Should I be concerned? AeroStich Deerskin gloves!

[dmulk]

All,

I just purchased a pair of Deer Skin Gauntleted gloves from Aerostitch. The model is 424.

WOW! They are comfortable.....but.....they feel extremely THIN!

I am used to wearing racing gloves.

The 424's feel like they will come apart in a second if contacted with the street.

Anyone have an real world (AKA CRASH) experience with these?

Here is a link:

http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Aerostich-Deerskin-with-Gauntlet-p-16819.html

[Rob Hephner]

Those will protect your hands against wind, slight road debris and other minor impact.

There is no way they could ever possibly protect your hands lie a pair of race gloves.

[STPaulK]

All,

I just purchased a pair of Deer Skin Gauntleted gloves from Aerostitch. The model is 424.

WOW! They are comfortable.....but.....they feel extremely THIN!

I am used to wearing racing gloves.

The 424's feel like they will come apart in a second if contacted with the street.

Anyone have an real world (AKA CRASH) experience with these?


I think it's safe to generalize that most "comfortable and versatile" gloves you see sold for the mainstream biker are NOT the kind of glove that is ideal in a nice long lowside or a violent highside crash. The ideal glove which have crash protection AND comfort are very spendy. I'll wait for the flames but I've seen riders wear farm gloves that they swear by, mainly for comfort, that would practically fall of their hands just by wiggling their arm. Ironically, many of these riders insist their bike have ABS but then wear gloves that will either fall off or tear up in a crash (not knocking ABS, just note the irony of inconsistent equipment choice.)

I didn't answer your question but you got an opinion that these gloves are probably not good for a hard crash. At least make sure they fit snug.

[MARCUS ST1100]

Deer skin and Kangaroo skins tougher than Cow hide so they don't need to be as thick, I have a pair of Held "Steve" Kangaroo skin and feel great, no binding of the fingers.

Marcus

[dmulk]

These gloves fit great. Snug, but not too tight. Certainly won't fall off my hands easily.....but....there is no back hand protection.

See my previous posts about "carbon fiber" in the knuckles.... :)

Anyway, I am more concerned about the leather coming apart in a slide..... they feel paper thin...

<D>

[MARCUS ST1100]

Kangaroo and Deer skins are 80 % stronger than cowhide when measured by abrasion resistance and tear strength

Marcus

[dmulk]

Wow.... that's quite a bit.

Man they are comfy. I think I can type in them. :)

I just wish they made these gloves with some back hand protection. :)

<D>

[Highway Troll]

Had a pair of deerskin gloves from Bates leathers. Lasted 12 years including two violent race track crashes. Deer have tough hide. No worries.

[MARCUS ST1100]

I feel good dexterity in my gloves is very important for control. I'm not fighting my gloves while using switches and levers, so noting to distrack me from riding.

Marcus

[EASt]

I don't think Aerostich has made a claim that those gloves are anything more than ranch gloves that just fit and wear very nicely. I bought a pair about 30K miles ago, and I'll never, ever, EVER go back to plastic armored stretchy Cylon Raider gloves. After all of those miles, I've grown terribly attached to the comfort of the 'Stich gloves.

I've never had to test their resilience in a crash, though. But I'm betting they're not the safest gloves in that instance. Then again, they're probably better than nothing. :shrug2:

[alphafang]

Wow.... that's quite a bit.

Man they are comfy. I think I can type in them. :)

I just wish they made these gloves with some back hand protection. :)

<D>

Go on have a go at typing in them, if it works out let me know especially if they improve spelling if it does I'm having a pair, then maybe I could avoid the edit button more often...lol..

[hojo in sc]

I saw a friend with a pair and asked him about it on a long slide. Without missing a beat he responded that if you go down they will last about one roll, after that, you should be standing up :D

[Don-STOC237]

There's a major difference between the elkskin ropers and the deerskin gloves that Aerostich sells.

The elkskins are about a hundred times as tough and a lot thicker. I wouldn't wear the deerskins riding as I think all deerskin is too soft and not abrasion-resistant.

