Sparkplug 40

Today’s Sparkplug is a kinder, gentler Sparkplug. No rant today, just a look at a new trend in rider protection, the “lite” glove.

Way back last summer, I touched on the lack of innovation in certain types of MX gear in Sparkplug #9. The fact that I completely left gloves out of the discussion is testament to the truth that we don’t really think about gloves that much. Most of us wouldn’t dream of taking to the track without covering up our hands, but what is it that we really want our gloves to do for us?

In the latest issue of Motocross Action magazine, they do a pictorial on the latest gloves, and one thing stood out: the coolest-looking, most colorful, most affordable gloves offered by the top MX gear manufacturers look as they wouldn’t protect you very well in a serious get-off. Instead of protection, these gloves seem to be designed for comfort and touch. Let’s take a look at a few.

Here’s the No Fear “Rogue” model (they’re saying this particular glove was designed for maximum comfort and control).

Here’s Shift’s “Team” glove:

Here’s Fox Racing’s “Matrix”:

Here’s Alloy’s “Clutch” glove (I posted links instead of pics to avoid copyright infringement and bandwidth stealing).

These are all a far cry from those old pigskin gloves some of us used to ride with. You remember them, with the rubber strips sewn along the back to offer “protection.” Back then, the purpose of “dirt bike” gloves was pretty clear: protect the back of the hand from tree branches and other hard objects. The gloves above are clearly not designed to protect the back of the hand from serious impacts. Instead, these gloves are designed to enhance bike control. Say what?

Think about it: the bike/rider interface is dependent on just a few contact patches, all of which are constantly engaging and disengaging from the bike. We certainly ride by the “seat of our pants”, relying on our butts and inner legs to contact, control and communicate with the bike. Our feet play a major role of course, but our hands are hands down (sorry) the most important point of contact that we have with the motorcycle. As such, it is extremely important that our hands remain “happy.” That is to say, comfortable. The need to be able to comfortably grip the throttle and actuate the levers, without binding or pinching and with a solid, in-control feel.

Right now, the most important things a glove can protect a hand from is blisters. Yes, we want our gloves to keep our hand from getting shredded into hamburger during an endo, but hopefully we’ll spend more time in the saddle than on the ground. And that’s the gamble we’re willing to take, trading protection for comfort. But my question is this: is it really impossible to have both? And what about a glove that goes beyond abrasion protection and makes bone protection part of its mission statement? How about a glove that prevents your fingers and thumbs from being hyperextended, the way knee braces work? How about a glove that includes integrated wrist protection?

I love the way our gear manufacturers come up with great styles year after year. But I would really like to see them address the safety issue with the same energy and creativity.