In the summer, there’s the sun, the heat, that urge to get your bike out and use it on every trip, in and outside the city. There’s that urge to feel the air rushing against your body and to cool off, even just for a few minutes. But be careful! Giving in to the temptation, sometimes pretty strong, to go without technical clothing means trouble. Protecting the whole body is important even on the shortest trips, because we can never really know what lies ahead. Whether you’re getting around the city, on a country road or up a hill, unexpected events are always lying in wait, whether it’s a distracted driver, a patch of gravel in the middle of a curve or stumbling when stopped.
A helmet is mandatory, of course, then a perforated jacket, pants and technical footwear. But gloves too, since it always falls to our hands to protect us, after all, the first to pay by touching the ground even in the most unremarkable of slips. And protecting them in summer season isn’t as much of a pain as you might think – it’s actually pretty straightforward. Because, as well as the safety they offer the whole hand in relation to impact and abrasion, you need to consider two additional factors that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Sun protection – just try riding a whole day uncovered and you’ll see that you’re sure to burn. Protection against insects – especially in the case of bees or wasps, encounters with insects can get pretty nasty. People who’ve experienced it know what we’re talking about.
But how do you choose gloves for riding a motorcycle in summer? It’s simpler than you might think. All you need is to consider your personal riding style and follow these few, essential guidelines.
Summer gloves for mixed riding on asphalt and dirt are optimized to achieve perfect contact with the grips on the bike and the greatest feel for it. So their palms are made of sheepskin, which is thin but very resistant to wear and abrasion. The back is instead made of lightweight, ventilated synthetic material for maximum heat exchange even at low speeds. Rigid protectors are then built into the knuckles, the most exposed part, and other soft ones on some areas of the back and fingers, for the perfect balance between safety and the freedom of movement required by off-road riding.
Summer adventure gloves in ventilated stretch fabric with goatskin palm and Ergo-Tek protectors on knuckles.
The ideal solution for sporty road use in summer is a short leather glove. Rigid protectors on the back of the hand are also essential for this style of riding and motorcycle. There are different types of protectors, such as carbon fiber plates or knuckles with Ergotek technology, special metal protectors designed and developed by studying the most impact-prone areas of the gloves worn by professional MotoGP™ riders, optimized for maximum freedom of movement. When it comes to materials, sports gloves for summer make extensive use of leather inserts to protect the areas most prone to abrasion, while they employ breathable synthetic materials or perforated leather at crucial points for ventilation.
The summer fabric glove is the lightest and most ventilated solution, optimized for the greatest coolness in scorching climates. It’s composed entirely of thin, flexible technical material, but has reinforcements on the palm and padding in the most exposed areas of the back. It’s ideal for shorter trips and getting around the city, whether by motorcycle or scooter.
Then there are gloves that lend themselves to a wide variety of riding situations and styles, from trips in the city to rides on mountain passes, not to mention light off-road riding. These gloves draw on different solutions from the categories above to create a perfect balance for maximum versatility. Their composition involves a mix of leather and ventilated fabric. The leather is in the areas most exposed to abrasion, as always, but is used less extensively than on sports models. Again, there are rigid knuckle protectors, made of plastic, for maximum safety.
No matter what bike we have in the garage, proper protection in all seasons is a must. Warmer climates can certainly discourage you from wearing all the technical clothing, but turning to the most advanced solutions and garments designed for summer lets you ride in the utmost comfort even with high temperatures. Whether it’s jackets, pants or gloves, the same principle applies – we can only really feel free to enjoy riding with the right clothing.
