I've mainly stuck with the under $50 Joe Rocket gloves and been midly satisfied. I am considering going up the scale and looking for opinions on some of the gloves out there. Anyone have comments on the following?
Held Galaxy or Steve gloves
Teknic Violator gloves
Racer High End gloves
Alpinestars GP-Plus
Helimont Buffalo 365 gloves
I am heavily considering the Galaxy glove as I found a source that will ship them for $156. But also debating the Racer High End. It seems to have more features and better kanagroo leather. Very nice review HERE. But I haven't found out much other info on them. Held seems to have a pretty good reputation already.
Any opinions? Are the $150+ gloves over priced and over hyped or are they worth the price? Any idea on the sizing I should expect from Held? I measure 8-5/8" and typically were size Large from Joe Rocket, fit is ok, but finger seem crapped. Unfortunately, I don't have a local shop to try any of them.
sily_rabit, Aug 31 2006, 08:46 PM I've mainly stuck with the under $50 Joe Rocket gloves and been midly satisfied. I am considering going up the scale and looking for opinions on some of the gloves out there. Anyone have comments on the following?
Held Galaxy or Steve gloves
Teknic Violator gloves
Racer High End gloves
Alpinestars GP-Plus
Helimont Buffalo 365 gloves
I am heavily considering the Galaxy glove as I found a source that will ship them for $156. But also debating the Racer High End. It seems to have more features and better kanagroo leather. Very nice review HERE. But I haven't found out much other info on them. Held seems to have a pretty good reputation already.
Any opinions? Are the $150+ gloves over priced and over hyped or are they worth the price? Any idea on the sizing I should expect from Held? I measure 8-5/8" and typically were size Large from Joe Rocket, fit is ok, but finger seem crapped. Unfortunately, I don't have a local shop to try any of them.
I give the Devils Cross on gloves with out trying them on, the Only street glove brand that fits me is Olympian , But I normally wear offroad gloves cause they breathe so well.
With Held possibly the exception, I think most of the $150 ones are, as you say, over hyped and over priced.
I ordered these from Aerostich this past week and they should arrive tomorrow. IIRC that HS gave them a good review a few days ago in a related thread, so I thought I'd try them...do a search and look for that thread;
VIPERon, Aug 31 2006, 10:07 PM With Held possibly the exception, I think most of the $150 ones are, as you say, over hyped and over priced.
I ordered these from Aerostich this past week and they should arrive tomorrow. IIRC that HS gave them a good review a few days ago in a related thread, so I thought I'd try them...do a search and look for that thread;
I just got a pair of RS Taichi GP Evo gloves and they are awesome...replaced my Held Profis. The Profis twisted and cramped my pinky finger, and I didn't keep 'em long enough to really break them in (I understand that the Helds are pretty nice once broken in, though).
I scored the RS Taichi's on ebay for $120...they normally retail for @ $200. Butter soft leather and bombproof construction. fing02.gif
I agree with trying them on for the fit and feel that works for you.
I have had two pairs of the Steve gloves over the past 1 1/2 years and they were slightly different designs. The elastic across the wrist and on the gaunlet attach in opposite directions and the palm on one is smooth the other has the leather in reverse with more stiching on the palm. They also have slightly different padding on the outside of the wrist. I assume the differences are improvements? I believe they are now made in China, like most everything else.
Comfortable, good quality without the "power ranger" look but realistically I hope to never know how protective they are or aren't...
Check out RIDE magazine September '06 page 52 where they rate 22 pairs of gloves. Another reputable magazine said leather welding gloves were as good as those designed for motorcycling....who knows?
I've had the racer high ends for about two months now and love them. Really comfortable and compared to the other gloves in their price bracket have fantastic design and build quality. Compared to most which are made in china, etc... these are made in Austria and you can really tell. The thumb is a really comfortable feature and there are all sorts of other good features. I just feel much more comfortable with my safety and feel more in control. the webbikeworld review give a good summation of the details.
I have had my Alpinestars GP Plus gloves for a few months now and am very happy with them. The are well made and very comfortable.
I bought my GP Plus gloves to replace a pair of Alpinestars SP1 gloves that I bought a size too small. Make sure you try on the same style glove you intend to buy as different styles even withing the same manufacturer's line can vary in size.
Newenough currently has the GP Plus on sale for $143.96...
I really love my Teknic violator gloves. They have the kangaroo palms and are by far the most comfortable pair of gloves I have owned in 10+ years of riding. And I got them new for $35!!! They had a minor blemish what a deal. I think Dennis Kirk's ebay store might have a pair or two left for $35 size is medium only. If I had to choose another pair of gloves it would be the Teknic Speedstars or the Held series. Check out that link and write up.
I've been using AlpineStar SP-2 gloves (very similar to the GP-Plus)...fit is good ...definitely try them on first or you'll be sorry. All leather gloves are going to stretch over time so if they are a little snug to begin with - I think you'll find after a few hours they will stretch and mold quite nicely to your hand.
