# Gloves: what happened to longevity?



## CSC (May 23, 2011)

After a lot of searching, I think it's time I brought my rant to you guys. The issue has a few layers to it:

1) synthetic vs. natural leather: I get that the synthetic stuff has some nice properties, such as wet environment performance, breath-ability, and fitting, that leather does not (unless breathing pin-holes are added). But wouldn't leather last longer? I get about a year out of my gloves before I have to start looking for a new pair...which is, as you all know, a lengthy process:madman:. Does leather, in reality, last longer? Or is the synthetic really better?

I'm starting to wonder if making a pair out of each would be a starting place, just to test the difference in material

2) Durability: Either way, synthetic leather is the norm. So since it wears out fast, why do manufacturers seem to shy away from adding a second layer in high-wear zones, such as in the thumb crotch, on the side of the thumb, and on the side of the pointer finger? I have been able to eek an extra 6 months out of my Novara's due to the fact that they have reinforced thumbs and pointer-fingers (these areas wear out due to constant contact with the handlebar grips). Specialized has a pair of Enduro's (?) with some layering, but all the "comfort" padding makes the pretty uncomfortable. Anyone have an idea behind this "bare minimum" issue? I get it provides "feel" for the rider, so are people really buying new pairs every 6-12 months?

The "wrap-around" method of continuing the single-layer of material from the palm up around the thumb and/or pointer-finger is cheating, since the single layer wears out faster than double-layers (duh).

What are you guys wearing? I'm an XC rider, and have been riding since I was 6, so it's not a new issue for me, but I would like some opinions...


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

My fox gloves are a few years old now... I used to use them for welding as well. Had a few solid crashes in them and have beat them up pretty good. 

... what are you doing to your gloves? Im really rough on clothing in general, but gloves last me forever.


----------



## CSC (May 23, 2011)

One Pivot said:


> My fox gloves are a few years old now... I used to use them for welding as well. Had a few solid crashes in them and have beat them up pretty good.
> 
> ... what are you doing to your gloves? Im really rough on clothing in general, but gloves last me forever.


Well, here's some pictures (sorry for quality...). 2 years old, and worn through in places. The thumb "crotch" area is the wors...palms are holding up... Thumb pads are leather-tipped, but the synthetic part is pretty much "threadbare" (no threads, but see-through).

I use them riding: an hour every day for about 12 months (rain or shine, in the snow...PNW weather), then every so often once I started college. I use them if I have to clear out debris from the drive-train while on the trail, but that's pretty much it.

Maybe I'm over-reacting, but the LBS guys seemed surprised, too...What Foxs' do you have?? 
I had some as a kid...pretty good, but the twist-shifters on my old bike (2 bikes ago) wore them out. Then I had 2 pairs of Spec gloves, and they wore out (each about 18 months). Is my palm sweat killing them? I rinse them out now and then...maybe not enough? I don't use them for anything else.


----------



## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

Go to a big box store. Buy work gloves ,many kinds available, durable, breathable $ 12.00.


----------



## Glide the Clyde (Nov 12, 2009)

And I thought I have lobster-claws for hands. 










I find the the "non-leather product" gloves just don't hold up too well and wear through to the padding in about a season of riding for me. I buy mostly Specialized gloves, both full-fingered for cooler riding months and half fingers for warm, and they all last about 6 mos-1 year of riding. I also find the the seams come apart (which I re-stitch with a needle and thread when I can) way before the non-leather product wears through. Fortunately, I get whatever models suit me for about $25-$30 a pair.


----------



## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

I don't see how leather could last very well in my trail riding use. On trails, my hands sweat. So all rides are in wet conditions, as far as the gloves are concerned. Combine that with all the mechanical strain I put on the gloves climbing singlespeed and wrestling the bike over trail obdstacles...


----------



## CSC (May 23, 2011)

Malibu412 said:


> And I thought I have lobster-claws for hands.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So, I am correct in my current assumption that, as a rule, the current glove market is largely "disposable", i.e, spend $20-30 for something that lasts a year (or less). Well this blows.

