Author: Scott Millett
First up, I know what you’re all thinking; the only reason I asked to review these gloves was to try and score some freebies. To tell the truth I’d be lying if I said that was totally not true (and who could blame me). The range of TLD (Troy Lee Designs) gloves already have a very high reputation for being the bee-knees of mountain biking gloves. All the best riders wear them, people on the trails rave about them, and I’m left with the urge to buy them. IT’S NOT FAIR!
Hype aside, I am still yet to put a pair on. In this review I intend to go into a bit more detail than your typical glove review. I find that magazine and website reviews usually stop at about 2 paragraphs. Even though the typical rider may not spend as much time deliberating of gloves as he/she would over some forks or a frame, I believe that people should know what they are buying before they are sold on a few ‘buy this’ words. On another note, I am positive that these gloves have a flaw somewhere and I’m going to find it. One thing to note about TLD gloves is that from all the reviews I have read in the past they are yet to have any cons listed by their name. That is all about to change… or is it?
The package arrived a couple days before Christmas and I couldn’t help feeling that old St. Nick had come a little early. Upon opening the package I noted three pairs; XC and GP in blue and SE in red.
Although not obviously stated, using my massive brain power I was able to make the assumption that the XC glove is primarily directed at cross country, SE at downhill/free riding and the GP as an alternative for either.
Features
Each of the packets for the gloves have a list of features on the back. Here is what they say:
XC
- Ultra flexible 4-way stretch spandex
- Air mesh for increased ventilation
- Sonic weld logo and knuckle protection
- Clarino Palm with strategically positioned internal padding
- Injection molded TPR rubber pull-tab, eases entry
- Air-prene wrist for a secure comfortable fit
GP (Grand Prix)
- Injection molded TPR Rubber finger protection
- Molded Air-prene upper with Sonic weld rubber knuckle protection
- Ultra-flexible 4-way stretch spandex
- Cuff less design offers non-constricting circulation while reducing arm pump
- Clarino leather palm with strategically positioned internal padding
- Injection molded TPR Rubber pull tab, eases entry
- Traction control fingers
SE (Speed Equipment)
- Incredible comfort and quality
- Sonic weld rubber finger protection
- Air-prene Molded knuckle, forehand and wrist protection
- Ultra-flexible 4-way stretch spandex upper
- Non-constricting Double layer constructed upper for optimum mobility
- Strategically positioned, lightly padded, dual layer, Clarino leather palm
- Injection molded TPR Rubber Logos and pull tab eases entry
- Traction control fingers
- Vented fingertips and Clarino exhaust pipe protection
Originally I wasn’t going to post these feature lists up until I noticed a couple of the points. In particular, the GP gloves do not have velcro straps (Cuff less), and are fairly loose around the wrist. To me this serves three good purposes:
- You don’t have a pesky velcro strap on your glove to get caught on arm armour.
- More circulation through the arms and therefore less arm pump (in theory, but in my opinion the difference would be minimal if anything).
- Quicker to get on (again, in theory because there is not strap to stick).
Now to me, these points may be good on paper but they’ll have to perform on the ride to have my vote. It’s a good idea, but if it were that good, it would be implemented across the entire range. My guess is that TLD are trying something new this year to see how we like it.
Another point that stood out was the “Traction control fingers.” The first thing that popped into my mind was that I wished my datsun had that. Cars are sold with traction control as an optional extra, and mountain bike gloves have them standard! What is the world coming too? The traction control feature of these gloves are the little grippy sections on the first two fingers of each glove. These are in fact REALLY grippy and deserve the traction control title. Each glove has a different amount of grip, and different shape (purely aesthetic).
SE, GP & XC
The leather used for the palms and various areas of the gloves is Clarino. For those that don’t know, Clarino leather is very breathable and can absorb up to 147% of its own weight in water. This is very good news as we don’t really want our gloves to turn into a hot spa bath (hot tub for American readers) for our hands.
One point that had me a little confused was the “Vented fingertips and Clarino exhaust pipe protection” for the SE gloves. I can understand the vented finger tip part, but the exhaust pipe protection left me perplexed. A quick google search led me here (not much help). After a little more deliberation I decided that they are referring to the mesh (breathable) material on the topside of each of the finger tips (finger nail area).
Gloves On
Putting each of the gloves on was pretty straight forward (who’d have thought!). Each glove slipped on nicely with a very comfortable fit. Each of the gloves has the exact same feel size wise with the exception of the GP glove with the Cuff less design (loose around the wrist). Despite having the loose Cuff, the glove really doesn’t feel like it was going to come off without a fight. At no point have I been worried about them slipping off.
To test the ventilation (direct air flow, not breathe-ability) of the gloves I wore them in front of a water cooler fan. Not surprisingly, the XC gloves had the best ventilation in these conditions. In fact I would rate the XC gloves as the best ventilated gloves I have ever worn period. The other gloves weren’t far behind, with the GP performing well for a moderately padded glove and the SE really well considering it’s pretty much padded all over.
The Gloves Individually
XC
As the name suggests, the XC glove is good for cross country type riding. Many riders I know use them for everything from urban to downhill. I find these gloves are perfect if you want them to be light-weight, well vented, breathable, grippy and to stand up to some palm slides (dirt or asphalt). Protection wise don’t expect these gloves to absorb any knocks on things such as trees and rocks. Durability wise, Graves tells me that he has been running the same XCs for two years now and they’ve only just started to wear through the palm.
GP
The GP gloves have over the space of the last two weeks become my favourite. These are my choice for urban, dirt jumping, and general road style riding because of the extremely comfy and breathable feel. The loose cuff around the wrist constantly lets the hot air out and the cool air in. Looking at both the XC and GP gloves one could say that the GP is a beefed up version of the XC. The downside of the GP is that I can see it easily getting dirt inside the glove from a fall into loose dirt. That is why I recommend it for more road/urban style activities.
SE
If there ever was the ultimate glove for downhill, the SE is it (I know this review is starting to sound a bit typical, but I’m having a real hard time here faulting these gloves). They look really good, and with closer inspection you can see that a lot of effort and rider feedback was put into their creation. The padded area on the top side of the glove (near the knuckles) is separate from the spandex on top (two separate layers) so they can move independently of each other making it easier to clench your first. Not only that, it provides better ventilation without compromising protection. During testing I ran my right hand square on into a couple of fairly solid trees (unintentionally) and crashed on a rock garden without damaging either my hands or gloves (I wish I could say the same about my bike). I’m not going to say much else about these gloves because you have to go and see a set for yourself. Downhill = SE.
Conclusion
Overall, this review has me with mixed thoughts. On one side I have a kickass range of products, and on the other I have the problem of the review sounding like a blatant advert. I could be really picky and perhaps pick out some flaws with a microscope but that would be just plain silly. The bottom line is that I now ride with Troy Lee Designs gloves, and plan to keep riding with them until something else blows my socks off.
Rating 9/10 (had to take one because the review sounds too nice)
Thanks to Steve Cramer Products for supplying the review items. Troy Lee Gloves can be found in all leading bike shops (if not, kick up a stink!).
The recommended retail prices (RRP) for these products are as follows:
GP $ 54.95
GP Youth $ 49.95
SE $ 69.95
XC $ 49.95
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