Derbycycles.com is still having a sale on their Held Akira gloves. I've had these gloves for 3 seasons, and will continue to replace them with the same model when they wear out. For the quality and comfort, and the fact that I need my hands to survive as best as possible or else I'm unemployed; I will always go the highest end glove that I can afford.
I have a pair of Held Galaxy gloves and I love them. I have over 8k miles on them in 1 1/2 years with no signs of wear other than some fading of the black. They have the rivets on the palm so if you do fall they should slide instead of grab the pavement. I am a very happy Held wearer. I thought mine were a little tight when new but when they broke in and now feel like they were made for me. I dont think if they were to loose that they would conform to your hands as well. I also have a pair of their winter insulated gloves for the cold days, my hands stay warm without any heated grips.
In a recent glove test in the UK that did all manner of abrassion, burst, impact tests etc the only glove to beat the GP plus glove was �350 BKS pair. The GP Plus is an excellent glove I have a pair and they are very comfortable.
Das Bone, Sep 28 2006, 12:32 PM +1.gif +1.gif I've had mine for over a year and they are a very good quality glove with excellent feel and comfort and protection.
anyone got a line for a canadian supplier of the racer high ends (horrible name, btw)?
My Icon gloves were crap! (Granted they weren't the Bling's) They started to unravel right when I took them out of the package. I had a pair of Tourmeister GX-Air gloves, they lasted about 2 months, then started tearing. Currently I wear a pair of N2 mesh, cf knuckle. They seem to be pretty decent quality. For cold weather I've had a pair Olympia with Gore-Tex. They're real warm, but don't have a great feel/control of the throttle.
BigRoach, Sep 28 2006, 12:47 PM My Icon gloves were crap! (Granted they weren't the Bling's) They started to unravel right when I took them out of the package.
That's too bad. I had some Icon Ti-Max gloves (same as the bling except not gold plated) and they were awesome gloves. Too bad they got stolen. dry.gif
Anyway, the bling gloves I have now are really nice. I've done about 15k miles since I got them and they'll still holding up great. They don't look so nice now with all the bug guts stuck to the metal plates, but I'm sure I could shine them back up. Plus, the gold plating is starting to wear off a little bit in places (especially from the rivets thingys on the palm). I'm guessing Icon didn't think someone would actually buy a pair of bling gloves and ride with them farther than the nearest Starbucks. tongue.gif
MFP-2241, Sep 28 2006, 02:57 PM That's too bad. I had some Icon Ti-Max gloves (same as the bling except not gold plated) and they were awesome gloves. Too bad they got stolen. dry.gif
Anyway, the bling gloves I have now are really nice. I've done about 15k miles since I got them and they'll still holding up great. They don't look so nice now with all the bug guts stuck to the metal plates, but I'm sure I could shine them back up. Plus, the gold plating is starting to wear off a little bit in places (especially from the rivets thingys on the palm). I'm guessing Icon didn't think someone would actually buy a pair of bling gloves and ride with them farther than the nearest Starbucks. tongue.gif
Yeah, the Ti-Max look a little more sturdy than the ones I had. Can't remember what they were called. (edit: Icon pursuit)
I have a pair of Icon Tarmac gloves(nice in the summer, but not much protection), a pair of Icon Timax gloves(I like'em a lot!), and a pair of Alpinestars Drystar gloves for the colder weather. They're all holding up well. beer.gif
Anyone found a place to try on these Racer High End gloves? The weBikeWorld article has made me want (or at least try on) a pair. Unfortunately, the website Here does not list any dealers in America.
Except for my Tourmaster winter gloves, I've never found anything that I've been completely happy with. My favorites usually don't hold up or the others aren't comfortable on the long haul(some are pictured/discussed on this thread)....glove search has been one of my largest $$$ wastes...oh well, maybe some day.......... goofy.gif
I have a pair of the Helimot Buffalo 365 gloves and they are without question the best gloves I've ever owned. I raced in Held gloves for years, but when Helimot stopped carrying them I went with theirs. It took 3 months to break them in and after a year of daily use I expect them to last for 5 more years at least. My $.02
Chev, Sep 28 2006, 04:53 PM Anyone found a place to try on these Racer High End gloves? The weBikeWorld article has made me want (or at least try on) a pair. Unfortunately, the website Here does not list any dealers in America.
khep, Aug 31 2006, 07:37 PM I agree with trying them on for the fit and feel that works for you.
I have had two pairs of the Steve gloves over the past 1 1/2 years and they were slightly different designs. The elastic across the wrist and on the gaunlet attach in opposite directions and the palm on one is smooth the other has the leather in reverse with more stiching on the palm. They also have slightly different padding on the outside of the wrist. I assume the differences are improvements? I believe they are now made in China, like most everything else.
Comfortable, good quality without the "power ranger" look but realistically I hope to never know how protective they are or aren't...
Check out RIDE magazine September '06 page 52 where they rate 22 pairs of gloves. Another reputable magazine said leather welding gloves were as good as those designed for motorcycling....who knows?
I bought a pair of the Steve gloves and from the literature I got with the gloves their made in Germany or Hungary.
End of thread · 30 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 19 Oct 2006
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