racing gloves, with experience

[bigred875]

i like my held akira's..2 crashes and they held up fine....see what i did there?

[rg500]

I am also a fan of Helds. I wouldn't say they are the best, but I have had several pairs, Phantoms at the moment crashed in them many times and have always been fine. I have also owned a*'s, vanson, Olympia, and joe rocket, etc.. gloves.

I think the big difference between most of the higher end gloves is fit, preference, and the deal you find. I work with my hands, and protecting them is a must. So fit and performance are definitely my priority. The Held's fit me really well, and have always worked great, so they get the nod from me.

[CEO]

I think the big difference between most of the higher end gloves is fit, preference, and the deal you find. I work with my hands, and protecting them is a must. So fit and performance are definitely my priority. The Held's fit me really well, and have always worked great, so they get the nod from me.

Well said, Mike.



Another thing is that a lot of the higher-end gloves also offer smaller gradations in sizing, allowing you to get a better fit.

I.e. instead of S M L XL, they'll have from 7.0 to 11.0 in 0.5 increments... for example Held has
XS
XS+
S
S+
M
M+
L
L+
XL
XXL


Not sure if any of the cheaper gloves offer this, they might though

[butcher bergs]

Kobe Pro Racing gloves.

A year of street riding, two crashes at NHMS and no complaints....minor cosmetic issues with the piping but that's it.

[JRide]

Here is the pic of my torn Held Phantom. I didn't mention in my post above. I will be buying another set of these as I really like them. I'm a big fan of their wrist protection as well as their overall fit/comfort. I would think about buying a pair of Spidi's but I'm not sure I can still get them. Didn't they pull out of the US?

[eboos]

Motonation, the exclusive US importer for Spidi, will no longer carry Spidi.

[SVRACER01]

Jay i have A* GP plus (i believe, carbon knuckle, not the fancy plastic cuff) never had a problem. the first pair i had lasted me about 3 years maybe 4. a few crashes on them (lowsides) with me using the palms to slow myself down. eventually i got a tear in the palm, replaced with same, no probs.

[burnham]

Multiple crashes with Held Phantoms, and with the other Helds with the rivets in the palms (forget the name) and they did well for me. The first set lasted for three years, and fifteen track days, 30k street miles, four crashes, before the leather got thin/wore through in the finger and thumb.

[CEO]

Didn't they pull out of the US?

Motonation, the exclusive US importer for Spidi, will no longer carry Spidi.

Correct, motonation cut their ties with Spidi back in July.

They now only import Sidi and Vemar for the time being.

and don't put your palms down on the pavement in a crash for christ's sake.

Listen to this man for crashing advice, he's a pro

Sorry Joel

[daviid]

my motogp nitrous gloves have been great. 3 chrashes over 3 years and still no tears.

[Kurlon]

Correct, motonation cut their ties with Spidi back in July.

They now only import Sidi and Vemar for the time being.

There is a new place handling Spidi in the US, but unlike motonation they will not be carrying inventory, just ordering on an as need basis. When I find the site name again I'll post up.

[CEO]

There is a new place handling Spidi in the US, but unlike motonation they will not be carrying inventory, just ordering on an as need basis. When I find the site name again I'll post up.

Yeah it's kneedraggers.com:

Just to be clear, KneeDraggers is definitely thrilled to be a new sponsor of Dane Westby, however, we are not the new importer of Spidi in the same manner in which Motonation was. A more accure description is that Kneedraggers has arranged a deal with Spidi Italy to be the exclusive ONLINE vendor of Spidi gear in the USA for their 2009 products. You can still find the 2008 stuff at many places in the USA, including KneeDraggers.

Currently, there is no US importer for the Spidi brand. Kneedraggers will not be importing goods in the same way that Motonation had done in the past. Goods will be shipped from Italy to KneeDraggers on a bi-weekly schedule, rather than warehoused in the USA as Motonation had done.