I like gloves, they keep my hands warm and protected, keep blisters at bay and all, and, as many of you have probably experienced, riding without them (after using them for so many years) feels wrong...so it's not like I'm gonna stop buying them.

Work gloves don't fit like a second layer of skin...and tend to bunch up on my palms, so that, while an often-used idea, is not the best one for me.

Leather has pretty good wear characteristics...hence it's use in golf, work, and lacrosse gloves. Mechanically speaking, since leather is a cell-structure, a membrane, if you will, there are no fibers to wear off (i.e, it won't fray like the synthetic has in the photo). Yes, holes can be worn through leather, but I don't see why, other than cost and temporary stiffness, manufacturers don't make gloves with leather palms. A mesh backhand area, and pinholes in the palm for breath-ability would go a long way, I think. And I also feel that I could expect 2 seasons out of them.


----------



## Vault (Nov 30, 2011)

I wear these gloves (Giro Bravo LF Road Gloves: Amazon.com: Clothing) and think they're pretty comfortable! Not very hot, nice breathable mesh on the back, and good padding where I need it. I haven't been using them for more than a month but I haven't had any blisters or sore hands. Wear is minimal also.


----------



## CSC (May 23, 2011)

Vault said:


> I wear these gloves (Giro Bravo LF Road Gloves: Amazon.com: Clothing) and think they're pretty comfortable! Not very hot, nice breathable mesh on the back, and good padding where I need it. I haven't been using them for more than a month but I haven't had any blisters or sore hands. Wear is minimal also.


Two issues (good suggestion, though...I have been looking at them)
1) they have a thin palm area. Anyone who has wiped out on gravel knows that the palms take a beating, and I'd like to have a bit more material that needs to be burned through before my hands are getting abused. I have torn through the palm on a bad wipe-out on pavement.

2) A glove wears out in an exponential fashion, i.e, the more "wear" on the glove, the faster it wears out. So a month is not much to go off of, sadly (though had a pair where the velcro died on me after 3 months or so...so if they last that long, they are worth something!). I appreciate the link, because it illustrates one of my main issues:
Notice how they just wrap the Clarino synthetic palm material up around the thumb? This will wear out in 6 months while trail riding due to the leverage action of the hands on the handle bars. As is visible on my glove (see photos), that area is covered by a secondary pad...which has spared the structure of the glove itself from a fairly large hole (for now...)


----------



## CSC (May 23, 2011)

Also, comfort is not an issue here...I'm talking about overall build quality (I'll admit it: I am an engineering student!).

Here's a pair that sort of fit my list of requirements, though they don't fit. Why is the reinforced thumb crotch area not more universal? http://www.amazon.com/Pearl-iZUMi-Elite-Cyling-Glove/dp/B001G0NQB8/ref=pd_sbs_a_6


----------



## beanbag (Nov 20, 2005)

I don't wear out my gloves like you do, and especially not in that area. They last a very long time, and eventually wear out in the fingertips, due to feathering the brake lever. But in any case, one of the main reasons for thin gloves is better fit and feel of the handlebars. My suggestion for you is to go to a motorcycle store where you can try out a whole range of gloves from thin/lightweight/form-fitting, to thick/padded/armored.


----------



## CSC (May 23, 2011)

beanbag said:


> I don't wear out my gloves like you do, and especially not in that area. They last a very long time, and eventually wear out in the fingertips, due to feathering the brake lever. But in any case, one of the main reasons for thin gloves is better fit and feel of the handlebars. My suggestion for you is to go to a motorcycle store where you can try out a whole range of gloves from thin/lightweight/form-fitting, to thick/padded/armored.


Thanks for the advice. I'll take a look at the Motocross/ATV/street store here in town.

So is this "abnormal" wear? it happens with all of my gloves...specific to my riding style?

These guys have real leather fingertips...and so far the real leather looks better (holding up better) than the fake stuff on the palms.


