These gloves are generally impossible to find here in
Malaysia and I was lucky enough to get in contact with a place that makes them.
They are generally gloves where the protection for the fingers and knuckles
that are usually made of carbon fiber (in my previous gloves) or PE are
replaced by stainless steel.
The first time I saw these gloves was while I was
watching biker buildoff. Matt Hotch was wearing them at the end of the build
and they were then made by Icon. The model name is Icons TiMax which is now no
longer in production.
When I first got the gloves, I was quite happy about it. Then
when I touched it, I was surprised by how soft they were. Apparently they WERE
real leather… it was just that I was not used to it as gloves here in Malaysia are
generally bought and stored for a long time and eventually harden before you
ever buy them. The only unfortunate thing was that though sizes in Malaysia, I wear
an XL, these were one size too big for me. I had gotten quite worried about it
but a good friend of mine says that after riding in the rain (which is like
everyday here), it will slowly shrink. From what I can tell right now, they are
slowly but surely shrinking. And if it doesn't shrink enough, I’ll just do the
old warm water and rubbing alcohol trick.
Well, it has been a week (or less since I'm not always
going to work) since I had worn them, the gloves are starting to feel ok and I'm
getting used to wearing it. At first, I was concerned because my old gloves
were racing gloves with the thicker, rougher leather that provides grip for the
throttle. After a week of trying them out, I don't feel weird with the gloves
anymore and feel that it is a part of me now when I ride. They also keep me
warm in addition to my jacket as the long gauntlet covers the sleeves at night.
As I had mentioned, though the grips of the glove does
not have the thicker and rougher palm section, the palm section is sewn with
another layer to help a little. Quite like a slider for when one falls.
The fingers were sewn in sections to allow easy movements
of the fingers and the gauntlet is very very wide to allow my thick jacket
sleeves to go in.
Now, riding to work and all over the place has become
slightly more fun as it attracts even more attention as I am riding. Talk about
bling.
By Vy
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