The DH Gripper glove offers an injection molded Race Face logo across the top of the hand and on the knuckles for crash protection. The rubberized palm yields tenacious grip, and the Clarino leather base means hand comfort and maximum control.
Submitted by
Brent
a
from Bobcaygeon, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2008
Strengths: Good Grip, comfortable. Strong seams, good material. Can keep your hands warm too.
Weaknesses: Rubber brake grips wore off quickly.
Bottom Line:
Gloves aren't very well padded but will make the perfect all-mountain glove. Very durable, I have crashed hard in them many times over the last 3+ years and they are still whole. Also suitable for cross-country but could be hot in the summer. 5 Chilis for value because they have outlasted all of my other gloves.
Strengths: Vegan, comfortable, grippy, your hands stay pretty cool for full finger gloves, cheap
Weaknesses: Palm is not very durable, no brake finger callous padding, rubber bits tear off immediately
Bottom Line:
My other gloves, after almost 6 years of service, were starting to shred, so I picked up these gloves when I saw them on sale for $15. I ride trials and street recreationally, and was quite disappointed after the first ride. Both the rubber "pad" and the glove palm material itself began to wear away on my brake finger. Several rides later, the material on my brake finger is still hangin' in there, but has worn quite thin.
Needless to say, there is no padding for your brake finger callouses. After the first ride with these, my brake finger actually started bleeding a little, although since then the callous has toughened up quite a bit and this is no longer an issue.
As I mentioned earlier, the material that the palms of these gloves are made from is very flimsy. I get the feeling that on my first high-speed crash onto concrete, the palms of these gloves are going to shred. They will probably prevent my hands from getting ripped up, but I am fully expecting to have to replace the gloves. Although with my luck, I will biff hard the only ride I forget to wear any gloves at all, so maybe this isn't an issue...
That being said, these gloves are not all bad. I find them very comfortable, and they are much cooler than the gloves they replaced. They would make excellent cross-country or trailbike gloves, especially if you can pick them up for $15 like I did. I rated them so low because they are simply not suitable for the demands of DH, street, or trials, despite what the name would suggest.
Submitted by
G Man
a Downhiller
from Portland, OR, USA
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2004
Strengths: Grippy
Weaknesses: WAY too underbuilt for DH use!!! Poorly built, rubber "iron on" finger grips come off on the first ride.
Bottom Line:
Ditto to what Tony has already said. Race Face should be ASHAMED of themselves for producing such a pathetic DH glove, IMHO they should stick to components and get out of the bike wear business! These gloves don't have enough outer finger nor palm protection to be used for anything more than light XC use. The rubber palm material is grippy but doesn't allow your hand to breath well so your hands sweat more. I'd give it a 2.5 for XC but since it is designated as a downhill glove, it gets downgraded.
Submitted by
Tony
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2004
Strengths: Ripoff of Fox Sidewinder, better closure mechanism than Fox, good tactile feel in the fingers
Weaknesses: Gripper fingertips wore off almost instantly, Rubber palm sweats and gets funky after 1 ride, rubber palm is kinda bulky and thus I have to take them off to change a tire.
Bottom Line:
These gloves are OK. I'd say they are about the same as the new Fox Sidewinders but worse than the original Fox Sidewinders. I now have 4 pair of full-finger XC gloves and I still like my 1999/2000 Sidewinders the best. The raceface gloves don't breath that well and as a result my hands get sweaty and the rubber gets really stinky. They can be washed, so I just toss em in the washer along with my shorts.
