We`ve wrecked 113 know a thing or two

SUMMER GLOVES
We’ve wrecked 113
know a thing or two
Put your finger on a good pair
ventilation
■ Many gloves now feature cooling
vents. In reality, few make much
difference and are mostly there for
looks. You’re not going to get a blast
of wind shooting through the glove
but some air is good on hot days.
loves
golden rules for g
bars when
■ Hold on to some handle
they
ere
wh
is
s
Thi
on.
r
pai
trying a
need to be comfy.
■ Check there's a nonelastic wrist strap to
keep them on in a crash.
r
■ Check the cuffs go ove
your riding jacket.
ssea ms
■ Poorly-designed gloves will come apart
at the seams in a crash – either because
they burst or the stitching is damaged.
Ideally there should be concealed stitching
so the glove doesn’t just come apart if the
first layer of stitching is ground away.
hi gh tecchmaterials
■ There might be posh labels
claiming there are modern
materials inside, like Kevlar. These
should be sandwiched between
two layers of leather at the heel of
the palm for extra protection.
6 THE RIDE BIG BOOK OF KIT
6-9 summer glovesTM.indd 2
28/4/06 8:39:32 am
pairs, so we
arm our
■ Hands don’t just slide along the
road in a crash, they also flail
around. Gloves have a combination
of hard and soft armour to protect
joints and knuckles.
li nin g
■ Lining is mostly for comfort or
waterproofing. Make sure the
lining is fixed and doesn’t pull
out when you take the gloves off.
wrist straps
■ Vital for making sure your glove
stays put in a spill. Do up the strap
and trying taking the glove off. It
should be a struggle. If it comes off
easily, buy something else.
cuff s
■ Cuffs should be long enough to
overlap your jacket sleeves and
have adjustment to keep them
securely in place.
THE RIDE BIG BOOK OF KIT 7
6-9 summer glovesTM.indd 3
28/4/06 8:39:53 am
SUMMER GLOVES
Best of the best
Summer gloves
Every glove
Summer gloves
Alpinestars GP Pro
Tested Glove name
OVERALL
45/52
RATING
Alpinestars GP Pro
OVERALL
16/20
RATING
Clover RS-3
OVERALL
14/20
RATING
Exero Solar
OVERALL
14/20
RATING
Held Phantom
OVERALL
46/55
RATING
Spada Carbo Race
OVERALL
43/55
RATING
Spidi 3 Composite
OVERALL
44/55
RATING
Swift Viper
OVERALL
47/52
RATING
Texport TX1
TOTAL
107/127
RATING
Texport Veloce
OVERALL
15/20
RATING
Triumph Hard Carbon
OVERALL
45/55
RATING
2003
2003
2003
2003
2005
2004
2005
2005
2003
2004
2004
2003
2003
2004
2004
2003
2005
2005
2005
2005
2005
2004
2005
2005
2003
2003
2004
2004
2004
2004
2004
2003
2004
2003
2005
2003
2004
2004
2003
2003
2005
2003
Price
Score
Akito Rage
£20
Akito Sprint
£40
Akito Supervent
£30
Alpinestars GP Pro
£120
Alpinestars Alloy
£50
Alpinestars GP Pro
£120
Alpinestars S-MX 2 Air Carbon £55
Alpinestars S-MX 3
£40
Alpinestars S-MX Air Carbon £50
Alpinestars SMX-5
£60
Alpinestars SP-1
£80
Arlen Ness 747 Storm
£75
Belstaff Airflow
£90
Belstaff Ladies Pantha
£30
Belstaff Rapido
£50
Belstaff Super Sport
£100
BMW All-round
£35
BMW Summer Rain
£60
Busters Triplevent
£20
Chequered Flag Evolution
£50
Clover RS-3
£90
Clover RS-3
£90
Dainese SLAM
£96
Dainese Speed Knuckles
£132
Dannisport Stealth
£60
Dannisport Steel 3
£45
Exero Solar Gloves
£35
Fieldsheer Positano Race
£90
Fieldsheer Race Claw
£70
Fieldsheer Sonic Air
£30
Filedsheer Race Grip
£40
Frank Thomas Air Rage
£100
