on these gloves were bigger, I have to carefully arrange them to fit over my jacket to get a good seal, but this is mostly tough for me when I leave in the dark for work, so it might be just specific to me. These gloves were very stiff and hard to bend when I got them and I thought they were too tight but eventually they broke in after riding 1000 miles or so including a few times in the rain and now they fit, well, like a glove :)

The other is a pair of heavy textile winter gauntlets from Joe Rocket, I think they were about $30, thinsulate lined and supposedly waterproof, they are really warm with big cuffs but seem to let a bit of air through at high speeds, though my hands stayed pretty warm anyway. Leather seems to be better in that respect. These are pretty bulky though, good for the highway but they take some of the fun out of riding around the back roads where a lot of throttling and clutching is going on.

My wife always has cold hands, she just switched to electric gloves from Sedici and after 2 rides she says they are spectacular, too warm on any setting other than low in 40 degrees. I might have to borrow them one morning and see for myself.
 
#13 ·
I've officially wussied out...My wife kind of coerced me into trying her electric gloves (we swapped bikes) for a 10 mile ride Saturday night, the gloves were tight but I got them on and turned them on high, and that's all it took, I was hooked.

I bought a pair of the same gloves in my size Sunday and rode 72 miles this morning with them in 29 degrees weather at highway speeds. My hands were actually too warm with the gloves on high after a little while, I had to lower them to medium which actually was still a bit on the warm side as well but very pleasant.

No more frozen hands for me..life is good!!


My wife always has cold hands, she just switched to electric gloves from Sedici and after 2 rides she says they are spectacular, too warm on any setting other than low in 40 degrees. I might have to borrow them one morning and see for myself.
 
#6 ·
I think I tried every winter glove made before I finally broke down a paid the big bucks for Gerbing electric gloves. Finally my hands stay okay. I can't say good because my hands always sweat even when cold when I squeeze the 2 grips. Sweat and cold don't mix. So I end up with them on high to combat that and sweat more. I'm good for about 2 hours though.
 
#7 ·
Gloves

As suggested, gloves for road racing. Or go to the horsey store.
At the other extreme, an out door store for the warmest you can find.
Get a pair of rain covers as well. If the winter gloves are a bit large you can put on a pair of cheap small mittens inside. Or the plastic type mechanics ? nurses type gloves. I carry several pairs of gloves during the winter in a tank bag. Mid season a pair of Watson farm gloves are cheaper then a pair from the bike shop.

unkle Krusty*
 
#8 ·
I have two sets of guantlets, one fur lined the other not.
a set of heavier water proof rain gloves
a pair of ventilated, lighter leather gloves.
and a pair of fingerless leather gloves.


Heated gloves are on my Xmas wish list
 
#12 ·
It was a curve on a farm to market back road. I think the oil/grease was from a farm trucks rear gear box.
I went in head first. My left glove got caught between the bar and lever. It held up well and protected my hand.
 
#16 ·
The Sedici electric gloves I bought are heavy padded nylon textile with leather palms and leather knuckle and back of the hand protection areas. I'd say they would offer a fair amount of protection. Not nearly the protection of a full on heavy leather glove, but enough that I feel quite safe with them. The rest of my gear is all nylon textile anyway except my boots. What I think would happen in a mishap is that the gloves would probably get destroyed in a slide but there are so many layers to shred through that I don't think the hands inside would get too much damage if any, they are thick.
I actually wish they were a bit more flexible and less insulated, when I first put them on I thought they were a bit stiff and overly padded, fine for riding the highway but a bit awkward around town with a lot of clutching and braking. These gloves produce so much heat that I'm sure they could have done with less insulation but I'm used to them now after 300 miles, and I think they broke in a bit too and they are fine.

