# The problem with ALL MTB gloves



## 83stumpjumper (Feb 14, 2011)

Every long finger MTB glove I've seen has plenty of knuckle protection, but nothing where it's need most,in the palm! If I go down, I'm going to hit palms first. The hands take a lot of abuse on a trail, regardless of suspension. How come the palms aren't padded more like road gloves? I'm at the point where I'm going to try and get some vinyl padding I can have sewn on to the gloves I currently have. Anybody ever try that before? In the warm months I just ride in regular cut finger gloves because at least they're padded. Now that it's cold, I'm back in the long finger gloves, and not liking them. I have Rockgarden gloves, in case you were wondering.


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## SuperSlow35th (Jul 22, 2011)

Going down on your hands is a very bad habit. Its a good way to break your wrists. The best method is to try and tuck and roll. The reason most gloves dont have alot of protection in the palms is because they arent made to protect your hands in the event of a fall, they are meant to break the friction between your palms and grips, and also to protect your knuckles from branches and brush and such. If you want some more protection you might try some dirt bike gloves, they tend to be a little thicker all around, but less comfortable and hotter during the warm months.


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## cowflab (Jul 21, 2011)

Ive had the same thought as you 83, and Super makes a great argument!

Falling on your hands sucks though, Ive fallen from a roll of carpet at work and landed in the push-up position, and nearly sprained my wrists and my elbows! My elbow actually hurt bad enough not to ride for several weeks. A month later I fell on a ride, went palm into a rock, then elbow, then ribs, then pelvis - ALL into solid rock! May have fractured my right palm (and ribs, and pelvis), didn't ride for 3 or 4 weeks! 

From now on im going limp in a fall! Oh and I just bought POC elbow armor and sixsixone padded shorts! Giro Remedy gloves are my glove of choice, yet the padding on the palm only protects the point opposite of the thumb, the point I didnt land on, go figure!


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## Kiwiplague (Jul 22, 2011)

I suppose the issue is how much protection could you get into the palm and still have a decent feel and grip on the bars. Most of the gloves I've worn in the past have had at most some kevlar for abrasion resistance in a fall. Other than stopping cuts etc, no amount of padding is going to stop damage to your wrists and lower arm in a crash.


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## venious (Jun 22, 2009)

Check the Giro Xen out. Thick pads in the side of the palms for helping to minimize damage. I almost bought them, but decided on something lighter since I wasn't falling frequently enough.


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## TheYoungBikeDude (Jan 1, 2012)

yea don't fall on you hands. I did and sprained both my wrists. instead you should have a good helmet on and when you go down (as said above) tuck and roll. its better to bruise your body than to sprain you wrists and not be able to use your hands. better yet... wear body protection!!! it's worth investing into. I bought all my gear before I even considered which bike to buy because I wanted to make sure I was safe before i biked.


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## irishpitbull (Sep 29, 2011)

I wish glove had more finger padding. Right between the knuckles, thats were I get the pain. Doc says I bruised my bones.


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## sean salach (Sep 15, 2007)

TheYoungBikeDude said:


> yea don't fall on you hands. I did and sprained both my wrists. instead you should have a good helmet on and when you go down (as said above) tuck and roll. its better to bruise your body than to sprain you wrists and not be able to use your hands....


Tuck and roll in a rock garden? I would rather sprain a wrist than break a rib or fracture a vertebrate. I've fallen plenty of times, both in and out of rock gardens, and have never tucked and rolled. If you put your hand out to stop yourself, just be sure not to straight arm the rock you're aiming for. Kepp your elbow bent and absorb the impact like a pushup.


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## Dresdenlock (Aug 10, 2009)

I think that most MTB gloves are over priced and do not seem to last past 4 months..I now ride with MX gloves...and MX jerseys as well...I also ride with wrist guards and they have seemed to have save my wrists a couple of times.


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## 83stumpjumper (Feb 14, 2011)

In a fall it's instinct that you put your hands out to break your fall. Tuck and roll isn't always practical. The backs of my hands don't need protection, the palms do. I'm not even so concerned with falling, I want more padding to help absorb the pounding my hands take on the trail. A good vinyl patch covering the palm and inside of the thumbs is what I want. I think next week I'm going to try and find some vinyl and get a shoe repair place to sew it into my glove palms. If I pull it off, I'll let you all know.


