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2008-2009 Winter Waterproof Motorcycle Gloves
Review
by Rick and "Burn" for webBikeWorld.com
More:
Background
webBikeWorld visitors frequently ask for comparison reviews
of various products.
But there are several logistical
problems with this type of review (discussed in
this section of the Site Info page) and this 2008 winter glove
review poses yet another issue.
This was
initially planned as a single review of the British
Motorcycle Gear Thermosport winter gloves, but
webBikeWorld visitors started requesting their
favorites, so we added
another pair. Then another. And another
and another and another...
This all started back in
August, believe it or not. The gloves kept
arriving, and it's now December, 90+ days and counting, and the
gloves are still coming in. At last count, we have 8 pairs of
very nice winter gloves to review.
Wait -- make
that 9!
So here's our comparison review of winter/waterproof
motorcycle gloves for the 2008-2009 season. But
before we start, here's my litany of
logistical lamentations that conspire to make a seasonal product
review like this so difficult.
First, it's customary to
evaluate winter gloves in cold weather, of course.
And although Mother Nature has cooperated this year
sooner than usual, it still took until November for
proper winter glove weather to arrive. Even then,
it's only been about 4-7 C (40-45 F). That's not
winter -- more like late summer riding weather to many
hard-core webBikeWorlders!
Then each pair of gloves
must be evaluated
over at least several rides of varying lengths,
hopefully by more than one rider. We have
to take notes -- usually voice notes recorded on a handful
of Olympus digital recorders. The notes then must be transcribed and compared.
A meeting or at least a flurry of
emails helps to develop a consensus. But
so far, all of that is the fun part -- next comes the writing, the
photographs, the editing...
Nine pair of gloves means
9 complete reviews, and each review takes many hours to
complete. So do we publish nothing until all 9 are
done so we can compare the lot? Ooops -- wait a sec: that
means one more article, the 10th, summarizing, contrasting and comparing.
And don't forget the charts.
Tough stuff, this. As
the Editor, this 2008-2009 Winter Waterproof Glove extravaganza has been
hanging over my head now for too long, and I need to do
something and get on to the rest of the cool moto
goodies that are piling up, waiting for evals before the
year expires so we can get them in to the "Best
Motorcycle Products of 2008" awards.
Oh, and by the way, there's one more
thing: sometimes the
manufacturers don't release their new winter gloves
until very late in the calendar year.
This means
that by the time the gloves arrive and suitable cold
weather is here and the evaluation process is in gear
and by time the articles are written, most motorcyclists will
have long ago forked over their hard-earned cash for
their 2008 winter gloves and the reviews are too late to
help make the decision.
Yikes! Can you see why
comparison articles like this are so difficult?
Of course, if we wanted to simply take a couple of
photos and list a few specs like they do in the print
magazine "reviews", no problem. But surely you
expect more than that?
So to speed things along, I
say forget about trying to finish and publish all 9
articles at once along with a comparison summary.
At this point, if I tried that, I'd be tied to my
keyboard until it was time for mesh.
Instead, let's take a one-at-a-time
look at a selection of 2008-2009 winter motorcycle
gloves and then I'll hopefully still have enough
motivation at the end to write up some type of
comparison. It's always hard to get started
on a project like this, but now that we have it set up
and developed a draft ratings chart (see below), the
rest should come easier and quicker.
So expect to see a series of
articles spread out over the next few weeks on the
following gloves, and then check back for a summary.
We'll start with the BMG Thermosport gloves and do the
rest in random order; here they are listed
alphabetically.
Ride safe,
The Editor.
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2008-2009 Winter
Motorcycle Gloves Subjective Comparison Matrix |
| |
BMG |
R1 |
R2 |
OLY |
AS |
FS |
HLD |
FGC |
WT |
| Fit |
E |
E |
E |
G |
G |
G |
E |
G |
G |
| Grip Feel |
G |
G |
G |
G |
E |
G |
G |
E |
G |
| Gauntlet |
P |
P |
P |
G |
G |
P |
E |
G |
P |
| Straps |
E |
E |
E |
P |
E |
P |
G |
E |
P |
| Armor |
E |
E |
E |
G |
E |
P |
G |
E |
G |
| Stitching |
E |
E |
E |
E |
G |
G |
E |
G |
E |
| Security |
Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
Fail |
Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
| Finger |
Box |
Box |
Box |
Box |
Box |
Box |
Box |
X |
Box |
| Thumb |
G |
E |
E |
E |
E |
G |
E |
G |
G |
| Value |
E |
G |
G |
G |
P |
G |
E |
G |
TBD |
| Waterproof |
Fail |
Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
| Gauntlet (mm) |
160 |
145 |
145 |
170 |
170 |
150 |
180 |
155 |
130 |
| Warmth |
E |
E |
P |
G |
G |
P |
E |
E+ |
G |
| Weight (Each) |
150 |
175 |
153 |
150 |
161 |
93 |
161 |
144 |
229^ |
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PERFORMANCE KEY
-
Scale: P=Poor; G=Good;
E=Excellent.
-
Fit: Subjective opinion of the
accurate
fit to size for a men's size large.
-
Feel: Transmitted feel for the
grips compared to non-winter leather or kangaroo palm race
gloves.
-
Gauntlet: Width and Length and
ability to fit over the cuff of the Rev'it Cayenne jacket.
-
Gauntlet (mm): Width
shown in millimeters and is approximate, measured at the very
end of the gauntlet, so shape and length can also make a
difference.
-
Straps: Minimum of wrist
strap and gauntlet strap to get an "E".
-
Armor: Hard armor gets
an "E".
-
Stitching: Subjective
opinion on quality and internal feel.
-
Security: Gloves remain
on hand when pulled by the fingertips with reasonable force and
the palm is not squeezed tight; pass/fail.
-
Finger (Construction):
Enough room for fingers; not too loose or tight; not too short
or long. Box construction has two "walls" and a "roof" and
"floor". The X construction has all four sections meeting
in the middle; top/bottom and sides are attached in an "X" in
the middle. This is normally a cheaper method of
construction but can be just as roomy as box construction if
done right.
-
Thumb (Construction):
Ditto, plus adequate room without being too long or short for
average hand.
-
Value: Subjective like
everything else except the waterproof rating.
-
Waterproof: They either are or
aren't, the only objective rating here.
-
Warmth: Totally
subjective.
-
Weight: Single glove,
grams. ^Warmthru glove weighed with battery.
-
TBD: To be determined.
BRAND/MODEL
KEY
-
BMG = British Motorcycle Gear
Thermosport Gloves
-
R1 = Rev'it Kelvin Gloves (2009
Model)
-
R2 = Rev'it Tempest Gloves (2009
Model)
-
OLY = Olympia 4650 Ultima 1 Gloves
-
AS = Alpinestars Storm Rider Gore-Tex
Gloves
-
FS = Fieldsheer Aqua Sport Gloves
-
HLD = Held Freezer Gloves (UK/Europe)
-
FGC = FirstGear Carbon Heated Gloves
-
WT = Warmthru Battery Heated Gloves
(2008 version)
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