Is knuckle protection important?

ajwhipple

Joined
Oct 8, 2007
Messages
18
Location
So-Cal
I've noticed that a lot of the gloves recommended by the members have little if any knuckle protection beyond the leather itself. Is this more of a racing feature that's not needed for touring?
 
Depends upon how much you like your knuckles....

Sort of like the choice between 3/4 and full face.

BTW, all my glove recommendations have knuckle protection.
 
Ever been hit in the knuckle by a rock gently tossed in your direction (read: shot out like a bullet from a rear tire)? I have... Trust me.... You want knuckle protection... :22yikes:
:cool:
 
The knuckles will normally get the brunt of any hand trauma, especially if you "tuck".

I would recommend having extra protection there.
 
I'm thinking of the Held Steve gloves. They seem to have a lot of recommendations, but I don't see the hard knuckle shells that I see on other gloves.

Do they have protection that just isn't as visible as other styles?
 
You might want to check out RevIt's glove. They have an H2O "something" that's really comfortable and seems to have good protection.

John
 
I have Joe Rocket phoenix 4.0 Gloves.
They are a summer glove with good leather finger protection and hard knuckle protection.
I really like them.
 
So I bought the Alpinestars GP Plus gloves yesterday and took them for a short test ride. Overall I'm very happy with the fit. They're a little stiff, but I'm sure that will work out as I break them in. They have hard knuckle protection on the upper hand and most fingers, and a web to prevent separation on the 3rd and 4th fingers.
 
From my experiences crashing on the track, knuckles get beat up easily. I would assume it's the same on the street, probably worst.
 
If I'm just riding up the street, I wear a pair of leather gloves that have extra padding over the knuckles.

When I ride a distance further than say 5 miles, I put on my Held Phantoms... major knuckle protection... major everything protection! :bow1:
 
Knuckle protection and mesh is what I am looking for, I have ICON Merc gloves with carbon fiber knuckle protection, though I need something cooler in Muggy Miami.
 
My winter gloves have very thick soft knuckle protection. I trust it is so thick that I have nothing to worry about. My summer gloves (first gear mesh tex) have hard knuckle protection and leather palms. When I wrecked I went over the bars and my palms took the brunt of the "damage" (though my gloves protected me). I don't trust gloves without knuckle protection though. If you screw up your hand even a little, you may never have full function of it again.
 
Normally, the first thing that hits the ground (on your hands) is the palm/wrist area. Then you start your tumble, and whether you need knuckle protection depends on whether you plan to slap your knuckles on the asphalt. Simple truth is that you have no control, nor any idea, how your body is going to flail about. Whether you want gloves with this extra protection is up to you. Some people wear half boots and what amounts to golf gloves. Others suit up in armored jacket/pants and full-on race-style boots. It all depends on what level of security you desire.
 
I'm betting that everyone that rides with armored knuckle gloves also rides with full armored/padded pants instead of jeans... right?

John [Elkskin Ropers and RC 2-pc w/hip&back pads; ATTGATT]
 
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