A bad day riding is still better than most any day at the office, right? When you find yourself riding on a cold, wet day like today, the wrong gear can make for a rough day on the road. The clouds roll in and the rain suits go on, but many people forget one of the most important parts to shielding themselves from the elements - the gloves. A good set of waterproof gloves can help keep you going a long way. Cold hands are never fun! Recently, I took the Harley-Davidson Quest Mixed Media Gauntlet Gloves for a run in the rain to try them out for myself. These gloves advertise TouchTech, Waterproof, and Comfort abilities so that’s what they will be judged on, and I’ll provide a final overview at the end so you can decide if these are right for you and your riding.
WATERPROOF
COMFORT
TOUCHTECH
- The TouchTech, or the ability to use a touch screen is actually quite nice on thesegloves. The only area on the gloves thatwork with a phone screen is the small strip of material on the tips of the thumb and index finger, separating the leather palm and the textile upper. This allows for more precise navigation and for you to type out a message with relative ease. They perform very well in this area.
WATERPROOF
- These gloves do an excellent job keeping the water out, however, in warmer conditions, they tend to accumulate some water inside. In cold rain, they keep the hands warm and dry, but you might want to opt for some lighter gloves in the summer rain. If you want to minimize hand moisture accumulation, I would certainly recommend these gloves for any cooler weather riding.
COMFORT
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- These gloves are comfortable on the hands. They have a nice soft interior with a middle layer to keep the hands more sealed against the elements and then leather on the palm and textile on top. They are gauntlet gloves so they have a nice velcro strap around the bottom to keep them sealed with your rain jacket. These gloves also have a secondary strap closer to the base of the palm to keep them from riding up on your hand. On the knuckles, there is CE level 1 padding. Then padded leather on the base and top of the palm. These gloves are made with a 45 degree PreCurve to make holding on to the bars that much easier. The leather palm also lets you keep the throttle open with minimal grip required.
For your next run in the cold rain, I would highly recommend these gloves. They work well with touchscreens and keep the rain out. They’re a little too bulky to fish out gummy worms (or whatever your favorite snack is) from your jacket pocket, but still, allow enough dexterity to easily work your bike's controls. Even after a few hours, they were still comfortable on my hands, allowing me to enjoy the ride much more. In the upcoming months, they’d be a great option to keep in your saddlebag to throw on for when the temps drop and the rain falls.
