Been very happy with a really good pair of Richa gloves bought 15 years ago that have travelled countless thousands of miles with me in that time. I hadn't really given it much thought, but long before I had a bike with heated grips, I wore these year round and they managed to pull off being comfortable and breathable in summer yet warm enough in winter for at least an hour or two even when wind chill hit low digits. A year or two ago, their waterproof liners gave up the ghost so cold wet hands ensued for wet trips in the cold.
Searching around, I discovered that there's not really any, or at least many true 4 season gloves marketed any more. You can buy winter gloves, summer gloves or what the marketing me call "3 season" gloves. The Richa's I had included a thinsulate lining, were made of really decent supple leather with reinforced palms and scaphoid area, had carbon reinforced knuckles and were in my preferred gauntlet style. I tried some newer alternatives from Richa but their sizing was too thin in the fingers for me.
The more I looked, the harder it seemed it was to find a pair of gloves you could use year round. I tried some Dane Tjarks which were well made, advertised as an all-climate glove but wasn't happy with the palm/scaphoid protection. Other than that, Dane seemed to have a good range of superbly made gloves all for really reasonable prices and as much as I wanted to keep the Tjarks, I wasn't going to compromise on protection suffering from hand injuries as I do. I also looked at their Tyril gloves which I reckon would make a good 2/3 season glove but just didn't feel they had the levels of palm protection I was after. Few makes seemed to other than the more race oriented gloves from Dianese and Alpinestars and those weren't water proof.
Finally, I chanced upon some Held gloves. Held I believe make gloves for BMW, the 2 in 1 type with summer/winter linings, although I couldn't see any evidence of a particular glove in their line up which was directly comparable with anything BMW offered....similar but not the same. I looked at Held following a recommendation from an IAM instructor who wore them year round and ordered a pair of their Air 'N Dry gloves to try in the black and grey livery which I quite liked. These are not inexpensive gloves and cost three times which my last Richas did but as I value my hands and can't risk further serious injury, that became more important than price. They had decent scaphoid protection, used tough kangaroo leather on the palms and used their 2 in 1 glove compartments with a goretex lining for the waterproof/winter part and a perforated leather section for the summer compartment.
Other things of note included the visor wipe on the finger, elasticated leather knuckle section with decent knuckle protection and what they call their "superfabric" reinforced panels on critical areas.
When ordering, you really need to order up the short fingered version even if you have "normal" length fingers as for some bizarre reason they were made for those with fingers like ET! I stuck with the normal ones only because the stockist said there was a wait for the short versions and I needed them for a forthcoming trip. It's no bother as longer term, they ruck up a little and you soon become grateful that you have a small air gap at the finger as in winter, tight fitting gloves seem to get cold quicker.
I find the summer section way more comfortable than the lined section, having better feel and slightly shorter fingers, as the outer chambers I guess are using the longer portion of the top finger sections to account for the extra linings. The linings include a tough reinforced outer membrane inside of which on the top compartment is the goretex lining contained within a plush fleecy inner lining. No thick thermal liner as such but warm nonetheless. I have used these with wind-chill down to low single digits and have to say without heated grips of hand guards, they wouldn't provide a true winter thermal performance but a pair if thermal inner gloves would sort this, and with the standard finger length, there's enough room. They were perfectly fine on a 6 hour jaunt last year in low teens (between 9 to 12 C) but when the thermometer dips lower, the heated grips come on or thermal liners would be more comfortable. Having said that, they perform at least as well as some other winter gloves I've used. In summer they're a treat as the perforated kangaroo leather and vented knuckle sections allow plenty of ventilation.
In the wet, I have used them in torrential downpours and they have stayed bone dry. Most gloves I've used advertised as waterproof, seldom are. My Richas from new were meant to be and stayed dry for all but the most prolonged downpours where eventually the wet came through. There's one exception with any goretex lined garment you need to be aware of and that relates to how goretex works. It waterproofs from the cooler side towards the warmer side and allows the warmer side to breath, hence next to the skin you'll stay warm and dry. However, switch the heated grips on and the grips become warmer than your hands and goretex will pass moisture in this scenario so you could end up with wet hands. I've used the grip heaters on the low setting in damp conditions and have stayed dry but never chanced using them in heavy rain.
Fastening is traditional velco loop cuff with a top of hand adjuster. Quality is top drawer and a 5 year warranty is given. I tend wear these all the time now even though I have dedicated winter gloves, some Five RFX4 gloves and of course my old Richas. Where I used to alternate depending on climate, I now find that one glove does it all. Anyone looking for a year round touring glove that stays 100% waterproof yet comfortable in the heat or the cold, these come as close as any to being one of the best 4 season gloves you can buy (the 4th season depending on using hand guards/heated grips for best effect). They aren't cheap even discounted at £157 a pair but I do highly recommend them having had them for over a year now and having ridden in all weathers. The only annoying thing is when fitting them under jacket sleeves, they have a little flap with a popper to link up with the mating glove for storage....I am tempted to snip these off as they just get in the way. Other than that....superb gloves for year round use.
