The Dainese Steel Core Carbon Gloves arrive new for 2011, and are second in command in the food chain of Dainese race-level gauntlet gloves. Second only to the Dainese Full Metal Pro Gloves worn by MotoGP pro racer Valentino Rossi, the Steel Cores offer a great deal of features and functionality and are a great choice for the regular track day rider and racer alike. With upgrades across the board over the mid-level Dainese Pro Carbon Gloves, the Steel Core gloves will perform extremely well in all active racing scenarios.
Starting out, Dainese utilizes a single piece of premium cowhide leather that is cut to the shape of the glove. Less panels equates to higher levels of safety and lower likelihood that the glove will tear by eliminating superfluous seams. Every reinforcement panel is stitched on using Kevlar jersey thread, an extremely high-tensile-strength thread that has high levels of resistance to tearing, with double stitching in all high-wear and high-use areas. Moving beyond the chassis, the armor that protects against impact and abrasion is constructed from the most technical materials available. At the backhand and main knuckles, a carbon fiber hard part is thermowelded to a stainless steel base plate, while the finger knuckles have TPU hard part protectors. The outside of the pinky has TPU sliders in addition to Dainese's distortion control system, which protects the pinky against torsion and subsequent breakage. There are also TPU hard parts at the outside of the palm and protecting the ulna bone, both of which allow the hand to slide in the event of a low-side on the track.
For comfort, there is perforated leather between the fingers and at the gauntlet, encouraging high levels airflow to the hand when riding at speed. The fingers are precurved for ergonomics and overall fatigue reduction. Strategic areas of the glove, like the back of the thumb and the top of the wrist, utilize Spandex fabric and microelastic paneling for full range of motion when working the controls. The palm of the hand features double layer leather reinforcements to extend the longevity of the Steel Cores. There is a single velcro tightening strap at the wrist for a snug fit while the single velcro cuff closure allows enough room for the glove to be worn on the outside of your racing leathers. Overall, the Dainese Steel Core Carbon Gloves are a solid pick
for the racer or track day enthusiast.
A brand new race gauntlet has arrived from Dainese at the mid-range price point built for the occasional racer and track day enthusiast. The Dainese Pro Carbon Gloves have an excellent feature set that will offer a high-level of performance for the rider that doesn't need the extreme bulked-up attributes of a $350 glove built for the pros. In short, this is for the weekend warrior, the guy who loves to hit the tarmac in the summer, but isn't looking for a spot in the AMA in the near future.
At its core, the Pro Carbon is a complete premium cowhide leather construction with strategic perforation to get air through to your hands in aggressive riding conditions. The knuckle armor is composited: hard stainless steel parts atop a reinforced carbon fiber edge. Finger knuckles are protected from a combination of carbon fiber and temperfoam. All of these armor pieces are supported by elasticated inserts across the backhand and finger knuckles that allow the armor to remain in place when working the controls. The outside of the little pinky is reinforced with TPU hard parts and double reinforced cowhide that wraps up the entire side of the hand and pinky. One of the most common injuries in a get-off is to the little finger, so having a
maximum level of protection can help to prevent this.
The palm of the glove has multiple zones of reinforcement as well. At the crook of the hand there is Clarino synthetic leather which will significantly help to reduce wear, and the Stone PU at the mid-palm performs the same duty. At the heel of the hand there is double leather reinforcement and temperfoam padding for vibration dampening. The backhand also features a temperfoam pad for protection that is perforated to flow air. There is also strategic perf between the fingers, which is always the best way to get air into a glove, and perf on the cuff flow to more air. The Pro Carbon Gloves also feature a velcro wrist adjuster with a single velcro cuff closure. Finally, the gloves feature race-style pre-curving to add to the overall ergonomics and provide long-term comfort.
Again, if you're a trackday enthusiast not looking to hit the pro circuit soon, the Dainese Pro Carbon Gloves could be a good fit for you. While they don't have the level of protection of what Rossi and Lorenzo are wearing, they're a good selection for the weekend warrior.
Check out our full selection by visiting our Motorcycle Race Gloves section at RevZilla.com.
Brand new for Fall 2010, the Icon Overlord Gloves tout being the most technically advanced gloves that Icon has produced to date. Available as the Icon Overlord Short Gloves, which are a short cuff street glove, and the Icon Overlord Long Gloves, a full gauntlet for street riding, Icon spared no expense in design and development of the Overlords. The entire Icon Fall 2010 Gear lineup has us extremely impressed and these gloves are no digression from their attention to quality, detailing and sick styling.
Since the Overlord Long and Overlord Short Gloves share mostly the same features, I'll discuss the commonalities of the gloves first and then explain the differences. Both gloves utilize race-level features and integrate them into street gloves. The backhand construction is full Battlehide Goatskin, Icon's proprietary premium abrasion resistant goatskin. It is light and supple, with more strength than traditional leather cowhide. This combines with injected thermoplastic split knuckle protection that is vented and sits upon its own separate panel to maintain proper placement of the armor when working the controls. The back of the hand also has an additional battlehide goatskin reinforcement panel that sits atop punctuated ventilating goatskin. The fingers feature hard part protection with ventilation,
elasticated stretch for ease of movement, and mesh paneling
between the fingers.
The palm of the gloves is complete Kangaroo leather, which has been the biggest phenomenon in the motorcycle glove industry of late. Kangaroo, like goatskin, is lighter, more flexible, and offers greater abrasion resistance than cowhide. The palm is reinforced with Pittards Keratan Goatskin in all impact and high-wear areas. Keratan is Pittards Goatskin with a hard coating applied in the form of an etched diamond pattern that significantly improves the abrasion resistance and durability of the goatskin. This reinforcement also wraps around and up the side of the pinky since that area is extremely vulnerable in the event of a low-side. In the bottom of the hand, the Keratan is backed by temperfoam injections for vibration-dampening. Finally, everyone who has ever been in a crash scenario knows that the weakest point of any garment is the seams. To that end, Icon has utilized high-tenacity external Aramid stitching throughout. Stitching on the outside provides greater comfort while the aramid itself is very abrasion resistant and also has high heat resistance, so there is no concern that the stitching will burn through and come apart.
The main difference between the long and short versions is the full gauntlet that appears on the Icon Overlord Long Glove. This full gauntlet features perforated goatskin and injected thermoplastic wrist protection at the side. This will assist greatly in the event of a low-side and slide situation. There is also an adjustment velcro strap at the inner wrist protected by a Pittards Keratan panel. Both the long and short gloves feature a single velcro closure system and a neoprene-style cuff for comfort. You'll find precurving in the fingers for a more comfortable fit and, of course, Icon logos throughout thanks to their great attention to stylish detail.
The first look at these gloves has us believing that they're going to be a homerun for the sportbike and street riding community. We can only imagine that Icon's next logical step will be a full-on racesuit. Check out comparable gear by visiting our Motorcycle Race Gloves section and our Men's Short Cuff Motorcycle Gloves sections.
