Summer Glove Grab

Words & Photos by Drew Rohde

We’ve come a long ways since the leather gardening gloves our Klunkin’ forefathers wore. Could you imagine bitching about your $10 gloves two years later? “I remember when these things were made in America and lasted five years!” Well, that was then and this is now, and in this throw-away society, thin is in.

It seems the motivation for current gloves has been greatly influenced by the Trojan Man’s ethos – you barely know they’re there. The gloves we’ve got here are all about bar feel and minimalism.

Here are a few gloves we’ve been riding over the last couple months and what we think about ‘em.

Tasco Double Digits

A relatively small and homegrown brand, Tasco came out of left-field with these gloves and really impressed us. We got a pair of their Black Flag gloves (and socks) at Sea Otter and have been riding them regularly ever since. What really struck us about these gloves is the fit. When you slide them on, it’s almost as if they are pre-curved to wrap around handlebars. The slight pre-bend eliminates any excess material in the palm, so bunching is never an issue. The sizing is barely on the large side so if you’re between sizes go we recommend going smaller. We tested mediums and loved them. Tasco claims to have a smart phone material in the index finger, however, it wasn’t the best of the group. We were still able to operate our phone pretty well in most conditions and found any time we got frustrated, the middle finger worked well too.

The synthetic leather palm has a nice silicone palm grip as do the index and thumb digits. Large pore mesh ventilation runs the length of each finger to keep your mitts cool on hot days. A Velcro-free neoprene wrist cuff is a nice addition, even though we typically prefer a hook and loop closure over slip-on gloves, these stay snug and tight. The gloves aren’t a struggle to get on or off either unlike some slip-on gloves. Tasco currently only sells their gloves as part of a Double Digit “mini-kit” where matching gloves and socks are sold for $45.98.

Website: tasco-mtb.com
Price: $45.98 (with socks)
Rating:

100% Ridecamp

Designed specifically for mountain biking, 100% has made a smooth transition from the moto world to MTB. Ridecamp gloves fit snugly around the entire hand and are our favorite offering from the brand. The fit is smaller than their other moto gloves, which is great since these gloves have one of the best fits of this roundup. The size large fit well and was nearly identical to the medium from Tasco. They are notably smaller than the 100% Ridefit gloves, which we don’t love.

Climate control features include: A single layer perforated Clarino palm, a nylon/spandex top hand construction and mesh finger gussets. We rode these gloves in warm to cool days and had no complaints. A full-length Terrycloth thumb makes for a great wiping surface, and three strips of tech thread in the thumb and index finger allow for easy phone use. Out of the grouping they are the most tech friendly. The palm and braking finger also have silicone printing for improved gription. Can we make up words? I think so.

Website: ride100percent.com
Price: $29.50
Rating:

Royal Racing Quantum

The thinnest all around glove in our lineup, the Quantum. So thin in fact, we started typing this review in a pair. With their tech thread material we were even able to text and type at the same time. Our Quantums were a size large and we found the fit to be accurate. They are a slip-on glove with a low (just below the wrist) cuff, which some of us are not particularly fond of. Others love it. The ventilation on these gloves is superior to anything else we’ve ridden. The palms are perforated with holes much larger than other gloves we’ve seen. The downside to the thin, perforated palms is that if you crash in these, you won’t receive much protection or longevity, as we found out. If you don’t plan on crashing and want the thinnest most unobstructed bar feel ever, these are the gloves for you. We were not particularly fond of the finger or fingertips in the Quantum gloves. We felt the side ventilation was too thick and the fingers actually rotated on the glove so we could feel the seam under the pads of our fingers. Perhaps if the palm/ finger material was a bit wider and wrapped around the fingers more these gloves could have performed better. Regardless, we still use them regularly and find the breathability to be their best trait. Our favorite Royal glove is still the Victory model. Check those out if you want just a bit more material and a wrist closure system.

Website: royalracing.com
Price: $29.99
Rating:

Fly Racing Media

Fly’s Media gloves are an affordable and competitive pair of gloves that simply get the job done. A no gimmick offering, they don’t really have any wild, crazy marketing schemes or fancy materials. These slip-on gloves are probably the most difficult of the group to slide on as the opening doesn’t stretch as much as others. What the glove lacks in wrist stretchability it makes up for in a full Terry cloth thumb to keep your nose and forehead happy! The synthetic leather palm has two tiny reinforced padded sections and the pads rest exactly where you need ‘em and not where you don’t. Fly also placed some silicone printing on the end of the braking fingers and touch screen compatible material at the end of the index finger and thumb. These gloves seem a bit basic in terms of finished look and material on top of the hand, but they fit well and work great. Can’t really knock ‘em for that.

Website: flyracing.com
Price: $24.95
Rating:

Bontrager Rhythm

Although camo is one of our favorite colors, these gloves were probably our least favorite of the bunch. They didn’t suck by any means, but this was a tight competition! We found the fingers on the size large gloves we tested to be a bit short and just a hair too baggy. This wasn’t too noticeable on the trail but our biggest issue was with how short the gloves were. They felt as if our palm was partially uncovered because the cuff ends well below the ball of your wrist bone. Perhaps we’re not minimalist enough but these gloves just barely felt like they were on our hands. If you want a naked, free feeling glove with uninhibited wrist mobility, then check these out.

Bontrager nailed the nose wipe on the thumb as the baby soft material offered a delicate caress on even the most sensitive of faces. The AX-suede stretch synthetic palm has held up incredibly well and offers great grip. These gloves also have the most silicone striping on three vital fingers, the thumb, index and middle fingers. There is also a bit of silicone striping placed at the butt of the palm, just in case. Ultimately though, coverage and fit are the slight dings that stood out to our testers.

Website: trekbikes.com
Price: $29.95
Rating: