RiDE (UK)

All you need in gloves… gloves for all your needs

One glove, four seasons, all weathers… an impossible dream? We’ll see – with 45 pairs tested

- Words by Simon Weir Photograph­y by Jacques Portal (studio) and Chippy Wood

ASET OF GLOVES is a very personal thing. Our hands come in all shapes and sizes: some of us have long fingers, others stumpy sausages; some people have broad knuckles and thick wrists, others have slender hands. Finding gloves that fit well isn’t always straightfo­rward.

If that’s not tricky enough, things become a whole lot more challengin­g when you’re looking for motorcycle gloves. These have to be tough enough to protect our precious paws, but delicate enough not to rob us of the feel that’s so important for riding. They may need to be insulated to protect us from the winter cold, or vented to stop hands getting too

sweaty in summer. They probably should be waterproof, just in case.

The trouble is, even the most basic gloves are fiddly things to make – a mass of awkward shapes even before you start stitching armour into them. Making gloves with the necessary levels of toughness, waterproof­ness and warmth that are still light, flexible and blessed with good feel for the bike is no mean feat. No wonder bike gloves are expensive.

So it makes sense to have one pair of gloves that can do it all – from winter commutes to summer holidays, rain or shine. If such a thing exists, that is… To find out if it does, we gathered an army of testers and 45 pairs of all-season gloves.

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 ??  ?? CE MARKED If a glove has the CE mark, it meets a European standard for protection. It’s now illegal to ride in France without Ce-approved gloves.
CE MARKED If a glove has the CE mark, it meets a European standard for protection. It’s now illegal to ride in France without Ce-approved gloves.

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