Summary: Lightweight summer gloves are comfortable and provide
excellent ventilation.
The tradeoff is the relatively thin fabric in some areas.
Background
This is the time of the year, at least in the top half
of the globe, that motorcyclists think about the "perfect"
pair of hot-weather motorcycle gloves.
Perfection, of course, doesn't exist. Will it? Could
it? It's hard to say...
The perfect pair of hot weather gloves would offer the highest levels of protection but have bare-handed
air flow; they'd have the supple comfort of and old pair of pajamas; and they'd fit like they were
laid on with an airbrush.
And don't forget moisture control -- sweat would instantly
evaporate but rain would never enter.
Maybe someday. But for now there's always that tradeoff to consider.
Find a pair with excellent ventilation and they'll probably not have race-glove
levels of protection. Good air flow also usually means ixnay on the waterproof factor.
Comfort is a virtue that is somewhat independent of other
factors, but it also seems to be
highly correlated with cost. As in: pay more and feel better.
Maybe there's a pair out there somewhere that can do
it all? No, I don't think so. Not yet anyway. There are a few
that come pretty close though.
I guess I'm like most riders -- my priorities start to change as
the digits on the
Formotion (and other) thermometers go north of 90, prior9ties quickly
change, with ultimate protection taking a back seat to ultimate air flow.
Take, for example, El Paso, Texas, where I visited last week. Temperatures of 103
to 105 degrees F (39 to 41 C) will quickly change your list of the most
important features in a motorcycle glove.
But then again, in those extreme temperatures, I wonder if "bare hand" air flow really
is
desirable. I was watching a "Survivorman"
show the other evening where Les Stroud was "marooned" in some desert.
OK, so the
show is a bit contrived (as most of them are), but Stroud mentioned the
importance of keeping covered in the heat.
I hadn't thought about that, and I had been wondering why he didn't rip
his shirt off first thing, as I probably would have (see, there is some learning
value in those shows!). He said that a
light layer of clothing keeps the moisture next to the body, which can help keep you
cooler, or at least reduce the evaporation and thus your need for water.
So perhaps the same theory works for motorcycle gloves?.
Can too much air flow in very hot weather actually work against you?
I don't know, because once it gets over that magic 90 or so, you can
usually find my wimpish self holed up with the air conditioning on and a cold Harp in my
hand.
Shift Fury Gloves
One thing is certain: if you're looking for air flow, these Shift Fury gloves
have it. I do believe they probably flow more air than any other summer glove
we've reviewed.
Burn and I have been giving them a workout in our not quite El Paso temperatures
recently, and there's no question
about the amount of air that flows through these gloves.
Don't forget the tradeoff though -- other than the big carbon fiber
main knuckle protector on top and the thin leather palms with a couple of
reinforcement patches on the heel and at the grip point, pretty much the rest of
the gloves are made from some type of thin stretchy fabric.
The fingers do have leather tops, starting about half-way up at
the second knuckle. Sections of stylized rubber flashing on the first two digits and the back of the
hand may also provide some protection -- I'm not sure how much, but one can
always hope.
The first two fingers also include mesh-covered air scoops on
top, which is perfect for my "two fingers covering the brake" riding style.
The stretch fabric provides a lot of comfort though, along with
that excellent air
flow. The Fury gloves feel immediately broken-in and they meld nicely to my
hands.
The sizing I think runs about 1/2 size small, because I usually
take a large and these feel just a touch on the short side. The thumb
especially could be about 5 mm longer, because the tip of my thumb bumps up against the stops with my three-fingered grip. Burn
reports no such problem, so this is apparently a matter of physiology.
Actually, although the Shift Fury gloves are very lightweight,
they don't pretend to be anything else.
The goal here is plain and simple: these are gloves for the hottest
weather -- perfect for El Pasoans. The stretch fabric is used only on the top
front half of the third and fourth fingers; in between each finger (the secret,
I think, to the excellent air flow); under the wrist in back of the leather
palm; and along the outside of the thumb.
This last area is what gives me the most concern; I wish Shift
had added some type of outer thumb knuckle protector, whether that was carbon
fiber or padded leather. The thin textile material probably isn't the best
protection to have in what is most likely a critical abrasion area during a fall.
But there's that tradeoff again -- the fabric
covering the outside of the thumb is again what lets the air flow right through
the Fury gloves.
The other slightly troublesome feature that doesn't have much to
do with air flow is the relatively small section of hook-and-loop on the
underside of the wrist. It's actually placed towards the inside of the
wrist, but I wouldn't mind having a wider or more secure method of fixing the
gloves on my mitts.
When all is said and done though, I find myself reaching for the
Shift Fury gloves more than any others when the weather demands uncompromised
coolness.
One thing is certain -- there's no excuse for riding without
gloves when you can buy a pair of these for a list price of $59.95. And
for El Paso type weather, they even come in white, to reflect even more of the
sun's rays.
wBW
Flash Slideshow: Shift Fury Gloves
Conclusion
If you're looking for maximum air flow in a pair of
gloves and you don't mind the potential tradeoffs in
protective capabilities, the Shift Fury gloves may be
just the ticket.