The elkskin ropers OTOH are extremely abrasion resistant. They have to be to protect a cowboy's hands when he's roping.

When I took my 75 foot slide in 2000 they stayed on well and protected my hands. (Paul, you should know that because you were there! :D )

One palm was a little scuffed up because that hand was down in the slide. I used the same gloves for another 2 years riding then used them on the ranchette for work for another couple years before one of the fingers holed. Then I retired them and took my now 2-year-old ropers and retired them to ranch work and bought a new pair for riding. So I've had 3 or 4 pairs of the elkskin ropers and think they're the best all-round riding glove I've used.

About the only fault on them is that they don't have a gauntlet so they're a bit cool around the cuff at times.

Having said all that though, no non-riding glove is any match for a good purpose-built motorcycle glove. Having something designed for the use it's going to be put to is always best, IMO. A good MC glove will have extra protection where it's needed, won't have stitching where it's not wanted, and will be more comfortable and safer.

But really good MC gloves can't be had for under a hundred bucks a pair or so, so if your budget can't handle the freight for the better MC gloves, I think you're better off wearing ropers than wearing cheap MC gloves.

But in any event, I'd stay away from deerskin. IMO, YMMV...

[John OoSTerhuis]

+1 on the Elkskin Ropers from RWH. Like my good friend Don Feyma, I've worn out a pair (after ~45K):
http://inlinethumb20.webshots.com/39315/2251652980053727880S425x425Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2251652980053727880dwBSqL)
I liked them so much that I never even considered replacing them with anything else. My second pair will probably have to be retired this year. I'll get a another pair for sure. These are excellent riding gloves.

John

[dmulk]

So these look like a gauntleted version of the ropers....

http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Aerostich-Insulated-Elkskin-Gauntlet-p-18218.html

I really like gauntleted gloves.... anyone have any feedback on these?

<D>

[STPaulK]

The elkskin ropers OTOH are extremely abrasion resistant. They have to be to protect a cowboy's hands when he's roping.

When I took my 75 foot slide in 2000 they stayed on well and protected my hands. (Paul, you should know that because you were there! :D )

Right, but I didn't say that farm gloves were ineffective. I just don't see them being as good in a very bad crash. My point also was that I see guys wearing gloves that are clearly too large and would fly off the minute they had an arm whip. A motorcycle glove almost always has the wrist cinch to reduce that chance.


Having said all that though, no non-riding glove is any match for a good purpose-built motorcycle glove. Having something designed for the use it's going to be put to is always best, IMO. A good MC glove will have extra protection where it's needed, won't have stitching where it's not wanted, and will be more comfortable and safer.

But really good MC gloves can't be had for under a hundred bucks a pair or so, so if your budget can't handle the freight for the better MC gloves, I think you're better off wearing ropers than wearing cheap MC gloves.

And that is exactly what I was trying to convey. It's hard to rationalize spending over $100 for a pair of well made, well fitting, function designed motorcycle gloves but it's really a no brainer when you see the effect of severely damaged hands. Once you ground the tendons and or knuckles down, the hand doesn't work very well anymore and it's almost like being paralyzed. IMO, there should at least be double stitched panels at the critical points and a wrist cinch. Both pair of my gloves also have plastic knuckle protectors but I wouldn't say these are necessary as long as there is padding and/or extra material at the knuckles.

BTW, the same goes for boots. Many crash stories I've heard, there were often comments about a stray boot laying down the road and damaged ankles/feet.

[STPaulK]

+1 on the Elkskin Ropers from RWH. Like my good friend Don Feyma, I've worn out a pair (after ~45K):
http://inlinethumb20.webshots.com/39315/2251652980053727880S425x425Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2251652980053727880dwBSqL)
I liked them so much that I never even considered replacing them with anything else. My second pair will probably have to be retired this year. I'll get a another pair for sure. These are excellent riding gloves.

John

Those do not look like they would stay on your hand in a crash John! :eek:

[John OoSTerhuis]

So these look like a gauntleted version of the ropers....
http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Aerostich-Insulated-Elkskin-Gauntlet-p-18218.html
I really like gauntleted gloves.... anyone have any feedback on these?
<D>

They're not quite the same thing, Dan. I don't think they're from the same manufacturer. Read the discription carefully.

