Racer USA Gloves – Ladies’ Short Sport

The Technical Skinny:

Mid-weight cowhide leather glove with lighter weight yet durable Kangaroo leather at the fingers and palm, reinforced with Schoeller Keprotec TM Kevlar panels across the palm, pinkie, and in between the thumb and index fingers.  A little extra padding is added to the tops of the fingers above the knuckles and on the palm.


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Also featured are “abrasion bars” (my word invention) along the inside palm and outer palm near the pinkie.


Schoeller Keprotec Kevlar panels for abrasion resistance

In addition, the gloves feature molded plastic knuckle protectors...a must-have in my opinion for any glove.


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The gauntlet is mid-length, covering the wristbone with Velcro to secure the fit.

Fit:

True to size, based on my hand measurements and the sizing chart on their website.  I have long slender fingers and the glove fit very well.  If you’re a different hand type, you might want to look elsewhere.

Finish:

Sleek design, contrast stitching, elastic at the back of the palm and wrist.  Contrast yellow Kangaroo leather on the palms.

My $0.02:

For someone who usually has delicate enough features to avoid the necessity of break-in (for example, my narrow feet and my SIDIs), I was not lucky enough in this case, which is probably a good thing since you want gloves to be snug.  I wore the Sports a bit around the house initially and was given multiple strategies to employ to expedite break-in of the leather.  The suggestion I inadvertently tried was wetting the gloves and riding with them.  While the light rain handled the wetting part for me, the strategy seemed to do the trick.  I use these gloves for all-purpose riding, though obviously they’re not waterproof.  The grip is solid and the glove is protective in my opinion and limited crashing experience.

The only downside I have with the glove is that occasionally a finger will fall into position on the controls where the interior overlap of the leather will rub, but that will occur with any glove using a thicker cowhide leather. Not so much of a downside as is a suggestion, but yellow might not be the best accent color since it tends to show dirt quickly.  Might want to opt for black or gray instead.

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