I only chose these Sedici gloves by default, we bought my wife's on impulse in Cyclegear because that was what they carried, and they worked so well that I bought the same ones a week later. I had never heard of that brand before, Gerbing was the one I had read about previously and probably would have bought otherwise

I rode into work today again with the Sedici gloves, 22 degrees today, 70 miles on the interstate, hands warm to almost too warm with the gloves set on medium, and for the record high is MUCH warmer than medium, so they definitely put out plenty of heat, as long as they last for the long haul I will be a very happy rider.
 
#15 ·
Electric Gloves

I was hooked.
No more frozen hands for me..life is good!!
Yep, its the only way if you really ride. Gerbing, First Gear and Tourmaster all make them. I can only speak to Gerbing about protection. Nope, don't have any except for the leather. But think about this. A scrapped warm hand will hurt much less than a scrapped cold one. It certainly isn't my intent to test it though.:D A leather gloves is pretty good protection in it's own right.
 
#20 ·
Yes, hard wired right to the battery, they came with the harness and everything you need. They do make an adapter that lets them plug into the standard battery tender plug we all have hanging there already but the store was out of them so for now I have 2 wires on each of our bikes. I might buy those $10 adapters and get rid of an extra wire, but knowing my inherent laziness I probably won't bother :)

Sedici is apparently a house brand for Cyclegear stores, I'm sure they are made in some chinese sweatshop like everything else these days.
 
#23 ·
That is exactly what the saleslady in Cyclegear told me on Sunday when we were hanging out there chatting for a while, that BILT is their entry level stuff and SEDICI is their good stuff, supposed to be just as good as and compete with the high end brands, in many cases it's made in the same factories that make the brand name stuff and sells 30% cheaper.
FWIW She also said that she didn't like and didn't use any of the bilt stuff but she did ride with some Sedici gear.
 
#24 ·
Gloves

Edit to my post number 7 above.
Last week I rode up Island at around 30 F. Had on the new pair of two finger gloves I got from the outdoor store. They are the gauntlet style and the fingers are paired two and two. Hands got very cold, and the glove fingers interfered with the levers too much. Sometimes things do not work as well on the bike, as they seemed to in the store. These gloves will be donated to charity.

I had other gloves with me, so was not stuck.

Unkle Krusty
 
#25 ·
I bought a pair of mittens once thinking they would be great for cold weather riding. Were almost like boxing sparring gloves. They were except for one little flaw. Very difficult to use on a bike. But boy were they warm.
 
#27 ·
I wear gloves for comfort. Couple yrs ago I was doing a lot of early morning riding, started wearing some cheap-o work gloves, then I discovered they were more comfortable than not wearing gloves but as the temp went up they got uncomfortable.

I went to good ole trusty walmart, got a pair of perforated leather fingerless padded jell palm gloves, and a pair of better work gloves with a heavy leather padded palm.

I went to the Yamaha store and got some River Road insulated gauntlet gloves......not very good for cold weather so back out to walmart and got some of the basic thinsulate nylon gloves that work pretty good. Fast long distance riding in the cold will require something else.......I'm looking at putting on a batwing or just some of the hand protectors.
 
#28 ·
I was surprised when I put a batwing on my first bike that my fuel mileage went up. Could have knocked me over with a feather I was so surprised. Never even considered that possibility.
 
#29 ·
#30 ·
Thanks to everyone who has provided their input on gloves - please continue to do so!

I haven't worn my Cortech GX Air 3 gloves enough to do a full review yet, but I am loving them so far. They aren't winter gloves, but down to around 55F, at anything less than interstate speeds (70+ MPH) they are warm enough.

If you have any experience with these, or other Cortech gloves, post it up!

Since they are warm weather gloves, so I probably won't be able to do a full review on them until spring.
 
#32 ·
I've got fingerless gloves for summer and a $15.00 pair of gauntlets for winter which are okay down to about 50F. Don't expect much protection from them in an accident, the faux leather is thin, very thin. When I tore the cuff, I fixed it with black duct tape. :ROFLMAO:
Will probably get more protection from the duct tape.
 
#33 ·
Old resurrected thread.....OK, I'll play...