I greatly prefer short gauntlets, especially in my 'summer-weight' gloves. I like to be able to tuck my gloves under my Stich cuffs. I've never felt the need for vented or perforated gloves... a short gauntlet allows me to loosen the cuffs on my Stich for some ventilation.

That said, the gloves you linked to look to be a fine product. If I didn't already have a set of medium-weight/cooler-weather gloves, these would be at the top of my list to consider. Buy a pair and give us a report... :)

John

[dmulk]

That said, the gloves you linked to look to be a fine product. If I didn't already have a set of medium-weight/cooler-weather gloves, these would be at the top of my list to consider. Buy a pair and give us a report... :)

John

Probably will order a pair next week to check them out.

I don't mind being the guinea pig. Our bonus plan approval was announced yesterday in a company meeting....so it looks like we hit all of our yearly goals! Yay!!

<D>

[Don-STOC237]

So these look like a gauntleted version of the ropers....

http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Aerostich-Insulated-Elkskin-Gauntlet-p-18218.html

I really like gauntleted gloves.... anyone have any feedback on these?

<D>

They look ok for a winter riding glove. But at 100 bucks a pop, I'd probably opt for a good winter motorcycle glove for not a lot more money.

[dmulk]

So, I figured I would update this thread.

I ended up purchasing a pair of ropers as well as a pair of #466, Tan, Gauntleted ELK / Deerskin goves

http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Aerostich-Elkskin-Gauntlet-p-16824.html

I road with the gauntleted gloves today I they felt GREAT! They are also a lot better made than the Deerskin only gloves. They have a wrist strap as well as a TF2 memory foam sewn across the knuckles. They also have an extra layer stitched into the palm of the hand.

They feel much more secure when compared to the ropers.

For what it's worth....they appear to be EXACTLY the same material (as well as stitch pattern and thickness) as the original ropers.

I think I have found a good touring alternative to my Teknic race gloves.....

<D>

[Don-STOC237]

ummm,

The ropers aren't deerskin, they're elkskin. Big Difference!

Reading your post I couldn't tell what you were referring to, the deerskin gloves or the elkskin ropers...

[dmulk]

Aerostich calls them "Elkskin Gauntlets" in the link.

They say they have deerskin in them....but comparing them to the ropers, side by side....the gauntlets appear to be the same material as the ropers....I can't find any place on the glove that "feels" different......the texture is identical.


<D>

[Don-STOC237]

I went and looked at them, they looked pretty nice!

That's the only complaint I ever had with the ropers, that sometimes the wrists got a little cool on marginal days.

Thanks!

[dmulk]

No worries Don.

I'm pretty convinced that they either haven't updated the text on their site to reflect a production change OR the text is just wrong. Some of the pictures aren't current.

The gloves I got were the Light Tan model, but there was not a "snap" on the gauntlet. It's now Velcro like brown and black models.

Also, when I look really close at the material, it has an identical "porous" look as the ropers....it just has added knuckle protection as well as palm protection.

I like them.

<D>

[dmulk]

UPDATE: I've done about 300 miles on these now and I LOVE them!! Really breaking in nicely.

The only complaint I have (and it's not really a complaint) is that the gauntlet should be flared (and larger) to the outside of the wrist, instead of the inside....I think if they made it and equal size in diameter this would "solve" the issue.

Anyway... I love them and will be sticking with them as my main gloves.

I'll either keep the ropers as a backup or put them up for sale in a bit...



Cheers!

<D>

[gnorts]

I got a pair of these:

http://www.foxcreekleather.com/images/medium/664_1_deertoursjkfgtan_1_225x198.jpg

from here:

http://www.foxcreekleather.com/mensdeerskin.phtml

They are GREAT. They seem to have elkhide in the important places.

[dmulk]

Interesting....

The 'stitch gauntlets have an added TF2 memory foam insert across the knuckles which I like a lot....

<D>