Following on from our post about Weise clothing we’re offering a deeper insight into their extensive range of gloves…
Most of us are lucky enough to have four fingers and a thumb, on the end of each arm. These fingers and thumbs, collectively hands, are extremely important to our everyday lives, including our ability to ride a bike, so hopefully we all agree that they’re worth looking after. This is where it’s important to invest in motorbike gloves, they’re crucial for machine control, rider safety and keeping you warm in cold conditions.
Weise have paid particular attention to this aspect of their product range, where they have developed a wide collection of different glove styles to suit different riders’ needs and budgets. We’ve created a buying guide helping you to select the gloves that best suit your hand protection needs:
Inner gloves
Inner gloves are the basics and are generally worn as a base layer underneath bigger, regular motorcycling mitts. Weise offer a selection of two inner gloves, one created from cotton, the other from silk. Both materials share the same benefits:
- Suitable for riding in all seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
- Insulate against cold weather
- Stops skin from sticking to the glove lining
- Washable
So which should you choose? Our parts manager Karl has recommended that customers who have more room between their skin and the outer glove should opt for the cotton inner liner, whereas those with a more snug fitting top layer should go for the silk.
Winter gloves
There are a few qualities that make a winter glove suited for chillier °C. The most important is that they can keep you warm and insulated, of course your body should be kept warm too as it will restrict the blood flowing out to the extremities if not. Many of the Weise gloves are fitted with a Thinsulate™ inner lining which is a long-standing brand, reputed for its warm properties.
Summer gloves
Any gloves that sport a mesh lining are more suitable for summer as this feature has been designed to let air flow through the glove to keep your hands cool, i.e. Weise Airflow Plus. Wrist length is another indicator of seasonal suitability, shortie wrist gloves are much better for riders out on the road in the summer, check out the Street Fight style for an example.
Sports vs. Touring/road gloves
Within the range there are some gloves more suited for sport-riders, others for touring or riding on the roads. Generally speaking, sports gloves tend to come without the fleecy Thinsulate™ liner. Looking at the range specifically both the Scorpion and the Oslo are sporting options. Whereas the more padded Runway and Legend‘s are for everyday use.
Ladies Gloves
There are two styles of ladies gloves within the Weise glove range and they’re both more suited for touring or road use. The Legend and Gemma both feature knuckle protection, created with a comfortable material liner and not the hard plastic knuckle that is common to many of the gloves created for men. The Hipora® waterproof, windproof and breathable inner lining also features in both, as does a thermal liner.
What is this McFit all about?
McFit, no relation to Mcdonald’s or Mcfly, can be described as an inner liner fixture system. So what’s that when it’s at home? Many gloves are fitted with an inner liner underneath the glove with stitching. The stitching can hinder the movement of your fingers when riding a bike, the tiny holes created through sewing can let water in and over time the fitting can become loose so that when the rider removes their hand from the glove, they remove the liner with it. This is where McFit comes in, the mechanism works by bonding the inner layer to the outer, allows your fingers to move freely and stay dry.
What does Outlast® mean?
Outlast® is a different inner lining mechanism, and is a lining in itself which has been developed by NASA. This high standard of lining works differently to McFit in that it regulates the temperature of your hand by sustaining the warmth/coolness it was at before you put it in the glove. Some pairs contain both liners such as the Outlast® Strada glove.
Additional features to look out for:
- The Knox SPS Scaphoid protection system: This is fitted to the heel of the hand and will keep your hands safe in the event of an accident when you’re most likely to fall hands first. Instead of being dragged, when you put your hands down you’ll slide along the floor.
- Adjustable Velcro®: This may be a feature once at the wrist, or twice at the wrist and cuff. For example, the Legend or Oslo styles respectively.
- Touch Screen-Friendly: Many gloves are classed as ‘touch-screen friendly’ such as the Weise Scorpion leather gloves. This can be particularly useful to easily access your phone if you are riding with a phone attached to your bike.
- Extra little finger protection: If you fall off your bike the chances are your little finger will hit the ground first, which is why gloves such as the Vortex have incorporated this.
- Night-time visibility: Reflective glove detailing helps you to be seen by other riders at night, just have a look at the Grid style for an idea!
- Knuckle and Finger protection: This may be in the form of memory foam or TPU, the former offers padded protection and the latter creates a harder shell layer, again to protect you in the event of an off.
Not sure where to start? Why not begin with the whole range!