This may be better in the review section so Mods, please feel free to move it if so.
Searching around, I discovered that there's not really any, or at least many true 4 season gloves marketed any more. You can buy winter gloves, summer gloves or what the marketing me call "3 season" gloves. The Richa's I had included a thinsulate lining, were made of really decent supple leather with reinforced palms and scaphoid area, had carbon reinforced knuckles and were in my preferred gauntlet style. I tried some newer alternatives from Richa but their sizing was too thin in the fingers for me.
The more I looked, the harder it seemed it was to find a pair of gloves you could use year round. I tried some Dane Tjarks which were well made, advertised as an all-climate glove but wasn't happy with the palm/scaphoid protection. Other than that, Dane seemed to have a good range of superbly made gloves all for really reasonable prices and as much as I wanted to keep the Tjarks, I wasn't going to compromise on protection suffering from hand injuries as I do. I also looked at their Tyril gloves which I reckon would make a good 2/3 season glove but just didn't feel they had the levels of palm protection I was after. Few makes seemed to other than the more race oriented gloves from Dianese and Alpinestars and those weren't water proof.
Finally, I chanced upon some Held gloves. Held I believe make gloves for BMW, the 2 in 1 type with summer/winter linings, although I couldn't see any evidence of a particular glove in their line up which was directly comparable with anything BMW offered....similar but not the same. I looked at Held following a recommendation from an IAM instructor who wore them year round and ordered a pair of their Air 'N Dry gloves to try in the black and grey livery which I quite liked. These are not inexpensive gloves and cost three times which my last Richas did but as I value my hands and can't risk further serious injury, that became more important than price. They had decent scaphoid protection, used tough kangaroo leather on the palms and used their 2 in 1 glove compartments with a goretex lining for the waterproof/winter part and a perforated leather section for the summer compartment.
Other things of note included the visor wipe on the finger, elasticated leather knuckle section with decent knuckle protection and what they call their "superfabric" reinforced panels on critical areas.
When ordering, you really need to order up the short fingered version even if you have "normal" length fingers as for some bizarre reason they were made for those with fingers like ET! I stuck with the normal ones only because the stockist said there was a wait for the short versions and I needed them for a forthcoming trip. It's no bother as longer term, they ruck up a little and you soon become grateful that you have a small air gap at the finger as in winter, tight fitting gloves seem to get cold quicker.
I find the summer section way more comfortable than the lined section, having better feel and slightly shorter fingers, as the outer chambers I guess are using the longer portion of the top finger sections to account for the extra linings. The linings include a tough reinforced outer membrane inside of which on the top compartment is the goretex lining contained within a plush fleecy inner lining. No thick thermal liner as such but warm nonetheless. I have used these with wind-chill down to low single digits and have to say without heated grips of hand guards, they wouldn't provide a true winter thermal performance but a pair if thermal inner gloves would sort this, and with the standard finger length, there's enough room. They were perfectly fine on a 6 hour jaunt last year in low teens (between 9 to 12 C) but when the thermometer dips lower, the heated grips come on or thermal liners would be more comfortable. Having said that, they perform at least as well as some other winter gloves I've used. In summer they're a treat as the perforated kangaroo leather and vented knuckle sections allow plenty of ventilation.
In the wet, I have used them in torrential downpours and they have stayed bone dry. Most gloves I've used advertised as waterproof, seldom are. My Richas from new were meant to be and stayed dry for all but the most prolonged downpours where eventually the wet came through. There's one exception with any goretex lined garment you need to be aware of and that relates to how goretex works. It waterproofs from the cooler side towards the warmer side and allows the warmer side to breath, hence next to the skin you'll stay warm and dry. However, switch the heated grips on and the grips become warmer than your hands and goretex will pass moisture in this scenario so you could end up with wet hands. I've used the grip heaters on the low setting in damp conditions and have stayed dry but never chanced using them in heavy rain.
Fastening is traditional velco loop cuff with a top of hand adjuster. Quality is top drawer and a 5 year warranty is given. I tend wear these all the time now even though I have dedicated winter gloves, some Five RFX4 gloves and of course my old Richas. Where I used to alternate depending on climate, I now find that one glove does it all. Anyone looking for a year round touring glove that stays 100% waterproof yet comfortable in the heat or the cold, these come as close as any to being one of the best 4 season gloves you can buy (the 4th season depending on using hand guards/heated grips for best effect). They aren't cheap even discounted at £157 a pair but I do highly recommend them having had them for over a year now and having ridden in all weathers. The only annoying thing is when fitting them under jacket sleeves, they have a little flap with a popper to link up with the mating glove for storage....I am tempted to snip these off as they just get in the way. Other than that....superb gloves for year round use.
This may be better in the review section so Mods, please feel free to move it if so.
