need new gloves

[oldbiker648]

My fingerless riding gloves finally disintegrated this week after 3 years of service. I really liked the gloves, but they had some sort of gel implants which leaked blue dye when I got caught in the rain or sweated excessively. Does anyone out there have any experience with a really good set of fingerless gloves they would reccommend?

[Pat Kelly]

Leather gloves will stain your hands when they get wet.
I never wear fingerless so I have no opion there.

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

I'm with Pat on this, I never wear fingerless gloves. I have a really great pair of Joe Rocket gloves that are part Kevlar and Part leather. They are reinforced in all the right places and are so light, I would be tempted to wear them as mechanic's gloves.

[EZMoney]

I wear the lower end Machanic's gloves that don't have as much knuckle and back of the hand protection as the higher end ones do.
Both my boys wear the high end ones when they are coming down the side of a mountain on their down hill bikes. Luckily I don't hit the dirt as often as they do

[Pat Kelly]

I'm not sayng not to wear fingerless, just that I don't. I was commenting on the colorful hands when you get summer gloves wet. My winter gloves don't have that problem.

[sixtysix]

After I spent a half hour picking out rocks that were imbedded in my Joe Rocket race gloves, (with my completely non-injured hands) I decided not to wear fingerless gloves anymore. They now have nice light materials and vents on the fingers of the gloves. If you still want to wear fingerless (or fingered for that matter) try

http://www.newenough.com/

and click on closeouts, I have bought $100 gloves MSRP for $15 on closeout. Almost every jacket I have is from here. Make sure you get on the email list for the best deals. If you buy something make sure you select xs11.com for a $1 donation at the end. The $1 is his, not yours. When we get enough $$, we give away something from thier site, cool huh?

[andreashweiss]

I have been using as summer riding gloves made for police/corrections. They are the standard issue ones ,made of leather ,black, very light weight, seem to hold up well to regular use,not hot in summer,buy them out of police supply catalogs. They are hard to cut,puncture. andreas

[Jerry]

I don't use fingerless gloves, to much sunburn on the fingers. However, I do use a lighweight Kevlar knit set of gloves for abrasion resistance and max cooling of the hands. Look on eBay for "kevlar metal work" to get some ideas; there are many kevlar gloves to choose from, but I prefer the knitted style for summer riding as well as the protection. Others are Kevlar-lined or kevlar-leather combinations.

[DeanR]

John, I also use the kevlar police gloves (Hatch). They work great..

[webbcraft2150]

I wear fingerless virtually all summer. I rely on my catlike reflexes to keep me out of experimenting with there lack of protection in a get off. I usually will purchase the higher end units 'cause the leather is a bit heavier and a better grade. Course this is a mute point cause I get the type with mesh fingers so I most likely will be screwed if I have to bail. I also have a high end pair of mesh motocross gloves with heavy finger gaurds and kevlar in the palms. Pretty comfortable in the hellish heat of Texas and were not really expensive. They worked well when I was racing dirt bikes but then again, I never bailed my dirt rig on pavement. My winter riding gloves have proved to be useless here.

[olebiker]

[i] My winter riding gloves have proved to be useless here. [/B]

Rub it in

[oldbiker648]

I guess the real reason to buy any protective gear for your bike is to prepare for the eventuality that you will end up sliding down asphalt or concrete at speed at some point. A neophyte rider I was coaching three years ago made a trip on Saturday morning with some more experienced riders and ended up at the back of the pack. He crested a little knoll and spotted a roadkilled possum, and instead of controlled braking to check the food value of this potential windfall, as a novice, he locked up the rear brake on his 600 Honda F4 rice rocket with predictable results. Only good news is that he had a $400 Joe Rocket jacket and a $100 pair of titanium reinforced gloves. He was off work for about a month with serious lower extremity road-rash and shoulder contusions. I salvaged his bike and sold it to another friend, who re-sold to a 17 year old wanna-be. I probably need to buy and wear the stuff which will save the skin on my old butt, however at 100 degrees here in Richmond, you will find me in boots, jeans, T-shirt fingerless gloves and 3/4 helmet with face shield. Thanks for the input. I will look at some of the more "ballistic" options.

[Pat Kelly]

Actually protection is 2nd importance with gloves.
Grip (of the bike) and comfort are more important. Lack of those 2 lead to the need for protection.

[oldbiker648]

Pat,
I admire your ability to cut to the chase. Anything which is uncomfortable tends not to be worn, agreed? I like my fingerless gloves because they are comfortable to wear and protect my hands from vibration, not a slide down the highway.. The only downside has been the blue dye leaching out during wet conditions, which does not come from the leather, but rather from the anti-vibration gel-pack inserts. I think they may actually be bicycle gloves, but we know the Yamarobber will sell anything. I'll buy another pair of the identical gloves if I can't get a better reference, although the kevlar gloves sound interesting. I have a great pair of mechanic's gloves that a buddy gave me and they are fine up to 75 degrees or so, but then I reach for the fingerless ones. You are correct that I wear them more for control and comfort than protection. Mostly, I ride in control, always defensively, and I guess I've been lucky for the past few years.

[TopCatGr58]

Just thinking pragmatically?

Hey John,

If you like the Mech gloves, and they don't run/sweat on you, why not just cut the fingers off of them?? Perhaps the sewing in them might start to unravel, but worth a shot! JAT!?
T.C.