----------



## beanbag (Nov 20, 2005)

Well, I don't want to say that "you're doing it wrong", but you might want to think a bit about how you hold the handlebars, whether you are putting too much weight on the hands, maybe think about different grips, etc. But in the end, you ride like how you want to ride, so maybe you really do get to spend about 8 cents on gloves per ride. I don't like real leather coz it tends to get crunchy after a while. I like that Clarino stuff. Maybe you can alternate two pairs of gloves or wash them more often. Possibly the dirt that gets embedded in the leather causes it to wear faster.


----------



## CSC (May 23, 2011)

beanbag said:


> Well, I don't want to say that "you're doing it wrong", but you might want to think a bit about how you hold the handlebars, whether you are putting too much weight on the hands, maybe think about different grips, etc. But in the end, you ride like how you want to ride, so maybe you really do get to spend about 8 cents on gloves per ride. I don't like real leather coz it tends to get crunchy after a while. I like that Clarino stuff. Maybe you can alternate two pairs of gloves or wash them more often. Possibly the dirt that gets embedded in the leather causes it to wear faster.


Well, where I live, I do a lot of climbing, and the "back and forth" motions would, I assume, place a lot of stress on those areas. might be the grips, though I am thinking that they are all pretty grippy.

I'll pay attention to my technique next time I'm out...but after 10+ years doing this, it might be a bit hard to change. I've not crashed due to my hands slipping of the bars for years, though, so I must be doing something right


----------



## jduffett (Jun 16, 2006)

I also struggle to find gloves that last more than a season, and then when I do, they're discontinued by the time I wear them out. I tend to punch my index fingers through the end before anything else wears out, though I did split a seam on a pair of 1 month old Race Face gloves last night.


----------



## ColorVoyeur (Jun 13, 2009)

I blow gloves up quickly too... I've gone back to Mechanix gloves. I pick them up for $10 when I see them on sale at local shops and they outlast any cycling glove I've used. They are a little warmer, but not unbearable.


----------



## Glide the Clyde (Nov 12, 2009)

CSC said:


> So, I am correct in my current assumption that, as a rule, the current glove market is largely "disposable", i.e, spend $20-30 for something that lasts a year (or less)? Well this blows.


Bingo.


----------



## CSC (May 23, 2011)

So, after some more research, I have found that may "DH" / armored gloves have genuine leather palm panels...leading me to believe that the leather will hold up better (not trying to make a generalization...just an observation). Anyone else know of AM/XC gloves with real leather palms?

FATE Carbon Gloves

Single Track Glove - apparel - gloves - Mavic

Any thoughts? Again, I'm not really looking for leather gloves, but rather analyzing the pros and cons of synthetic vs. real leather...longevity/wear pattern being the main issue I have.


----------



## Bald_Ben (May 2, 2005)

I can typically get 3-4 years out of fox incline gloves with almost daily commuting or xc use, and I think they sell for $25 or so.


----------



## sandmangts (Feb 16, 2004)

I have had hit or miss luck with Fox gloves. I had some Uni bombers that I liked alot, lasted about a year and a half which is long for me. My last pair of fox gloves started coming apart after a few rides. Fox was cool and replaced them after I sent them photos of the gloves and a time stamped reciept though so that was cool.

If you want a truly long lasting glove though I suggest you look here: The Original® Coyote Glove : Mechanix Wear

Mechanix sells a full line of very nice gloves and they are far more durable gloves like the M-pact glove:
The Safety M-Pact® : Mechanix Wear

I use this one as my winter glove, they don't breath as well as MTB gloves but they fit nice and they are super tough. I still have my first pair which I bought over 3 years ago.


----------



## Kevin_Federline (Nov 19, 2008)

I am an avid cyclist, but I find more and more riders complain about the smallest things. We all think everything is just supposed to last forever because we pay a premium.

I go through a pair of tig 100 natural kid skin tig gloves once a week. At 32 bucks a pair.


----------



## Racerx8000 (Jun 18, 2012)

+1 for Mechanix gloves. They are bomb proof. Though I use fox Dirtpaw's for my everyday riding and they've held up very well. Going on a year and a half and the stitches on the gloves still look very good, sure they need a good wash, but the gloves are in very good shape. I've fallen on them quite a few times and they've really held up. But, it sounds like you're hard on gloves so I would recommend Mechanix even if they're a bit hotter.


