Comprehensive Thread of Racing gloves reviews

[jbot]

I'm currently in the market for racing gloves (love my held phantoms, and I'll be posting up a review of it later in this thread, but I'm looking for a new pair) and I've seen threads like this in other boards for race plastics, brakes pads, etc. As a self-proclaimed gear junkie, I thought one of these for every major piece of riding gear would be handy and maybe even helpful. If it's been done already, please feel free to merge or delete this thread. I plan to post up my reviews for other gear as well.

This thread is for racing gloves (ie, well designed, well engineered gauntlet style gloves suitable for track use), so let's combine our trolling might and try to keep it on topic. I also want to note I am not affiliated to or sponsored by any of these companies, nor do I have anything to gain from these other than just getting to see peoples' impressions of various gloves without having to "test" them personally.

If I may make a request to follow up posters, I'd like to hear your thoughts on Knox Handroids, Alpinstars GP Tech, and Heroic SPR Pro's.

I've used (and abused and crash tested) the following gloves:

Teknic Speedstar gloves

As far as "serious" gloves go, I would consider these glove to be a good budget option (when they're on clearance). They're comfortable, though they got to be pretty tough on the hands after a long ride (say, 400+ miles on an aprilia RSVR) if they aren't fitted well. For me, they were a bit long in the fingers, but then, so are ALL gloves on my hobbit like asian hands. great for 5 dollar "make you look like footlong" hand jobs, not so much for racing glove fitting.

I crashed them once on the street, and while my hands came out completely unscathed, the leather on the palm had a tear where the padding for the bottom of the palm was, which i dont think is unreasonable since that was designed as a likely impact area. However, I wouldn't trust them to last through a very severe crash (as far as high speeds and long distance sliding on asphalt goes)... but the fact that I suffered absolutely no injury to my hands in a fairly gnarly crash makes them good gloves in my book. IF they're on clearance, which, they often are. They were comfortable due to extensive use of kangaroo leather on the palms and other areas. There wasn't any "hard" armor on the outside of the gloves like you normally see, but more than adequate padding (some were removable) in all the critical areas (palm, wrist, finger joints, knuckles and back of the hand for bitch slaps, etc)

Next up:

Held Phantoms

I got these 2 years ago when I was getting ready for my first track day ever (Mid ohio, april, 70's and sunny... it was fantastic) and the first thing i thought was that, while they SEEMED a bit bulky, the parts that actually touched the bars and levers provided plenty of feedback. and the rest of the glove is built like a friggin tank. Great stitiching, great padding, excellent retention, everything was great.

They had survived multiple crashes without so much as a tear or split seam, until my 3rd one when I finally saw some stitching come loose here and there but FAR from destroyed. I sent them to Barnacle bills as well as my leathers to get patched, and they came back looking ready to go.

The gloves don't break in all that much, so consult the size chart closely. However, the kangaroo palms makes it nice and comfy and very good for feedback, while maintain high strength and durability against severe abrasions due to the redundant stitching, the stingray hide in areas prone to impact, and padding sandwiched between thick leather where you need it.

Both gloves were great... only difference being that 1 cost several times more than the other but also lasted multiple, more severe crashes with confidence inspiring durability. The important thing is that my hands didn't even know they were in crashes, and they lived to give out handies for tire money another day.

[r1crusher]

I can chime in on the A* GP Techs. Having owned two pair now will tell you that I think they are among the best gloves on the market. One of the things you'll see on many other gloves is that the stitching is usually on the inside of the glove. Meaning the gloves are stitched right side in and then turned out to complete the finishing of the glove. It can be quite annoying to have the sewn edges of the gloves rubbing on your fingers, outside of your hands, etc. The GP Techs are stitched on the outside of the glove making them very comfortable to wear for long periods of time, this was a big plus for me when wearing them on the street. On the track this might not be as much of a big deal but the comfort will be the same. The gloves do require a tiny bit of break-in like most but it is minimal in my opinion. Durability is pretty good also, my first pair lasted me several years easily. I cannot comment on how well they hold up during an off, but I fully expect them to do their job.

Another interesting feature is that the pinky and ring finger on the gloves are stitched together as well. This is to prevent injury to your little finger if you fall off the right way (or is it the wrong way). I have seen many other glove makers follow suit and started doing the same thing with their glove. The glove has a wrist strap and a large hard plastic cuff. The coverage they provide is very good IMO. There is armor in all the right places to protect the hand and wrist upon impact.