Just want to be clear exactly what the deal is....
Thanks,
Sam L.
KneeDraggers.com

[Tricky Mike]

Sorry to hear about those Spidi's. I had higher hopes for them myself...
I've had good luck with Held... ground a knuckle down in a T3 crash that I was ABSOLUTELY convinced I was gonna ride out of (hands still on the bars all the way to the tires )... Anyway, couple of crashes on Held Akira and Phantoms and I'm still using both pair... probably 10,000 street miles on the Akira's. Spendy, though... and I can't claim to have used a wide variety of less expensive gloves. I haven't felt that the Held's have been a waste, FWIW

[Nazo]

My Alpine SP1's lasted 2 full seasons and were still good. I think you even borrowede them for a race or two. Time to retire them just cause they are starting to wear a little more than I am comfortable with.
They went through a decent amount of crashes too.
Gloves are something I like to try on in the store and not just order online and hope they fit well.
Greta selection at M.M in Acton to try some gloves on....although I know you won't go there because people have bikes from Europe.
I'm not sure where else has a good selection to try on gloves.

[OreoGaborio]

holy crap, nazo's alive. We all thought you ODed on pee.

[nt650hawk]

Why is this so complicated

There are Tens of Thousands Of racers who all wear Gloves in every Race, Is it that hard to find good ones?

For me Yes, I like to find a well constructed glove that is going to provide the most protection at a reasonable price. I've had my Deathrage gloves for 7 year and numerous crashes. It was not until 1/2 way thru the season is when I had to retire them. Unfortunately Deathrage/Motophoria is no longer in the business and I can not find the same quality in any glove out there. Even the $300 ones can not compete.

Look at it this way. If a glove saves you hand for 1 crash has it been worth the investment. The answer that everyone will agree with is and should be an astounding YES.

I'd be weary of a glove(s) that wears thru just buy holding onto the grips. I've had my Deathrage gloves for over 7 year and numerious crashes and never did my fingers wear thru.

[seth399]

For example the other day I stabbed my right hand with some safety wire. It's still bugging me even though it was a small injury. I've had to rub one out with my left hand for almost a week now.

^cutter!!

I'd get the ones Gino described since they are called the DEATHRAGE...that is badass.
I have a pair of Alpinestars which feel awesome (gp plus, not top of the line) but I have not crashed in them and only did one track/race weekend on them so I can't really comment fully. The reviews on A* quality seem to be mixed for sure.

[nt650hawk]

^cutter!!

I'd get the ones Gino described since they are called the DEATHRAGE...that is badass.
I have a pair of Alpinestars which feel awesome (gp plus, not top of the line) but I have not crashed in them and only did one track/race weekend on them so I can't really comment fully. The reviews on A* quality seem to be mixed for sure.

If I could go back in time I would have bought at least 10 pairs @ the then price of $70. As of 2 years ago they were $140.

[seth399]

wow thats crazy...its the worst feeling too when you have a product you love/trust and its just no longer available.

[CEO]

^cutter!!

I know ... I'm so sad and angry about my terrible tough life growing up in a nice new england suburb... so I use My Chemical Romance CDs to mutilate my arms in a clearly non-lethal fashion... bleeding is the only way I know I'm alive

[cdovego]

Racer gloves look awesome and are incredibly comfortable but they disintegrate upon impact with the ground. I won't buy another pair.

IMHO - Racer and Vanson are both 1 crash gloves. Do I expect more than that, not really...it is what it is.

As cheezy as it sounds, Alpinestars gloves have proven to be some of the toughest for me. I also have a pair of Held gloves that are at least 5 years old and well tested without any rips/tears or worn through spots. Your mileage will certainly vary...

There's almost too many factors that are different in every crash to try and pin it down on a good vs. bad glove. If I have the use of my fingers and wrists after I surf the track, I'm happy. If all the skin is still attached, I'm even happier. If the gloves are still usable after all that, I'm ecstatic.

[Doc]

Amazingly I have a pair of Joe Rockets that have held up well through 3 crashes.

I might stick with them or I might go to something else... Good thread!

[JRide]

I'd be weary of a glove(s) that wears thru just buy holding onto the grips. I've had my Deathrage gloves for over 7 year and numerious crashes and never did my fingers wear thru.

I can't say that I'm not a little worried about buying another pair.....Thinking about the situation got me looking at other brands.

I will try and find the euro test I read that was recently (few months back) done on gloves. Held came in 1st place a year or two ago. In this recent article they came in 10th.

[SVRACER01]

sorry jay, ive got the SP-2

[nerijusj]

Got A* SP-1's. Took some time to stretch them out, they run tight on size, but now they feel much better. Gloves survived 1 crash at Loudon. Did not rip or tear anywhere. Still using the same pair, a couple light scratches, but looks like new. I've had them for about 1.5 years now with lots of track time and colder weather street riding.