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## TheYoungBikeDude (Jan 1, 2012)

sean salach said:


> Tuck and roll in a rock garden? I would rather sprain a wrist than break a rib or fracture a vertebrate. I've fallen plenty of times, both in and out of rock gardens, and have never tucked and rolled. If you put your hand out to stop yourself, just be sure not to straight arm the rock you're aiming for. Kepp your elbow bent and absorb the impact like a pushup.


if your going thru a rock garden either at speed or a rock garden with a steep angle of descent, then you should be wearing body protection. body protection is so worth the money and investment even if you don't think u need it or it's heavy. i always wear body protection and full face helmet (except on flat or easy trails and roads) because i never know what will happen.


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## sean salach (Sep 15, 2007)

TheYoungBikeDude said:


> *if your going thru a rock garden either at speed or a rock garden with a steep angle of descent, *then you should be wearing body protection. body protection is so worth the money and investment even if you don't think u need it or it's heavy. i always wear body protection and full face helmet (except on flat or easy trails and roads) because i never know what will happen.


You know that you can fall while going slowly through a rock garden on on a 'flat' section of trail, right? Body armor = hot, restrictive, expensive. It would have done nothing to protect me from all the injuries I haven't gotten in all my years of crashing mountain bikes in technical(and nontechnical) terrain.:thumbsup:


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## Huck Pitueee (Apr 25, 2009)

Under 15 mph palms out. Over 15 mph palms in. You have to think these things over as you plan your landing spot. Piece of cake.


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## b-kul (Sep 20, 2009)

you will protect your palms from scratches and some bruises but your ability to hold the bars and keep control will be limited. learning to fall will be the most benefical thing to do.


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## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

I guess if I went down in a patch of thumb tacks, padded gloves would be of great benefit.


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## TheYoungBikeDude (Jan 1, 2012)

sean salach said:


> You know that you can fall while going slowly through a rock garden on on a 'flat' section of trail, right? Body armor = hot, restrictive, expensive. It would have done nothing to protect me from all the injuries I haven't gotten in all my years of crashing mountain bikes in technical(and nontechnical) terrain.:thumbsup:


yea ik body armor isn't the funnest thing but it has protected me for what I do. I went without my armor one time and failed a drop and was in bed for a week. I failed another time same way and had my armor on and it protected me. so *your preference... but i prefer body armor*


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## HelloMyNameIsSean (Sep 14, 2011)

I ride with Fox Bomber gloves. "carbon fiber" knuckle protection, some on the fingers too, there's padding on the side of the palm, and enough nylon-ish materiel on the bottom that I've never had an issue with palm/hand injuries. Than again I have hands the size of a young bear, so that's probably helped me out too. 

I'm getting something lighter for trail riding next season, but it's the only glove I'll use for DH.


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## 83stumpjumper (Feb 14, 2011)

Today I went out to a leather repair shop and had thick black leather added to the palms of my long finger gloves. The main purpose is for my comfort when I ride the trails, extra protection for a crash is secondary. They did a fantastic job of putting this together for me in about an hour. It cost me $25, which is a bit more than I was hoping for, but I think it will be worth it. It will certainly extend the life of the gloves if nothing else. I can't wait to field test them now! You can have a look at them here... https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j352/jg10218/gloves001.jpg


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## skankingbiker (Jan 15, 2010)

Dresdenlock said:


> I think that most MTB gloves are over priced and do not seem to last past 4 months...


This is why I wear half fingered cowhide/nylon "work gloves" from the hardware store. They work better, last longer, and cost like $8.00. They usually last a season though


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## skankingbiker (Jan 15, 2010)

83stumpjumper said:


> Today I went out to a leather repair shop and had thick black leather added to the palms of my long finger gloves. The main purpose is for my comfort when I ride the trails, extra protection for a crash is secondary. They did a fantastic job of putting this together for me in about an hour. It cost me $25, which is a bit more than I was hoping for, but I think it will be worth it. It will certainly extend the life of the gloves if nothing else. I can't wait to field test them now! You can have a look at them here... https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j352/jg10218/gloves001.jpg












6 bucks.


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## 83stumpjumper (Feb 14, 2011)

That would be great if I didn't already have summer gloves with plenty of padding. This thread is about the problem with LONG finger gloves, and how they lack palm padding. Buying cheap summer gloves dosen't resolve the problem.