For protection I'm concerned about road rash, as well as, my old skin ripped off and down to the bone. I'm also concerned about bones, knuckles, joints, tendons, and ligaments. With all the many small parts of our wrist, hands, fingers and thumb held together in a rather complex design, when they get crushed and smashed it often makes for a difficult time for an orthopedic surgeon to put back together and have all those parts work again. For me that means gloves that are strong enough to hold all the parts together under extreme pressures and are resistant enough to prevent direct contact of skin to asphalt and other obstacles.

I've always thought that leather provides the best protection provided it is quality leather and constructed with strong nylon double stitching to hold the glove parts together under stress. However, the issue with all leather gloves is the flexibility to allow the dexterity we like to manipulate the controls. With the development of synthetic/leather combo gloves I think designers have come up with some gloves that offer the protection of leather and the flexibility of synthetic that may be superior. For example, leather is good for protecting the palms, finger tips, back of the hand, and outside edges from friction of a slide, while in between the fingers synthetic material have the strength to hold the layers together but also provide superior flexibility to support dexterity. In addition they have been incorporating molded carbon fiber and/or metals in those areas, like the knuckles, for additional protection.

For the best protection I think it is important for gloves to fit snugly, not to tight, but also not lose. This doesn't always work for the best comfort to protect our hands from the cold weather, so for cold conditions, which may require extra insulation and/or heated threads, we may have to deal with some bulk. I know for my riding style, during really cold temperatures I tend to slow it down, which doesn't avoid the risk, but does reduce the risk of a higher speed crash. During the winter months of riding I would rather wear better protective type gloves, but those not being available without the extra bulk, I make a compromise to keep riding without my fingers falling off from frost bite. Having warm hands/fingers during cold weather is a safety advantage I like, so I'm not fatigued and keep my dexterity and can feel the controls, even if the heavier gloves seem a bit clumsy.

I wear Dainese Composite Carbon gloves in temperatures from the mid-forties and higher, with a pair of Alpinstars SP8's as backups. Below 45*f, I wear Hotwired 12v heated gloves.

There appears to be a lot of high quality designed gloves available from many high end manufactures, the problem I have faced recently (the last 10-15 years) is getting the proper fit. I was always the perfect fit for a pair of large gloves, of any type. Now, any particular glove I may need a medium, a large, or an extra large. Most aggravating to me is if the palm/width of the glove fits, the thumb is too short and the fingers are too long!! I recently tried a pair of Dainese Metal gloves. The mediums fit my fingers, but were way too small in the palm. Then I tried the same glove in a large and the palms fit but the fingers were way to long. I'm willing to spend $400 USD on these gloves, but they need to fit properly, which they don't! It was very disappointing, but is a theme I have faced for the last ten years. So, the higher quality, motorcycle specific gloves are a bit pricey. So are helmets, jackets, pants and boots.

We all have a budget to consider when purchasing our bikes, gear and maintenance. We will make our decision based on our own budget and justifications. I prefer to spend more on gloves than many, but if it comes down to me buying a four hundred dollar pair of gloves and my motorcycle would sit in the garage broken because I could not afford to fix it, or wear a pair of leather work gloves from Ace Hardware and get to ride today? The answer is easy, I would ride with bare hands if I couldn't afford gloves!
 
#34 ·
If we are going slow enough and fall off, we may be able to roll and avoid road rash. If we are going fast enough and slide, things ( body parts ) will warm up rather quickly. The larger the surface area we marry to the pavement, the more even the loading. Hands out flat, will soon get hot and wear thru the light weight stuff. Or skin if no gloves.
Rolling / tumbling can start at about 45 and down, but body parts get flung about for a while.
Sliding in the rain is much more preferable, unless you hit something solid.
We all hit the hard at about 13 mph downward force, unless we get fired up higher than the bike. Then the thump is a bit more severe.
My suggestion, wear satisfactory leather gloves for all highway type riding. Whatever suits you for slower around town stuff. For me that means leather gloves with the finger tips missing, just like sailing gloves.

UK