Price wise these gloves are on the higher end also, but if you do shop around you can find them on sale or at a reasonable price. I usually pay around $150-170 for them and retail is over $290 I think. Hand and boot gear are just as important as your head gear IMO.

With all that said, feel free to ask any questions.

[gixxie750]

All i know is gloves are the most important thing in a crash where sliding on assfault is concerned. I like how most the new gloves are starting to come with palm sliders. BUY NICE GLOVES!

[Uncle Punk]

I don't have all gloves I own with me right now so I don't remember who makes all of them. To me fit is very important, I state this because I have never had a pair of gloves not protect my hands in a get off that were gauntlet style gloves.

I had a pair of Joe Rocket Phoenix gloves (Not gauntlet.) that went through during a get off on the street and I had road rash on both hands as a result.

I had a pair of gauntlet style Joe Rocket gloves that were the best fitting gloves I've ever had and they protected me in a get off but were not serviceable to wear again, in fact they were destroyed.

I've had a pair of MotoGP gloves (I think that's what they were, cheap and no longer made.) that fit me well and protected my hands in multiple get offs. I still have them and could wear them again if needed.

I have another pair that I can't remember the maker of but unlike the prior gloves they are requiring some break in but I suspect they will fit perfectly once that process is complete. I will update this with the brand once I get to my gear.

Now for the Held Phantoms. They are built like tanks with quality materials that are very apparent by just holding them. I would imagine that they would hold up very well in a crash but I have never tried them out. I will never buy another pair though for fitment reasons. I tried on several sizes before I ordered the ones I have. I don’t remember the size but they run in numbers with half numbers between them. I couldn’t get my hand in a size “8” and my fingers were lost in the size “9” so I ordered an “8.5” because the vendor didn’t have that size at the time. The gloves just don’t fit me well anywhere and the fingers are way too long. I state this because I don’t have this problem with other gloves and it is annoying trying to work the GPS with them. They may be the best glove out there for protection but they just don’t fit me well and as I referenced earlier I have not had a lesser glove fail to protect me. I like good stuff and if they fit I would keep buying them even if they might be overkill.

[NinjaNick]

Joe Rocket GPX gloves. $99.99 but mostly found now for $88.99. I've wore them since 2004! This is my 3rd pair of course. I LOVE THEM!

[Uncle Punk]

Joe Rocket GPX gloves. $99.99 but mostly found now for $88.99. I've wore them since 2004! This is my 3rd pair of course. I LOVE THEM!

That's the pair that blew apart on me in a crash. My hands were protected but they were fucked up. Fit on them was great though.

Does anyone else break multiple fingers when they crash? In all but two of my get off I have broke multiple fingers. Now I try to make a fist after I realize I've crashed.

[e-flores]

r1crusher, where are you finding gp techs for $150-$170? that would be a good piece of info...

[jarvismb]

Alpinestars SP-1 Gloves

These seem to me to be the step just below the GP Techs that R1 was talking about prior. I've had these since my first trackday at Gingerman, and I can say that they're held up beautifully. A couple things to note here:

First, they keep their shape quite well, almost too well if you're waiting for them to relax. As far as my experience goes, they have almost exactly the same fit they did when I got them 3 years ago. That being said, if you want them to fit right, my experience has taught me to size them correctly from the first use and not to count on them relaxing too much.

Second, with my hand, to get the gloves to fit as I prefer them when on the track (nice and tight), the strap that tightens right behind the wrist is very snug, even when fully loosened. I have to pull them on with a bit of a tug by the time I'm sweaty in the afternoon sessions. The pic below shows me just getting them on, and you can see I have to pull them on instead of slide them on.

Now, those are the ONLY cons I could manage to come up with for these gloves. They have held up beautifully, and if you're not a rockstar moneybagger like Jinu or R1, then these come in at a price point right under the GP Techs, and I've found them to be terrific gloves. They do their job just as well as the big boys without the savage sodomy of you wallet. I've even wrecked in them, and they have not a scratch to show for it. They still aren't the cheapest thing around, but they perform with the best. All my A-Star stuff holds up great, and these are no exception.

[c7fx]

I like Held Phantom gloves for their reputation as a great glove. I've been down a few times but not sure if the impact was actually focused on the gloves to say they held up to a crash. Don't get me wrong it wasn't like they didn't have a scratch on them but most of the damage to my gear seemed to be of the leathers. I did notice that the back of the hand seems to get a good amount of damage meaning the knuckle area.

The only problem I have had with the HELD gloves is that they tend to be for people with longer fingers. This caused some bunching up of material at the base of the fingers when riding. I had a few incidents when that bunching up caused awkward throttle input.

