The importance of high-quality gloves for motorcycling is indisputable; they protect your hands against injuries and improve your ability to handle your bike. Therefore, gloves are an essential part of your protective gear. When purchasing motorcycle riding gloves you must be aware of the glove options available and their purpose to make the best choice. Here is a brief description of different types of riding gloves:
Gloves Shapes to Choose from:
Usually, gloves can be classified into three main forms, each of which offers different levels of protection and comfort:
Fingerless Motorcycle Gloves
Fingerless: These ventilated fingerless gloves don’t provide coverage on your fingers. They are not adequate for protection as they leave your fingers exposed to injuries and chilly wind. However, their advantage is that they allow easier movement and better ventilation. They keep your hands cool in warm weathers.
Motocross: These gloves cover your hand to the beginning of the wrist. These gloves provide your hands with adequate safety against abrasions and weather. However, it is more likely for your wrist to get exposed when wearing them. They are suitable for warmer weathers when you cannot bear extra garments on your body.
Gauntlet: These motorcycle riding gloves offer the maximum level of protection. These gloves not only provide protection to your hands, but they also cover the upper half of your forearms. This offers a better fit with your jacket at wrists, which should remain covered during crashes.
Glove Style for Different Riding Conditions:
Many companies are designing riding season gloves that are suitable for different weathers. They make use of various technologies to make riding comfortable while not compromising protection:
Summer: Gloves suitable for warm weathers are usually made of thinner leather. They provide efficient ventilation system by either using small holes in the leather or they avail perforated fabric like mesh in parts which are not susceptible to injuries. This allows the air to move in and out easily allowing the sweat to vaporize. Your hands will remain dry and cool for a great riding experience. These gloves are usually in the form of motocross gloves.
Winter Motorcycle Gloves
Winter: For mild winters, use of thick leather gauntlets will provide you with adequate warmth. These heavier motorcycle riding gloves provide much greater defense than summer gloves. For more extreme temperatures these winter gloves come with thermal insulation lining like Thinsulate. Such material prevents convective losses of heat to the surroundings. Additional water-resistant lining is a plus to keep your hands dry in chilly winters. These gloves also come with electric heater to warm your hands.
Rain: Leather gloves are not suitable for riding in rainy days as they are not water resistant and can get damaged. For riding in rainy days rain motorcycle gloves, which are made of waterproof materials like plastic or water-resistant textile, are required. These options don’t keep your hands from getting slippery, so you must avoid riding in rain altogether.
Medium-weight: These motorcycle riding gloves are suitable for moderate climates. The leather is not very thick, but it is dense enough to provide adequate protection. These gloves don’t come with special design features for specific weather riding.
These are the advantages and features of the most common gloves options for motorcyclists. Choose the one that suits you; you can purchase more than one type for different riding environments.