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## BShow (Jun 15, 2006)

The padding in road gloves is more to provide comfort during the long rides than it is for crash protection. I don't know of any full finger road gloves that aren't for cold weather, which would make them suck pretty bad if its warm outside. Maybe try doubling up some gloves? Get a real lightweight road glove and wear it under a full finger MTB glove? That _could_ work. but even that probably won't provide any real protection

Also, try _not_ to stick out your hands to break your fall. that's a good way to break a collar bone.


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## 83stumpjumper (Feb 14, 2011)

That's why I wear short fingers if it's warm enough out, and long in the winter. Crash protection isn't my priority, comfort is. They leather padding I added should make for a more comfortable ride. I just need to put a little conditioner on the leather once in a while to keep the leather soft and protected. All the knuckle protection in the world does nothing for your palms. As soon as I take them for a test ride, I'll report back.


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## skankingbiker (Jan 15, 2010)

83stumpjumper said:


> That would be great if I didn't already have summer gloves with plenty of padding. This thread is about the problem with LONG finger gloves, and how they lack palm padding. Buying cheap summer gloves dosen't resolve the problem.


through some girly cheerleader stretchy gloves on under them....viola....winter mtb gloves.


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## TheYoungBikeDude (Jan 1, 2012)

skankingbiker said:


> This is why I wear half fingered cowhide/nylon "work gloves" from the hardware store. They work better, last longer, and cost like $8.00. They usually last a season though


hey I was wondering if those gloves would work! they look like bike gloves that walmart sells


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## Mighty Matt (Apr 22, 2009)

SuperSlow35th said:


> The best method is to try and tuck and roll.


Worst possible method to fall ever. Thats the best way to break a collar bone. As a matter of fact my dad did that, thought it would be best to tuck and roll. When he tucked, instead of rolling his shoulder hit first and fractured his upper arm and broke his collar bone. I've found the best way to dall is to noodle. Just go with it don't try and fight the fall.

As for gloves, Giro makes some descent padded gloves.


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## Liampac70 (Jan 13, 2012)

I have these oakley factory gloves they are made for the military and have knuckle protection but a sort of hard leather palm they are nice look it up if you like.


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## ricky916 (Jun 7, 2011)

SuperSlow35th said:


> *Going down on your hands is a very bad habit. Its a good way to break your wrists*. The best method is to try and tuck and roll. The reason most gloves dont have alot of protection in the palms is because they arent made to protect your hands in the event of a fall, they are meant to break the friction between your palms and grips, and also to protect your knuckles from branches and brush and such. If you want some more protection you might try some dirt bike gloves, they tend to be a little thicker all around, but less comfortable and hotter during the warm months.


Learned that the hard way going 40+MPH on my old Goped (GSR40TSi).


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

Going down with your arms straight is also bad. That transfers quite a bit of force into the collarbones and shoulders. You could be doing maybe 100+ pushups a day and can bench press 2-3x your weight, but that won't help when you're arms are straight or when your wrists give out first.

You just need to get accustomed to minor pain to accept the tuck and roll method. Even my sloppy half tuck-half slayed limbs method is effective. I just tuck my knees up into my chest, not really trying to aim to land on my hands and feet, instead aiming to either slide on my knees and/or roll out of it. I get compliments on my rolls, more out of jest, as it comes with laughs, as it's more like a tuck and then a really late roll. 

Alpinestars makes great gloves with protection for the heel of your palm if you really want it. They have interesting sizing too. Measure wrist to tip of your middle finger and also using the usual around the widest part of hand method and pick your size according to the larger figure. No blown out finger tips that way and it doesn't feel loose around the palm.


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## griffter18 (Jul 3, 2009)

Have a look at these Gloves :: Bike :: Unabomber Glove :: Fox Europe
Great for summer and mild weather and provide protection to the knuckles and palm.
Team them up with a slightly larger winter glove (over the top) for cold days.


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## aj3 (Aug 4, 2011)

Be sure to check out the Mechanix M-Pact series gloves.


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## 83stumpjumper (Feb 14, 2011)

I got a chance to test ride my newly modified gloves, and they were great! The leather padding provides good protection from the vibrations and jarring that my hands were taking. Plenty of grip on the the bars, no issue there. I have no doubt that if I crash palms first, I'll take the hit much better now. So, I highly recommend that you take your gloves to a leather work shop and have them sew thick leather patches to the palms. Your hands will thank you for it!


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## 2ndgen (Jun 6, 2008)

My first MTB gloves were Giro Xens. Great gloves. I still have them. 
I blew out the thumbs, but that's because I used them for Carpentry work.

