UNTMatt
02-29-2008, 04:11 PM
Picked up a set today for around $50. These seem to be a decent set of armored riding gloves w/o insulation and was what I was looking for to replace my far worn out Alpinestars gloves.
Only the preliminary review since I've only worn them from the store back to the house with the ambient temp @ 74°. I like the feel although you won't get the full tactile feel of standard, summer leather gloves. Although there isn't insulation, there is the waterproof lining inside that will make them a little warmer than many would like. They do breath although it doesn't feel like it at first. My hands got warm but were not sweaty or clammy when I took them off. The air does not flow through them but that is the price paid for having waterproof gloves.
The armor isn't anything to write home about but it is a substantial improvement over the Alpinestars Drystar gloves and the Dainese D-Dry gloves (the models I found locally are limited to the non-armor gloves) that seem to have little or no armor protection. You can see in the first photo the carbon fiber knuckle protection and there are two smaller pads over the index and middle digits which is the extent of the armor.
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=28132&d=1204321826
Taichi was nice enough to put a visor wipe on the thumb of the left hand which, after having that feature on my Held Icebreaker winter gloves, I have been missing on my other gloves when the wet comes along.
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=28133&d=1204321826
The last photo shows some of the padding Taichi put in the palm which seems to work out alright. I will know more after I do longer rides with them. They are not a true gauntlet glove but the gauntlet does flex open a little bit which may allow the fitment of the glove over some jackets. I just tucked my gloves under my jacket for the ride home from the store.
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=28134&d=1204321826
The only issues I've got so far is you can feel the seams just a little bit in the tips of the fingers but it's not a deal killer. The gloves are a bit warmer than I was wanting them too be but, like I said, that's the price that will be paid for a full on waterproof glove. The only way around that will be to carry two pairs of gloves and swap them out when it rains and I'm trying to avoid that. They are comfortable and I can operate the controls without issue.
If you are looking for a good set of waterproof gloves for warmer weather that has offers better protection than some of the other offerings on the market, I can give a preliminary thumbs up to the RS Taichi RST354 gloves.
RS Taichi (http://www.rs-taichi.com/main/indextop.html)
Only the preliminary review since I've only worn them from the store back to the house with the ambient temp @ 74°. I like the feel although you won't get the full tactile feel of standard, summer leather gloves. Although there isn't insulation, there is the waterproof lining inside that will make them a little warmer than many would like. They do breath although it doesn't feel like it at first. My hands got warm but were not sweaty or clammy when I took them off. The air does not flow through them but that is the price paid for having waterproof gloves.
The armor isn't anything to write home about but it is a substantial improvement over the Alpinestars Drystar gloves and the Dainese D-Dry gloves (the models I found locally are limited to the non-armor gloves) that seem to have little or no armor protection. You can see in the first photo the carbon fiber knuckle protection and there are two smaller pads over the index and middle digits which is the extent of the armor.
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=28132&d=1204321826
Taichi was nice enough to put a visor wipe on the thumb of the left hand which, after having that feature on my Held Icebreaker winter gloves, I have been missing on my other gloves when the wet comes along.
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=28133&d=1204321826
The last photo shows some of the padding Taichi put in the palm which seems to work out alright. I will know more after I do longer rides with them. They are not a true gauntlet glove but the gauntlet does flex open a little bit which may allow the fitment of the glove over some jackets. I just tucked my gloves under my jacket for the ride home from the store.
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=28134&d=1204321826
The only issues I've got so far is you can feel the seams just a little bit in the tips of the fingers but it's not a deal killer. The gloves are a bit warmer than I was wanting them too be but, like I said, that's the price that will be paid for a full on waterproof glove. The only way around that will be to carry two pairs of gloves and swap them out when it rains and I'm trying to avoid that. They are comfortable and I can operate the controls without issue.
If you are looking for a good set of waterproof gloves for warmer weather that has offers better protection than some of the other offerings on the market, I can give a preliminary thumbs up to the RS Taichi RST354 gloves.
RS Taichi (http://www.rs-taichi.com/main/indextop.html)