This last year I tried a set of Knox Handroids and they fit much better for MY hand. If you can get past the goofy futuristic exo spine it has. I really do believe these are as good if not better than the HELD glove.

What I did like about the glove is the adjustments that can be made. I was able to get the glove tight against my hand and eliminate the bunching up of material on the palm. Unlike the HELD gloves these are much easier to get on and off. Plus they seem to have a little more protection for your wrist.

Plus they are a little cheaper compared to the HELD gloves.

What I didn't like about the glove was this goofy white "wing Like" covering over the knuckles. I know its for protection but half the time I got out on the track it was flapping in the breeze because it came out of its little channel. Also I did crash test these and the little channel that holds the wing doesn't last very long. So the good news was I was able to remove that part of the glove and not worry about it flapping around.

Finally everyone talks about crashing multiple times with a set of gloves, boots etc. I'm just as bad at this... the big thing to remember is that its to protect you from A crash. 100-300 dollars to save your piano career is a small price to pay for a set of gloves. I hope this helps again its just my opinion.

Edited March 29, 2011 by c7fx

[APCh8r]

Alpinestars SP-1 Gloves

These seem to me to be the step just below the GP Techs that R1 was talking about prior.

These are actually at least two steps down from the GP Tech's. The GP Pro's are below the GP Tech's

[r1crusher]

r1crusher, where are you finding gp techs for $150-$170? that would be a good piece of info...

It's been several years since I bought the last pair I have. I found them on closeout somewhere. Honestly, I just use Google and start my hunt...where ever that happens to lead me. Ebay might not be a bad place to check either.

Sorry, wish I could be more specific to help out.

[r1crusher]

....They have held up beautifully, and if you're not a rockstar moneybagger like Jinu or R1, then these come in at a price point right under the GP Techs....

I'VE FINALLY MADE IT!!! I'VE FINALLY MADE IT!!! I'm in the elitist baller moneybagger class with Jinu!!!

[jarvismb]

These are actually at least two steps down from the GP Tech's. The GP Pro's are below the GP Tech's

apologies all around, at least I had the direction right.

[NinjaNick]

That's the pair that blew apart on me in a crash. My hands were protected but they were fucked up. Fit on them was great though..

They did their job. Mine was unwearable too after my crash. I just got another pair. I love them.

[obesityrules]

I purchased a pair of knox handroids last year and was impressed with their fit and finish. They live up to most of the reviews on the internet, but I found the exoskeleton finger design to be a little bulky. Also, taking them on and off can be more time consuming if you are using them for street riding.

[IN_NO_OH]

Not so much for the discriminating track rider, I'd guess, but I saw no-name m/c gloves at Wal-Mart the other day. They were suspiciously like a pair of light, Joe Rocket gloves I've seen with softer knuckle protection and a synthetic palm grip. Both from the same factory, looks like...

[madcat6183]

Actually I was JUST going to post on this about the new gloves I just bought which will be my primary gloves now.

Let's review what I have used so far;

I wore a pair of Teknics that I went down in the Esse's at Mid O at a decent pace, slid a bit on the palm and they were TOAST, as in no repairs, nothing. I did get a little rash from the palm tearing too. Now these were just IP gloves, not real racing gloves, but were about 89.99. I don't think they make that style exactly anymore as they did not have hard knuckle protectors.

I have been wearing SP-1's 2009 model since 2009, have 2 pairs(one is wrong size, for sale on Wera, Smalls), and LOVE THEM. Was going to buy another pair but found something else cheaper. I paid 150 for them, and feel that in a wreck they would really wear well, and possibly hold up, but at least for sure protect my hands. The kunckle protection is there, the palm is super reinforced with padding etc. For the price I think they are fine for what we all do. Now if I was racing like KTM, or Gixxie I would most likely step up a level, maybe 2. But for the 8-12 track days, and a few races I will be running, they are fine.

I did however just buy a set of Taichi GP Evo's for less than 1/2 the price, granted they were worn one day, but whatever. These things are SICK. They have knox sliders in the lower palm where you would normally slide in a wreck. The armor on these things are just unreal, they have 2 layers accross the palm, and everything aobut them is just amazing.

But I will be using the Taichi's for my primary glove now and my SP-1's for by backups. Hopefully I won't be needing to "use" them anytime soon but if for some reason it does happen I feel the gloves I have will hold up to the test.

[BMMW]

I've got 2 pairs of the SP-R Pros. I've never had anything else. No complaints, very comfortable, well constructed, not alot of venting ... but I'm not asking for that. I bought them for protection.