Still, I decided that spending $40. on gloves that end up being discounted 
to $20. the next year is not smart, so I decided to buy 2nd year gloves. 
Picked up a pair of Troy Lee Designs for something like $14. 
and a pair of Fox Dirt Paws for $16. a couple of months ago. 

I'm doing that with all my gear now unless it's something that I have to have 
and it's a new product (like the Endura Singletrack Pants I want now). 

Socks, gloves, jerseys, all could be picked up at about half of what 
they cost when introduced about a year after they are introduced. 
I'm becoming the "Closeout King" now.


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## RetroG (Jan 16, 2004)

Liampac70 said:


> oakley factory gloves they are made for the military


does the military also need Oakley Factory Blade shades with ear buds for every Kevlar laden soldier? For Christ's sake, no wonder there's a ga-zillion dollar deficit.


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## skyno (Jan 9, 2012)

+1 for Mechanix gloves - they are inexpensive, get the job done, and you can still keep them on for most repairs


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## Logiebear (Jan 23, 2012)

*Yep*

I would just get the mongoose ones there like dirtbiking gloves.


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## Mobiker7 (Oct 2, 2011)

FWIW, I did a palm-first fall, over the bars on some rock-stairs, and had painful break -- basically an accordion-fracture of the arm bone where it meets the wrist.

With that being said, it's REALLY difficult to override the natural reaction of sacrificing the hand for the head. The same thing would probably happen the next time...


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## 2ndgen (Jun 6, 2008)

WesternBikeWorks has Giro Xen Gloves on closeout for $10.99!

I almost jumped on it, but I already have too many gloves as it is.


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## SuperSlow35th (Jul 22, 2011)

RetroG said:


> does the military also need Oakley Factory Blade shades with ear buds for every Kevlar laden soldier? For Christ's sake, no wonder there's a ga-zillion dollar deficit.


I wonder if he realizes that everything made for the military is made by the lowest bidder lol.


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## 2FewDaysOnTrail (Mar 1, 2011)

*Gotta look good man....*



RetroG said:


> does the military also need Oakley Factory Blade shades with ear buds for every Kevlar laden soldier? For Christ's sake, no wonder there's a ga-zillion dollar deficit.


C'mon man,

The money is inconsequential. You gotta look good when your cappin' some Al Qaeda....

I got a pair of Oakley factory gloves for $19.95 discontinued from $69.95 at Huck-N-Roll. Maybe the army got them there too.

They are good. Cold as hell in the winter because the leather just sucks the heat right out of your fingertips but very durable.


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## trodaq (Jun 11, 2011)

2ndgen said:


> WesternBikeWorks has Giro Xen Gloves on closeout for $10.99!
> 
> I almost jumped on it, but I already have too many gloves as it is.


 Only have sm or xxl in stock. Im out


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## 2ndgen (Jun 6, 2008)

trodaq said:


> Only have sm or xxl in stock. Im out


They run small and after a wash, they're even smaller.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

aj3 said:


> Be sure to check out the Mechanix M-Pact series gloves.





skyno said:


> +1 for Mechanix gloves - they are inexpensive, get the job done, and you can still keep them on for most repairs


+2 for Mechanix MPACT. And like he said, you can keep them on for most repair, like a chain-suck, the material will absord most oil left-over and will keep it in and won't grease your grips and levers. Then just a quick cleaning with soap and brush in hot water and they're like new. Also very handy to move sticks and rocks around the trail when needed.


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## madSCButcher (Nov 19, 2011)

Dresdenlock said:


> I think that most MTB gloves are over priced and do not seem to last past 4 months..I now ride with MX gloves...and MX jerseys as well...I also ride with wrist guards and they have seemed to have save my wrists a couple of times.


Good point Dresdenlock, I used to ride a KX and a YZ and I still have my Fox Pawtector riding gloves from way back and the only thing wrong with them is a small hole in one of the index fingers. There's plenty of palm protection and warmth if needed.


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## RetroG (Jan 16, 2004)

SuperSlow35th said:


> I wonder if he realizes that everything made for the military is made by the lowest bidder lol.


If the GOV is buying it, it's overpriced. Ask any gov contractor.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

RetroG said:


> If the GOV is buying it, it's overpriced. Ask any gov contractor.


Ask us in Quebec


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## BigHit-Maniac (Apr 13, 2004)

FWIW ..... Any of the Oakley gear, we DO NOT get "Issued" to us. 

