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Anonymous
Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 05:21 PM
Ok, Spidey - you have the Violators correct? They're on sale for $70. I can get those, which fit pretty good and all of that...

Or, I can get the '03 model Joe Rocket Speedmaster gloves, for twice the price. Does anyone know enough about these to comment on them?

I'm looking for something I can use equally well on street and track, I don't race (yet) but intend to ride the sh*t out of my bike on the track starting as soon as possible, and want both excellent protection in a crash and durability/comfort.

What do you guys think? If price were equal, which would you go with? Are the Rockets worth the extra benjamins? :mrgreen:

Need your comments pretty quick, Santa's a comin'...

Anonymous
Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 06:04 PM
Not to be picky, but I have the Violator Pro - there is a difference between the Pro and the non-Pro.

Here's my $0.02:

Practically speaking, I think fit & comfort are the most important factors when buying a glove. The Joe Rockets are ventilated, the Teknics are not. One thing I (personally) don't like about most of the Joe Rocket armored gloves is that the chrome knuckle doesn't cover the entire knuckle of the index or pinky.

Another very important factor is durability in a crash. I can't speak for the Teknics, but I think HardCore Mike might have some valuable input on this topic. At IMI in October he had some comments about the most expensive gloves not being as crash-durable as some less-expensive brands (sorry, I don't remember the brands he mentioned).

Now, if you're going strictly for looks (with protection, of course, and questionable fit), go for the "Mad Max" look in the ICON Ti-Max gloves:
http://www.rideicon.com/products/pr_gloveTiMax_blk.jpghttp://www.rideicon.com/products/GLOVES_timax_blk.asp

UglyDogRacing
Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 06:36 PM
I would recommend Spidi. High quality and very comfortable. I switched to Alpinestars after 2 pairs of Spidi and I wasn't happy.

Anonymous
Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 06:53 PM
Guess I need to make a trip to Performance and try some stuff on... :D

I don't care about looks - what I mean is, I don't want to look like Mr Squid, or like some moron, but I've never been part of the fashion parade when it comes to bike gear. I want functionality and usability first.

However, the vented Spidi's appear to be quite a bit more expensive. MileHigh, which ones do you like? The carbovent ones are like $265.

Ironically newenough has the Rocket 2003 version speedmasters but kneedraggers is $10 less. Go figure. Yeah spidey, it was the violator pro's I'm thinking about. I'd prefer a vented glove I think, as it is when I'm using them I'll be in a full suit baking in the sun...

I dunno, the rockets look to have a bit more protection (plus double padding on the palm) all around, which for $130 doesn't seem too bad. Don't think santa will swing the spidi's but we'll see... heh. Has anyone use the rocket speedmasters than can comment? It's hard as hell to tell for sure from the ads, so I think tomorrow I'll go do some comparison shopping on my lunch break, but nothing beats unbiased user reviews...

Anonymous
Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 07:15 PM
Moving my own topic to the newly created Gear forum... :mrgreen:

UglyDogRacing
Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 07:30 PM
Guess I need to make a trip to Performance and try some stuff on... :D

I don't care about looks - what I mean is, I don't want to look like Mr Squid, or like some moron, but I've never been part of the fashion parade when it comes to bike gear. I want functionality and usability first.

However, the vented Spidi's appear to be quite a bit more expensive. MileHigh, which ones do you like? The carbovent ones are like $265.

Ironically newenough has the Rocket 2003 version speedmasters but kneedraggers is $10 less. Go figure. Yeah spidey, it was the violator pro's I'm thinking about. I'd prefer a vented glove I think, as it is when I'm using them I'll be in a full suit baking in the sun...

I dunno, the rockets look to have a bit more protection (plus double padding on the palm) all around, which for $130 doesn't seem too bad. Don't think santa will swing the spidi's but we'll see... heh. Has anyone use the rocket speedmasters than can comment? It's hard as hell to tell for sure from the ads, so I think tomorrow I'll go do some comparison shopping on my lunch break, but nothing beats unbiased user reviews...

I like these-
http://www.spidi.it/images/products/a59_b.jpg


Ralph- after you try some gloves on and decide what you want, let me know. I'll beat anyone's price locally and you won't have to pay sales tax.

Anonymous
Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 07:52 PM
Wow, sweet! Thanks man!

Think you could hook a brotha up on some boots too? :mrgreen: Getting TC's other suit, I just need to accessorize a bit.