Frank Thomas Air Rage
£100
Frank Thomas Edge
£40
Frank Thomas Sabre Sport GL £100
Frank Thomas Spectre
£60
Frank Thomas Strike Race £80
Hein Gericke Gore Sports
£70
Hein Gericke Gore Sports
£70
Hein Gericke Hard Edge
£50
Hein Gericke HG Racing
£75
Hein Gericke HGR Racing
£70
23/52
30/52
23/52
45/52
36/55
16/20
38/55
32/55
31/52
10/20
13/20
31/52
39/52
13/20
12/20
39/52
35/55
30/55
28/55
32/55
36/55
14/20
35/55
28/55
39/52
25/52
14/20
11/20
11/20
8/20
9/20
39/52
12/20
29/52
41/55
33/52
10/20
15/20
40/52
32/52
39/55
35/52
8 THE RIDE BIG BOOK OF KIT
6-9 summer glovesTM.indd 4
28/4/06 18:02:38
we’ve tested since 2001
Tested Glove name
2005
2004
2005
2004
2004
2004
2003
2005
2004
2003
2005
2005
2004
2004
2004
2004
2005
2004
2004
2003
2004
2004
2004
2004
2003
2003
2003
2004
2004
2003
2005
2005
2004
2005
2005
2005
2005
2005
2004
2003
2005
2003
2004
Price
Score
Hein Gericke Race Vent
£40
Hein Gericke Race Vent
£80
Hein Gericke Sports GTX
£70
Hein Gericke Twin
£40
Hein Gericke V1 Vento
£50
Held Akira
£104
Held Akira
£99
Held Akira Tex
£130
Held Ceramic-Tex
£77
Held Krypton
£110
Held Phantom
£130
Joe Rocket GPX
£70
Joe Rocket Highside
£50
Joe Rocket Nova
£50
Joe Rocket Phoenix Gloves £50
Joe Rocket Speedmaster
£100
Joe Rocket Speedmaster 5.0 £110
JTS 786
£35
JTS CK33
£35
JTS CK44
£30
JTS CK44
£35
JTS Dyno
£12.50
JTS Moon
£30
Lewis Speed Race
£60
Motomod Basics
£20
Motomod Biarritz
£21.50
Motomod Mallory
£40
Motomod Toulous
£27.50
Nankai NRG-31
£130
Prexport T Race
£60
REV’IT PX2
£70
Richa Blade
£30
Rider Model 2
£20
RS Enduro
£30
RS Falcon
£40
RS Hawk
£20
RS Rapier
£50
RS Supernova Plus
£50
R-Sport Active
£20
Spada Air Con
£35
Spada Carbo Race
£40
Spada Mid Summer
£30
Spada Race Carbon
£40
37/55
12/20
34/55
11/20
6/20
13/20
29/52
38/55
14/20
34/52
46/55
36/55
7/20
10/20
12/20
13/20
40/55
7/20
12/20
38/52
9/20
4/20
13/20
10/20
19/52
16/52
33/52
7/20
11/20
25/52
39/55
31/55
8/20
0
24/55
31/55
21/55
34/55
27/55
10/20
37/52
43/55
36/52
13/20
For back issues please call 0845 121 4000
2003 test: Issue 98 (On sale 20 June 2003)
2004 test: April 2004 issue
2005 test: June 2005 issue
6-9 summer glovesTM.indd 5
Tested Glove name
2004
2003
2005
2003
2005
2003
2003
2005
2004
2003
2003
2005
2003
2003
2003
2004
2003
2005
2004
2005
2004
2003
2005
2004
2004
2004
2003
2005
2004
Spada Race Tech
Spada Ultima Race
Spada Ultima Race 2
Spada Ultima short
Spidi 3 Composite
Spyke Arrow
Spyke G-SR1
Spyke HP Tech 2
Spyke Network
Swift Triplevent
Swift Viper
Targa Vulcan
Texport Devil
Texport Free Spirit
Texport Sport Grip
Texport Sports Grip
Texport TX1
Texport TX1
Texport TX1
Texport Veloce
Texport Veloce
Texport Veloce
Triumph Hard Carbon
Triumph Hard Carbon
Triumph Raptor Vented
Triumph Speedking
Weise Ladies Race 2
Weise Race
Weise WSG-1
Price
Score
£30
£40
£45
£35
£120
£55
£60
£95
£42
£40
£80
£30
£70
£80
£44.50
£45
£90
£100
£100
£50
£50
£50
£90
£90
£25
£45
£40
£60
£30
13/20
26/52
32/55
20/52
44/55
24/52
22/52
31/55
9/20
20/52
47/52
30/55
26/52
35/52
22/52
9/20
46/52
43/55
18/20
35/55
15/20
26/52
45/55
13/20
10/20
13/20
29/52
36/55
10/20
Best and worst
port TX1 scored
■ Top score: The £100 Tex
90% in 2004.
the JTS Dyno in
■ Worst score: 20% from
though, at £12.50.
st
ape
che
e
2004. They wer
1.90 Dainese Speed
■ Most expensive: The £13
2004.
