Gloves Should I be concerned? AeroStich Deerskin gloves!

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

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.

dmulk said:

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?

Click to expand...

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.

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

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>

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

Marcus

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>

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

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

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.

dmulk said:

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>

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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..

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

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! )

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...

+1 on the Elkskin Ropers from RWH. Like my good friend Don Feyma, I've worn out a pair (after ~45K):

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

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>

Don-STOC237 said:

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! )

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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.

Don-STOC237 said:

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.

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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.

STGhOOST said:

+1 on the Elkskin Ropers from RWH. Like my good friend Don Feyma, I've worn out a pair (after ~45K):

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

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

dmulk said:

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>

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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

STGhOOST said:

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

Click to expand...

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>

dmulk said:

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>

Click to expand...

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.