Dave&Julie
Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 03:55 PM
I wear a set of First Gear's gloves and they saved my hand quite well when I went down in the Poudre Canyon. These are less expensive and don't have the carbon fiber protection but they have worked for me.

UglyDogRacing
Thu Dec 5th, 2002, 11:04 AM
Wow, sweet! Thanks man!

Think you could hook a brotha up on some boots too? :mrgreen: Getting TC's other suit, I just need to accessorize a bit.


I can get you anything you want. I suggest going to performance or Fay's and trying some boots and gloves on. Figure out what size you wear and then I will order the stuff for you. I will save you $$$$. :wink:

Anonymous
Thu Dec 5th, 2002, 11:34 AM
I'll do that!

Went to fay at lunch yesterday, they don't have shit there! A lot of A-star stuff but that's not what I want. Since I have this lovely 4x10's schedule and fridays off now I'm heading down to performance tomorrow for a while to try on gear.

Since this is more for Santa's shopping purposes, you may be contacted by people besides me... :mrgreen:

UglyDogRacing
Thu Dec 5th, 2002, 11:48 AM
I'll do that!

Went to fay at lunch yesterday, they don't have shit there! A lot of A-star stuff but that's not what I want. Since I have this lovely 4x10's schedule and fridays off now I'm heading down to performance tomorrow for a while to try on gear.

Since this is more for Santa's shopping purposes, you may be contacted by people besides me... :mrgreen:


what kind of boots do you want if you don't want Alpinestars? Sidi?

Anonymous
Thu Dec 5th, 2002, 12:28 PM
Probably, ya. I'm not totally opposed to astar, I just seem to remember hearing some negative comments or something. I just want something that will last, i.e. be the best bang for the buck for what I want to use it for. As this is destined primarily for the track, and I intend to ride as hard as my limits will let me, substandard quality would be bad.

What do you think of the two brands? What about other stuff? I don't trust a store's perspective since they're going to sell me whatever they have they want to sell that day. Actual realworld tests are what I'd like to hear about... :D

yakuza
Thu Dec 5th, 2002, 01:05 PM
I've crashed at the track (relatively low-speed, about 50 mph) and came out mostly unscathed. I wear the Sidi Vertebra boots, and I'm very happy with them. The boots got scraped up a little in the crash, and all damage done was on the intended points of contact, i.e. where they put the plastic slider parts. I've got rather small, skinny feet, and they are very comfortable. I'm afraid I can't compare to the Alpinestars, as I've never worn them.

I'm still trying to decide what gloves I want to get. Those Spidi's look sharp, and I've heard good things about them, but not sure if I can justify the cost (I believe they're >$200 ? ).

rocktboy
Thu Dec 5th, 2002, 04:12 PM
i wear violator II's, they are not vented but they are the coolest (temperature wise) non-vented gloves i've ever owned. i wear them in 90+ deg weather and they are more than tolerable. they are actually too cold for temperatures below 60!!! i've crashed but not on the palm of those gloves so i can't really comment on the crash worthyness of them. the crash conditions also can be quite different for most people so it's really hard to determine which gloves will survive crashes the best. my $600 tecknic suit held up just fine and so did my $70 touring boot. i would just get close outs from newenough.com or other places since you are likely to replace your gloves every 2 yrs whether thay are $250 ones or $60 ones. :wink:

UglyDogRacing
Thu Dec 5th, 2002, 09:32 PM
Probably, ya. I'm not totally opposed to astar, I just seem to remember hearing some negative comments or something. I just want something that will last, i.e. be the best bang for the buck for what I want to use it for. As this is destined primarily for the track, and I intend to ride as hard as my limits will let me, substandard quality would be bad.

What do you think of the two brands? What about other stuff? I don't trust a store's perspective since they're going to sell me whatever they have they want to sell that day. Actual realworld tests are what I'd like to hear about... :D

If you want to see a realworld test on Alpinestars boots, check out this months Sportrider. Sidi makes good boots, also. Go to Performance and try them on since they stock both. Go with the best fit.
I have the Alpinestarts GP-Plus gloves right now but I'm not crazy about the fit. I prefer the Spidi's.

rocktboy, newenough.com is a good company and i've dealt with them on leathers, since all I wear is Vanson. I will beat their Alpinestars pricing, though.

Yakuza- The Spidi Tre-Composite gloves list for $169. If your interested in them, please let me know. I can get you a good price on them and save you sales tax.

Anonymous
Fri Dec 6th, 2002, 05:33 PM
Ok, tried some stuff on today...

