Opinions - Gloves

[Degsy]

Looking for some new gloves. Predominantly track use.

I have narrowed my choice down to:

Alpinestars GP-Pro
Held Galaxy

Anyone with experience of either?

derek

[s a x m a n]

i love my GP pro!

they held up great when I pushed the front out from under me in turn two at loudon

the important parts are all double stitched

they have barely any noticable wear on them from that incident

[Degsy]

Thanks. Are they comfortable? The Helds are the most comfortable glove I have ever worn. I haven't tried the GP-Pro's on yet.

derek

[s a x m a n]

i think they are very comfortable ... i have never tried the helds on though. I have heard nothing but good things about them too

[babo]

The first day that I got my Helds, I wanted to wear them to bed!

[OreoGaborio]

Funny... those are the two pairs of gloves i'm considering too... currently i have the GP Plus & loved em, but I just plain wore em out.

[Nikon]

Haven't tried the Alpinestars but my Held's are rediculously comfy

[benVFR]

I don't think the Held Galaxy gloves are all that comfortable... the leather is very high quality and comfy but the rivets bug the hell out of me.

Definitely fine if you're just riding around on the track with breaks in between sessions but if you ride on long rides IMO they are not so good.

1) Next time I ride with you I'll take the gloves off and you can count the # of rivets in the gloves by the # of marks in my hand... not so comfortable after 4-5 hours. They make the lower part of your palm & wrist sore after a while, even if you make an effort to keep your weight off your hands. I could see this not being a problem on an upright bike but on a 999 I'm betting it will be an issue.

2) Gauntlets don't seal up well with any of my jackets except my leathers, on a cold day the jacket works it's way up my sleeve and then air starts coming into the jacket + glove through the crack. If on the highway your jacket then fills with air and the wind buffets your arm more. The gauntlet design is non symmetrical, if they just made it symmetrical there would be no issue, the gauntlets do not need to be made longer.

The thing is they were wickedly expensive, I'm using them till their worn out now but I won't buy the same gloves next time.

[odduc]

My Alpinestar GP Plus are the best gloves I've ever owned !!!

That is my reccomendation.

[Tricky Mike]

I absolutely love my Helds... I got the Akira, B/C of the full kangaroo palm. Best "feeling" glove I've ever had... Had them for about a year and a half, now with nothing but great things to say. Crash tested, too
A little tough on the wallet, though.

[OreoGaborio]

Degs, if you find a sick deal on either, lemme know... i'd like to get in on that (preferably the GP Pro's just cuz i'm an A*s slut)

EDIT: Found the GP Pro's for 129, but they're last years design & they only have Red or Blue. If that's good enough for ya, here's the link: http://www.shop.com/op/~GP_Pro_Glove...8?sourceid=298

[Ducrappy]

I love my Held Galaxy gloves. I've been riding with them for the past two seasons and have never had a problem with discomfort. I don't even notice the rivets that Ben described and I never ride without my Helds. I have done quite a few all day rides with them as well

Edit: I just examined my gloves and found that there is a bunch of padding material behind the palm rivets that prevent the rivets from pressing against my palms. Maybe Ben wore his palm padding out

[tls25rs]

Gotta say that since my Helds broke in I love them. I am not sure which model they are, I think they are the Galaxy, but regardless of that they broke in nicely and are very comfortable now short ride or long makes no difference.

That being said, a friend of mine has a set of the Alpinestars and his hands are similar in size to mine and he let me try his gloves one day while we were out riding and they were also very comfortable.

I am sure either way you chose crash protection will be state of the art.

Not a whole lot of help I guess but I think you won't go wrong either way. Maybe it will come down to a which one can you get less expensively situation.

Joel

[benVFR]

Maybe I should check if the padding behind the rivets is missing or defective? Mine are two years old but otherwise they are holding up great. It is not like they ruin the ride but it is definitely noticeable for an otherwise great glove. (And it could have to do with the angle of the bars in addition to the height)

Does anyone have the Alpinestars with the connection between the ring & pinky fingers? Does that ever get annoying or is it a great feature?

[FireFly]

Igot the Gp plus. Great gloves. However, there are parts of the glove that have really thin leather. This is the only thing about the glove that gives me mixed feelings, other than that , its a great glove.

[Degsy]

Originally posted by benVFR
Does anyone have the Alpinestars with the connection between the ring & pinky fingers? Does that ever get annoying or is it a great feature?

That's the GP Pro. That is the one I'm looking at.

derek

[OreoGaborio]

my GP Plus gloves have that pinky/ring finger bridge... i think it's a pretty good feature. only time you'll notice it's there is if you try & use three fingers on the brake or clutch & try to keep my pinky on the bar, which isn't the norm for my riding style. It's not as if they're splinted completely together or anything, it allows for about an inch of independant movement. I like that feature.

[rg500]

I just got a set of these, http://www.helimot.com/catalog/glove...h20_data.shtml
to replace a pair of crash damaged helds, which I loved. I really like the Helimot gloves and would say they are very similar to the helds, without the rivets.

[JeffL]

I have the GP-Plus gloves, and love them. I dont notice the pinky/ring finger bridge, as I only cover the brakes with my fore and middle fingers anyways. Were a little tight to begin with, using their online sizing chart, but after a week of wear, they broke in and were a perfect fit. They are crash tested and approved. I went down in a lowside at about 40, it scuffed a 1/2" diameter hole in the leather in the butt of the palm, and the plastic knuckle guards got a little scratched up, but that was it, held up great.

I've ridden comfortably in them in temperatures from 25 to 95 degrees. Hands dont get overly sweaty in the heat, as they are non perforated, but I'm surprised at how comfy they are in the cold.

I might have to jump on that GP-Pro deal for $130, I need a new set anyways, the small hole in the palm isnt a big deal on my current gloves, but would rather be safe than sorry.

[bbhzx10]

I love my Helds!

[OreoGaborio]

Degs, i found new GP Pros for pretty cheap, check your PM's

[skiierx]

I will have my new Held's in my hands soon...just bought em!

Jamie

[bbhzx10]

I will have my new Held's in my hands soon...just bought em!

Hey Derek.... want a great deal on some Helds!!!???

J/K Jamie, but we do know a place to get them. If you want to try mine on let me know and I'll meet up with you somewhere.

[SQUIZZ636]

I like mine but they are a little big. I have a med. for sale they are AKIRA'S they retail for $199.99, I will sell they for $125.00 I have worn 5 or 6 times.
lis

[Dave B]

I have the GP Plus, too. I tried on a set of the dealer's personal gloves to get the fit, but when mine came in, they were TIGHT. It took a week or two to break them in, but they're great now.

The only problem with the finger bridge is it makes it hard to give people the sign of the devil or to show solidarity with Texas Longhorns. It looks more like a "reverse shocker."