Held Tour Mate Gloves In Black

The Held Tour-Mate is a long termed summer glove, on steroids. The starting point is a good one. The entire chassis of the glove is constructed from goatskin. Now, goat hide is extremely comfortable next to the skin. Goat leather tends to be somewhat thinner than cowhide but, for its thickness, is much stronger. Goat makes for wonderfully wearable biking jackets; and the very best biking gloves.

Clearly, there’s no membrane in this glove. So it’s not going to be great in the rain. The Held Tour-Mate glove does have a very lightweight linking on the bank of the hand; and this is there for comfort, and to make it easier to pull the glove on and off. Bit there is no lining in the palm. And that’s to give greater feel on the controls. If you want to know what’s going on through the bars, then it’s a glove like this that you want.

In terms of protection, you get a leather-covered, D3O knuckle protector. Now some people like hard, knuckle protectors, but really that’s about aesthetics more than about functionality. A hard protector does not disperse the energy of an impact; it merely transmits it. But that’s not what you want if your hand hits the ground hard. And so we think a D3O knuckle protector represents the perfect solution. D3O is good enough for your knees, your hips, your elbows, your shoulders and your back. And so we reckon it’s the best way to protect your knuckles too. A D3O knuckle protector also serves to make a glove more comfortable.

On the base of your palm you get a pad of what is known as Armaprotec. And this is there to, again, absorb the energy of an impact when you put your hands out to break your fall. Naturally, of course, this is what we all do! You also get a SuperFabric slider on the palm. SuperFabric is the most abrasion-resistant fabric you can use on a motorcycle garment. It’s expensive stuff, but it works.

But the Tour-Mate is more than just a protective glove; it’s also a really comfortable and practical one.

We particularly like the fact that the seams on the fingers are externally sewn. This makes any glove nicer to wear. You get concertina stretch bands on the fingers, and on the back of the hand. You get two Velcro adjuster straps. One at the wrist; another at the cuff. The sides of the fingers are perforated for added airflow. And you get a visor wipe, although even we think this is a strange feature to have on a non-waterproof glove! The index finger and thumb are touchscreen sensitive. You also get some reflective panels for more nighttime visibility.

By any definition, the Tour-Mate is a summer glove. With no membrane, it’s going to be particularly breathable. In hot weather, this is going to be a lovely glove to wear. But it isn’t the kind of glove you’d wear in the Sahara, or if you’re working your nuts off on a technical trail.

Lovely and comfortable as it will be to wear, it feels so much more substantial and reassuring than a summer glove has a right to feel. It’s an extraordinarily impressive bit of kit.

 

 

Full goatskin, long cuffed summer glove

D3O knuckle protector

SuperFabric palm slider

Armaprotec palm pad

External seams on fingers

Concertina stretch panels on fingers and back of hand

Two Velcro adjuster straps

Visor wipe

Reflective panels for nighttime visibility

Index finger and thumb are touchscreen sensitive