----------



## CSC (May 23, 2011)

Kevin_Federline said:


> I am an avid cyclist, but I find more and more riders complain about the smallest things. We all think everything is just supposed to last forever because we pay a premium.
> 
> I go through a pair of tig 100 natural kid skin tig gloves once a week. At 32 bucks a pair.


I don't think they need to last forever, but, come on, $30 for a pair of gloves should last more than a year...IMO. It's not little, complaining about $7 inner tubes would be little.

And comparing TIG welding gloves to bike gloves is a bit unfair...especially if you weld for a living, because you are earning the money for a new pair as you burn through your current pair (and TIG pays well, too). And TIG gloves are thin anyway, for better dexterity...so you can't even compare them to other welding gloves. Just sayin'.


----------



## scottvt (Jul 19, 2009)

It seems every pair of biking gloves I have ever owned have always split apart on the seams. I dont think I ever actually had a pair "wear out", they just fall apart first. So now I just keep an eye on chainlove. They usually have last years models for cheap popping up now and then. I actually have a stock pile of gloves now, Royal, Fox, 661, and Dakine. A couple pairs of each all from chainlove. So yeah, they are pretty much disposable.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I've been wearing Fox Dirtpaws, but I'm not thrilled with how long this pair lasted. A year or so? There's all different kinds of work gloves. Did you try the fitted ones, or are you thinking about the big, floppy ones like for gardening or basic protection for metal work? I find fitted work gloves to be great for still being able to do fine motor stuff. I used to wear Ironclads. Lately, I've been wearing West Marine gloves, but they don't make anything that's quite right for MTB. They're a sailing outfitter, so go figure.

Anyway, Ironclad gives you good abrasion resistance on the palm and finger/thumb saddle and good reinforcement over the finger tips if you get the right pair. There's some with padded palms too if you like that.


----------



## Berkley (May 21, 2007)

solomon707 said:


> I can typically get 3-4 years out of fox incline gloves with almost daily commuting or xc use, and I think they sell for $25 or so.


+1 Awesome gloves, and relatively inexpensive too.


----------



## CSC (May 23, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> I've been wearing Fox Dirtpaws, but I'm not thrilled with how long this pair lasted. A year or so? There's all different kinds of work gloves. Did you try the fitted ones, or are you thinking about the big, floppy ones like for gardening or basic protection for metal work? I find fitted work gloves to be great for still being able to do fine motor stuff. I used to wear Ironclads. Lately, I've been wearing West Marine gloves, but they don't make anything that's quite right for MTB. They're a sailing outfitter, so go figure.
> 
> Anyway, Ironclad gives you good abrasion resistance on the palm and finger/thumb saddle and good reinforcement over the finger tips if you get the right pair. There's some with padded palms too if you like that.


I know of the West Marine gear...good stuff, for sailing. I'll take a look at what they've got.
I prefer the fitted ones...way better finger control.


----------



## bitewerks (May 14, 2009)

I've got a couple pairs by 661, one pair by THE, & another I can't remember brand right now. I alternate so they last longer. I buy them whenever I find'em CHEAP. No real DH so no real hard crashes. They just get nasty from all the sweat in TX heat.


----------



## BigHit-Maniac (Apr 13, 2004)

As far as MTB specific gloves, I've had really good luck with my Alpinestars Moab gloves. 

These have been put through absolute hell, and have stood up to some substantial abuse with no problem. 

I sometimes will ride with some good ol' Mechanix gloves as well. As said in another post, they're tough as hell and last a really long time. 

:thumbsup:


----------



## CSC (May 23, 2011)

BigHit-Maniac said:


> As far as MTB specific gloves, I've had really good luck with my Alpinestars Moab gloves.
> 
> These have been put through absolute hell, and have stood up to some substantial abuse with no problem.
> 
> ...


Those Alpinestars look like exactly what I've been looking for...I'll look into those, too.

The reinforced thumb crotch is the feature that makes or breaks a glove for me, and these have it. And at $40ish, that's definitely in my price range, too.