Knuckles scored 50.9% in
THE RIDE BIG BOOK OF KIT 9
28/4/06 09:03:17
WINTER GLOVES
Keep your
pinkies perky
Our handy hints...
wrist straps
■If you fall off, the wrist restraint
should keep the gloves in place. A
good rule of thumb is that
restraints on the underside of the
hand will do a better job than ones
on the back of the hand. Before
buying, try the glove on, secure the
restraint tightly and tug on the
glove. If it just slides off, think
carefully before you buy.
mem bran e
■ In our latest test, five came
with a Gore-Tex waterproof/
breathable membrane and four of
those were leak-free. If you’re
buying gloves that aren’t in our
tests, look for Gore-Tex as our
results back the widely-held belief
that it’s the most effective brand.
construction
■ You have a right to just as much
protection from winter gloves as you’d
get from summer ones. Look for signs of
concealed stitching so the glove doesn’t
come apart if the first layer of stitching
is ground away. Reinforcement panels at
the heel of the palm are good news, too.
28 THE RIDE BIG BOOK OF KIT
28-31 Winter-glovesTM.indd 2
28/4/06 15:05:27
visor wipe
■ A rubber strip on the index finger
helps wipe your visor clean. Suedeeffect pads quickly become
saturated and aren’t as effective.
kn uckle
arm our
■ Hard armour is new on
all-weather kit. Our latest test
proved good armour will
absorb, or deflect, much of the
energy of an impact. Check for
padding between your hand
and the armour as this protects
you from potential harm by the
armour itself.
top buyin g tips
son jacket
■ Always take your all-sea
. You
ves
glo
ing
buy
en
with you wh
wrist area of
should be able to get the
cuff, so water
the glove inside the jacket
glove and
and
won’t run between jacket
.
wet
ds
make your han
group your
■ Claw-style gloves, which
m, but play
war
you
p
kee
er,
eth
tog
rs
finge
king.
bra
r
nge
fi
havoc with your one
insulation
■ Wadded material, such as 3M
Thinsulate, is there to trap as much
heat as possible rather than letting
it escape through the glove.
Insulation on leaky gloves will soak
up water and soon make your
hands feel like blocks of ice.
THE RIDE BIG BOOK OF KIT 29
28-31 Winter-glovesTM.indd 3
28/4/06 15:05:49
WINTER GLOVES
We’ve tested 97 pairs. But
Tested Glove name
Price
Score
2002
2002
2002
2002
2002
2005
2005
2004
2002
2002
2004
2002
2002
2004
2005
2002
2002
2005
2002
2004
2004
2002
2005
2004
2004
£40
£20
£35
£20
£70
£68
£85
£85
£35
£40
£45
£40
£100
£110
£55
£80
£70
£80
£29
£60
£60
£40
£70
£100
£60
26/40
25/40
18/40
22/40
28/40
44/50
42/50
65/80
27/40
28/40
61/80
33/40
22/40
58/80
39/50
28/40
28/40
35/50
24/40
52/80
46/80
19/40
28/50
60/80
39/80
Akito Carbon SP
Akito Commuter
Akito Mercury Mega
Akito Rainmaster
Alpinestars Jet Road
Alpinestars Jet Road
Alpinestars Tech Road
Alpinestars Tech Road
Belstaff Atlas
Belstaff Bora
Belstaff Pathfinder
Belstaff Patrol
Belstaff Thermo Sport
Belstaff Thermo-sport
Bering Volga
Dainese Cloud
Dainese GPW Gore-Tex
Dainese Sprog
Euro DB5