I compared the Sidi Vertebrate boots to the Alpinestar SMX-plus (I think that's what they were ... about $259). The sidi seemed to have the best all around fit, but was way more flexible in the ankle than the Astar. The astar was also built like a ski boot which had something to do with that... I dunno, between the two is there any difference to go with one vs the other?

On gloves... No stores seem to really stock any of the hardcore racing gear. So I have yet to compare the JR's to the Spidi's. I tried on the model down from those Astar gloves and hated the fit, they felt real funky, so I won't be going with those.

Jim could I try on your spidi's and see how they fit me? I'll probably go with those at this point. Do you have the tre-composite ones you were talking about (is that what you had the pic of?) I could see?

Performance had these Icon gloves there ... literally looked like platemail with these metal pieces that overlapped on the fingers, plus lots of other metal. They look wicked, and are probably intimidating, but were heavy as hell and that metal has to get real hot while you're sliding around. I think I'll stick with the carbon/kevlar protection, it seems to work just fine. :)

UglyDogRacing
Fri Dec 6th, 2002, 06:41 PM
Ok, tried some stuff on today...

I compared the Sidi Vertebrate boots to the Alpinestar SMX-plus (I think that's what they were ... about $259). The sidi seemed to have the best all around fit, but was way more flexible in the ankle than the Astar. The astar was also built like a ski boot which had something to do with that... I dunno, between the two is there any difference to go with one vs the other?

On gloves... No stores seem to really stock any of the hardcore racing gear. So I have yet to compare the JR's to the Spidi's. I tried on the model down from those Astar gloves and hated the fit, they felt real funky, so I won't be going with those.

Jim could I try on your spidi's and see how they fit me? I'll probably go with those at this point. Do you have the tre-composite ones you were talking about (is that what you had the pic of?) I could see?

Performance had these Icon gloves there ... literally looked like platemail with these metal pieces that overlapped on the fingers, plus lots of other metal. They look wicked, and are probably intimidating, but were heavy as hell and that metal has to get real hot while you're sliding around. I think I'll stick with the carbon/kevlar protection, it seems to work just fine. :)

Alpinestars and Sidi are both high quality boots. I would go with the one's that fit you the best and are most comfortable.

I have a pair of Spidi Carbotech in size large that you can try on. Next one's I get will be the Tre-Composite. They are so much more comfortable than the Alpinestars gloves.
I saw the Icon gloves at Performance. They look cool but I don't know much about them.

Anonymous
Fri Dec 6th, 2002, 06:52 PM
Yeah, the icons did look cool ... the guy helping me was like "Ohhh yeah these look so badass, I love 'em, I wear 'em, they're great for winter cause they're so heavy and warm, you'd like them for racing" ... which immediately made me put them down because the last thing I need is a glove that keeps my hands warm this time of year, on a track in the summertime. I have liners, thanks. They felt comfortable actually, but were pretty heavy.

If you could bring those gloves on Sunday that would be cool. I don't think I'll be making it to Hoopty's shindig tonight, I have some other stuff to take care of and am already supposed to go one tomorrow night. I'm thinking the Sidi boots are the way to go for me, just seemed like they are more for the task at hand - the Astars were fine, but I don't think felt as good, were heavier, and just seemed "cluttered" to me - like too much going on. Now that I think about it, the latch release for the cuff could release in a slide too if it caught on something, which would be bad. The zipper only went up halfway.

Once I figure out the glove thing I'm sure some ppl will be calling you.

Since the specs I can find online are rather minimal - the trecomps are vented too right? (I thought I saw a vent over the hand part, just not in the fingers). I'd just like some cooling for those hot summer days.

haywood jablome
Mon Dec 30th, 2002, 10:33 PM
Have you tried the 2002 Teknic Violator Pro Gloves?
http://www.newenough.com/closeouts/gloves.htm

they are only $69 also. I know they look kinda ghetto but i think they are perty good. Just my $.02

Anonymous
Mon Dec 30th, 2002, 10:50 PM
Yeah, Bob has those so I tried them on at least. Not bad gloves. I wound up going with the Spidi Tre-Composites, but of course got one size too small so I'm having to exchange those at the moment. However they'll be nice once I get that taken care of! :D

Anonymous
Tue Dec 31st, 2002, 12:56 AM
I have both the Joe Rocket Speedmaster, and picked up the Violator Pro at New Enough on closeout for $69($75 shipped). I feel that they are both good gloves. As mentioned, the Violator Pro's with the shiny knuckles look a bit lame, but hey, $69.00 for gloves that are well made, and normaly cost between $125-$150 is hard to beat. The Speedmasters do have vents on the top, and yes, they do make a difference. Especially this time of year, micro liners or not, your hands will be colder in the Speedmaster. Flip side being they will not be as sweaty and hot in spring / summer.

