I had a pair of Sidi summer gloves and rode them into the ground (pun intended). They were comfortable, but thin and to my disappointment didn’t last long at all. When my fingers and palms started to show through I knew it was time to move on.
I wanted another set of short street style gloves that were easy to get on and off for everyday riding. They also had to last longer than the Sidi’s.
Here in sunny Brisbane we can get away with using summer gloves all year round, it’s only a couple of weeks a year where I wish I had some cozy winter gloves. There’s nothing quite like riding home at 1am, the cold sending your fingers numb and trying to use the front brake but your fingers don’t work properly so you have to use all your might just stop from 40km/h. On that note, stuff riding in England or the likes where it’s always cold and wet, my delicate hands couldn’t cope with that. Anyways where was I…I only need one set of gloves for the street.
I went to my local motorcycle stores and tried on pretty much everything they had…and they all fitted like mud. Maybe I’ve got weirdly shaped hands? Nah, it’s definitely the gloves, I’m completely normal! Just as I was starting to lose hope I tried on the Dainese Air Hero’s, they fit like…yeah you know I’m going to say it…a glove. I looked at the price tag and nearly had a stroke, $165. That’s a bit rude for a set of airy fairy summer gloves. But then I thought about it, I’m going to be wearing them pretty well every day for the next 1-2 years, and there’s nothing worse than wearing gloves that don’t fit correctly. If you average the price out over time, it really is bugger all for a good quality glove. Also, last I checked skin and bitumen don’t get along very well. I asked if they could do a deal on them and I got them for $145, score.
So what are the Air Hero’s like? I find them to be bloody comfortable. On top of this, you can tell they are high quality. The material is slightly thicker than the average summer glove and the stitching is top notch.
The glove itself is a mix of mesh, cowhide and with a reinforced goat skin palm. There is hard plastic on the knuckles with air flow vents and leather on the fingers. The hard plastic and leather on the palms look like they’ll do a good job in a crash.
The mesh style material makes sure plenty of air comes through the gloves and keeps your hands ventilated. I find them to be great in summer and even winter days. It’s only in cold nights where wish I was wearing something warmer.
There is one gripe I have with the gloves, sometimes the palm bunches up slightly and as a result I have to adjust it while riding (I generally use the left grip on my handlebar to fix it). This could be for various reasons; the most likely is my hand shape. It could also be because the palm is a broad fit and/or my old leather jacket pushes the base of the gloves causing the gloves to bunch.
Overall, this is a damn good summer glove and I would definitely recommend them. I’ve had them for over 6 months now and they are still like new. They cost a little bit more than their competitors, but I think they are worth it.
Until next time, keep it OnTheBackWheel people.
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