Fieldsheer Highway Grip
Fieldsheer Tour Claw
Frank Thomas All Season
Frank Thomas Aqua Rage
Frank Thomas Aqua Rage
Frank Thomas Aqua Roo
2002
2002
2005
2002
2002
2004
2005
2004
2004
2002
2005
2005
2002
2002
2004
2005
2004
2004
2002
2002
2004
2002
2002
2004
2004
2002
Frank Thomas Indianapolis £80
Frank Thomas Laguna
£80
F Thomas Multi Strada Aqua £45
H Gericke Classic Cruiser £70
Hein Gericke Gore Eco
£45
H Gericke Gore Sport II
£70
Hein Gericke Master IV
£70
Hein Gericke Master IV
£60
Hein Gericke Pathan
£33
Hein Gericke Pathan
£30
Hein Gericke Pathan leather £40
Held Ice Breaker
£62
Held Magic
£49
Held Narvik
£60
Held Pushkin
£31
Ixon Pro Speed
£33
Ixon Pro Speed
£44
Ixon SP One
£25
Ixon SP One
£20
Ixon SP Race
£30
Ixon SP Wild
£37
Ixon SP Wild
£50
Joe Rocket Ballistic
£35
Joe Rocket Blizzard
£45
Joe Rocket Radiant
£60
Joe Rocket Radiant
£60
20/40
19/40
32/50
28/40
24/40
59/80
33/50
64/80
62/80
32/40
29/50
36/50
28/40
26/40
49/80
25/50
49/80
45/80
18/40
24/40
56/80
25/40
28/40
51/80
58/90
26/40
Recommendeds
Alpinestars Jet Road GTX
Belstaff Patrol
OVERALL
44/50
RATING
Hein Gericke Pathan
OVERALL
OVERALL
33/40
32/40
RATING
RATING
30 THE RIDE BIG BOOK OF KIT
28-31 Winter-glovesTM.indd 4
28/4/06 13:33:45
only six get a triangle
2004
2004
2004
2002
2002
2002
2002
2004
2004
2004
2002
2002
2004
2005
2002
2002
2002
2004
2004
2002
2004
2004
2004
2005
2002
2002
JTS CK2K
JTS CL11
JTS CL98
Komeni Kestrel
Komeni Kiwi
Komeni Swift
Kushitani Dangan GTX
Lewis LWG006
Lewis LWG008
On2wheels Tour
Prexport Winter
Rayven Neon
Rayven Vogue
REV’IT Celcius
Richa Atlantic
Richa Carbon Winter
Richa Igloo Polar
Rotosport Avalanche
Rotosport Diablo
RS Apex
RS Apex Plus
RS Panther
RS Trojan Sports
RS Trojan Sports
RST ATC
RST GSB
£45
£19
£25
£40
£60
£50
£60
£30
£30
£25
£40
£40
£30
£80
£35
£35
£30
£35
£15
£38
£42
£30
£40
£40
£45
£50
Spada Force
2005
2004
2002
2005
2004
2005
2002
2002
2002
2002
2005
2005
2004
2004
2002
2005
2004
2002
2005
2005
Smug Voyager
Spada Blizzard WP
Spada Force
Spada Force 2 WP
Spada Force WP
Spada Polar
Spada Zest
Spada Zone
Spyke Ice
Swift Hurricane
Tech 7 Tourismo
Teknic Cyclone
Texport Defender
Triumph Sympatex
Triumph Sympatex
Triumph Sympatex Sport
Triumph Sympatex Sport
Weise leather-nylon
Weise Pro race
Weise WRS
£20
£15
£50
£45
£50
£34
£40
£30
£60
£70
£30
£50
£80
£60
£60
£75
£75
£30
£50
£37
19/50
56/80
33/40
40/50
58/80
34/50
17/40
28/40
30/40
27/40
25/50
38/50
71/80
57/80
30/40
31/50
55/80
32/40
28/50
24/50
Voyager,
worst glove: Smug
2005.
scoring just 38% in
Texport Defender
OVERALL
Weise leather-nylon
OVERALL
OVERALL
33/40
71/80
32/40
RATING
RATING
RATING
For back issues please call 0845 121 4000
2002 test: February 2002 issue
2004 test: November 2004 issue
2005 test: November 2005 issue
28-31 Winter-glovesTM.indd 5
55/80
47/80
46/80
19/40
24/40
28/40
23/40
45/80
52/80
48/80
24/40
27/40
53/80
35/50
25/40
29/40
31/40
50/80
50/80
25/40
62/80
64/80
66/80
32/50
27/40
19/40
THE RIDE BIG BOOK OF KIT 31
28/4/06 17:11:05