All of our Issued stuff is made by DSCP, and a few other no-name Jailbird companies. 

Our clothes are made in prisons. 

Our gloves, jackets, etc aren't all issued. They give us a small clothing allowance, and we're expected to pay for our own gear and clothes and some of the equipment. 

I'm a USAF Jet Engine Mech. I've had to pay for: 

All of my Uniforms
my 2 pairs of Mechanix style black work gloves
my 2 pairs of knuckle-buster style Oakley gloves
my Wiley-X Sunglasses
my 2 pairs of black burn-sleeves for my arms
my All-Weather Gore-Tex jacket & pants
my 2 pairs of boots, both one for ceremonies and one for work (which are destroyed)


The only "issued" items I have received was one fleece jacket, one fleece beanie, and one long-sleeve "longjohn" style under shirt. That's it. All the rest has been out of my pocket.


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## madSCButcher (Nov 19, 2011)

*no kidding*



BigHit-Maniac said:


> FWIW ..... Any of the Oakley gear, we DO NOT get "Issued" to us.
> 
> All of our Issued stuff is made by DSCP, and a few other no-name Jailbird companies.
> 
> ...


BigHit- no kidding on that one! I'm in the Navy and I don't know how many dress whites I've destroyed pulling in to port and having to replace them on my own. Or having to pay for so so much more stuff. I currently do fly-aways with contractors and I had to eat $260 on gear to fly to Guam for our last inspection. So much for GOV travel or 'issued' items.


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

Got to find all these misunderstandings funny, with people imagining what simplified sayings mean. It's like the saying, there's no such thing as a free lunch... there's a lot of people who take that literally, saying there actually are free lunches, but don't understand the true meaning of the saying, just like how some take gov issued literally or some bike saying literally, like "clipless pedals provide more efficiency" or this "DW-Link equipped AM bike climbs very efficiently".

You explain gov issued well, but even the issued stuff isn't given for free either, as during your training period after joining, you don't get any sort of allowances and all the stuff you get is taken automatically out of your pay, so your actual pocket cash isn't all that different from pocket cash after you stop getting issued food, clothing, and housing, and given allowances instead, unless you're really thrifty. Well, for the first month while at basic training, your pocket cash is really gimp, which prob accounts for that cash advance (to pay for toiletries and stuff to cut down on the man funk that develops with about 40 guys sharing the "room" and latrine), the travel, housing, food, and all the stuff that's issued to you. I think my paycheck was 200ish for that month, back in early '02, compared to 1200ish a month, once actually starting on the job.

There were a few times when your unit (squadron or whatever it is for your branch) issued some stuff out, but that's money out of the unit's budget. I remember getting a cheap desert camo camelbak issued, which was one of those basic neoprene insulating things with the bladder inside, with 1" web straps camelbaks. I guess it was issued since it needed to be "authorized" to even be used while in uniform, as using something else would be looked down upon as being out of uniform. They were even specific about your undershirts, as wool shirts in the same color as issued ones, would pose a problem with static, which could be dangerous around areas with flammable substances and bad for handling sensitive electronics. Unit budgets pay for your general working environment and equipment, like tools and equipment, but sometimes there are cool commanders that think of ways to keep workers happy and productive without just throwing money at equipment and facilities. We had some full Snap-On toolkits, but those tools were handled by many different hands on an everyday basis.

Back on topic, I actually encountered a pair of mtb gloves that come off your hands before a crash.

1) Gloved hands, riding into an moderate right hand turn going at a fairly fast pace, with some obstacles in the shade
2) Thick low hanging tree branch that I apparently didn't see until it solidly hit me
3) Instinctively putting hands out... bad bad, I know, but what happened to my glove? 
4) Needless to say, I started going over the rocks, instead of trying to take the left outside line around them, to avoid repeating the mistake

Had plenty of stuff on the ground to dig into the heel in the palm of my hands there. My left hand was fine, but my right... I think even with the gloves, my hand would still be f'd up.


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## BlackMamba2012 (Nov 24, 2011)

Ouch that looked painful as hell. How bad was your hand without the glove?


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## irishpitbull (Sep 29, 2011)

Not sure if these gloves have been mentioned or not but my Orthopedic Doc mentioned them to me. I suffer from tendon damage in my left hand and these work pretty good for comfort and protection on the bike.

Bionic Gloves | Men's Fitness Gloves Full


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