----------



## mark! (Jun 1, 2012)

I've been a fan of Mechanix for years. As a firefighter, I used Mpact gloves on wrecks and extrication incidents plus any water rescue calls, great for loading hose and any other chores. Heck of a lot better than trying to do it with bulky leather gloves. I ride with Mpacts now, and love them.


----------



## BigHit-Maniac (Apr 13, 2004)

CSC said:


> Those Alpinestars look like exactly what I've been looking for...I'll look into those, too.
> 
> The reinforced thumb crotch is the feature that makes or breaks a glove for me, and these have it. And at $40ish, that's definitely in my price range, too.


Alpinestars makes some good quality stuff man. I definitely think you'll be happy with the Moab's. Mine are on their 2nd riding season, and they've been to Moab UT and withstood my wreck(s) on the Whole Enchilada, several gone-down events out here in Bootleg Canyon in Las Vegas, (which is all gravel and sand and rocks), and I've washed them I don't even know how many times. Mine still look practically brand new, and the stitching has NOT torn out like my Fox gloves did.

:thumbsup:


----------



## HOT DAMN! (Nov 7, 2011)

I rely on my dirt bike gear for gloves. A few that I've had great wear out of.

KLIM Dakar



















or

Icon Tarmac V3 (great discontinued glove that can still be found)


----------



## DOCRIGID (Sep 16, 2009)

wearing out gloves or grips in a season, shows that a rider is placing too much weight on their hands. You should ride with more of your weight into the pedals, and lightly hold on. you can death grip when needed but your hands should be relaxed most of the time.


----------



## sjhiker (Apr 25, 2008)

How about something like this... It's fingerless for the first two fingers.


----------



## Foltz77 (Aug 2, 2012)

I've had two pair of Fox's (Digit and Reflex) and BOTH pairs have had the velcro seperate from the hardened backing on the closure, frustrates me to know end when I swore they were one of the better gear manufacturers (that or the quality inspector that checked the gloves was asleep at his table).


----------



## CSC (May 23, 2011)

DOCRIGID said:


> wearing out gloves or grips in a season, shows that a rider is placing too much weight on their hands. You should ride with more of your weight into the pedals, and lightly hold on. you can death grip when needed but your hands should be relaxed most of the time.


Yeah...but I just transferred from a more bmx-style of riding to xc...and the wheelies and stalls and drops require the "death grip"...but I know what you are talking about. A lot of the trails I ride have poor "flow", so momentum is basically non-existent, so I am kinda forced to crank up a lot of steep technical climbs, and the hands/gloves naturally take a beating.

I do practice the relaxed grip when I can...
The relaxed grip is a product of flowing trails...and not much climbing. Any serious climber, mountain or roadie, will agree that a good amount of leverage comes from using the hands to help increase power transmission...instead of crawling up a hill in the granny gears

A lot of real good advice here guys...I really appreciate it!:thumbsup:


----------



## excaliber (May 1, 2012)

I've had really good luck with my 661 Raji's so far. For trail riding they have been great so far. They are super light and breath really well. They do not have the built in knuckle protection. If they make a glove similar to the Raji with some better protection I'll give them a try next.


----------



## ihaveagibsonsg (Nov 29, 2010)

I wore out 3 pairs of gloves and 2 pairs of grips in one season. I ride a singlespeed so a deathgrip is mandatory for going up and down. My other bike is an enduro which tears it up downhill so again, I have a deathgrip. My hands are strong and tough as nails now. I just recently started using the Fox bomber gloves about 3 months ago and they're pretty good so far. The bontrager grips I got are already tearing up after 2 months of use.


----------



## jjc155 (Aug 9, 2011)

One Pivot said:


> My fox gloves are a few years old now... I used to use them for welding as well. Had a few solid crashes in them and have beat them up pretty good.
> 
> ... what are you doing to your gloves? Im really rough on clothing in general, but gloves last me forever.


me too (except for the welding, lol)

I have leather, full finger ones (cant remember the model name),

J-


----------