I would pick up the Violator Pro's for now... good glove, and the right price.

Dysco
Tue Dec 31st, 2002, 01:27 AM
I ride with Tour Master race comp carbons with the Aramid stuff- they fit great, are cool in warm weather and reasonable in cold weather, and they seem to be waterproof, though I've never seen them advertised as such. I've been wearing a pair full time since last winter and I've never had a problem. They survived one crash and besides having flat knuckles on one hand, there's no reason to replace them. I figure that the velcro will last another year or so. Cost was somewhere around $75.

http://www.tourmaster.com/

BlackHawk
Wed Jan 8th, 2003, 07:34 AM
Ask and Ye shall receive, recommendations, that is.

The first thing to touch the pavement at 65 mph two years ago when my front tire was clipped by a hit and run red Jeep Cherokee was the palm of my left hand. Still got a nice white scar the size of a quarter. I figure the gloves I was wearing at the time probably only lasted the first 10 feet of the 150 foot slide.

The moral? Buy and wear the best gloves you can afford, and if it is good enough for a professional racer, it is probably pretty damn good!

Here's what I wear these days:
http://1888fastlap.com/kobe_pro_glove.htm

BlueDevil
Tue Mar 18th, 2003, 10:52 AM
Just dont buy that TiMax glove. 25mph crash and they go to pieces. Those are for looks only.

I have Joe Roket Speedmaster gloves and they have been great. Went down one time on the track and they had no troubles.

yakuza
Tue Mar 18th, 2003, 10:59 AM
Went down one time on the track and they had no troubles.


Was that the time you were at IMI chasing a CBR600 on your R1 and went down? :lol: Just givin' ya shit bro. :)

BlueDevil
Tue Mar 18th, 2003, 11:12 AM
Yeah come to think of it that 600 looks just like the one in your banner pic :x haha

That would be the one.

BlueDevil
Fri Apr 25th, 2003, 09:03 AM
Uhhh uhhhh I have no idea what U R talking about sir. Have I met or rode with you before. haha Bastid!! :lol:

Boy Scout
Tue Jun 10th, 2003, 10:52 PM
Hey Ralph,

Now that you've had a chance to do some riding with your Spidi Tre-Composites, how are you liking them? Pros? Cons? General comments?

Nate

Anonymous
Wed Jun 11th, 2003, 12:49 AM
Hi Nate,

Well, my first impression is that they're sized a bit smaller than you'd think. I have the large and brand new they're a bit tight (I tried the mediums since my Olympias were med's and a bit big after a while - BIG mistake I could not feel my hands after 20 min!), but as you ride they break in quite nicely. I've been working them a little at lights as well, and they are conforming to my hands as good leather gloves should.

So far there really isn't anything I don't like about them, other than I kinda wish the stitching was reversed. Oh well, not a huge deal. They have extra padding and layers where it counts, some hard-ass knuckle protection and an air pocket for the top of your hand to protect against impact, and feel of the controls is very good - I actually had to relearn that part a bit, since my Olympias sucked so bad and I didn't even know it. Got on my hawk and was real jerky with the clutch and throttle for a few miles while I got used to it.

Overall, for the money they are great gloves. They do have some venting as well for the hot days, and I'd recommend them as a purchase to someone else.

:)

RSVR4aCowboy
Thu Jun 19th, 2003, 01:17 PM
I have these Spidi gloves in the Red/White/Black flavor. I bought them brand new off eBay and they are too small. They are an Italian large which relates to a tight medium. I forgot about Italian sizing when I bought them. Anyone that has smaller hands might want to try them. Price would be the same as I paid without shipping 80.00.

http://www.kneedraggers.com/index.php?partno=33-853-7

Wish they fit as they are real nice :(

Rick T.
Sun Jun 22nd, 2003, 08:30 AM
I have these gloves as well - don't wear 'em... sizing is odd and they don't fit me well. Overall quality is VERY good though (should be for the price)...

I, however, find myself reaching for my Alpinestars or Teknic gloves more.

So... my Spidis just sit there.