PURCHASE DETAILS

Sizes: 2XS-4XL
Available colours: Red; Black; Blue (Green; Yellow available upon special order)
Price: $219.95
Distributor: NF Importer – www.nfimporters.com.au

When it comes to protection while riding motorcycles, sturdy gloves are vital in protecting your hands in both the case of an accident and in everyday comfort when on the bike.

The trick is, with safety comes to compromise of comfort, and that’s something that Spyke has got sorted quite well with its ALIEN road race glove in an effort to retain comfort while maximising safety.

Spyke’s ALIEN glove features leather in areas subject to abrasion, Kevlar, Clarino and rigid carbon-fibre protection in areas that are exposed to frequent shocks, according to Spyke’s press material.

Straight away I was pleased with the gloves’ wear in rate, essentially feeling comfortable quickly and proving wearable on long rides almost from the outset as they weren’t too tight, or too loose.

Where most gloves require a period to stretch to the mould of your hand, the Alien gloves felt relatively comfortable right off the bat and then became even more comfy after just a few hundred kilometres.

The only downside to this is that the gloves are never a true snug fit around your hand, feeling a touch bulky compared to a more slim-fit set of gloves, although I personally don’t have a preference either way.

Protection of the gloves looks the goods without scraping them along the ground (touch wood), with the carbon-fibre sections of the glove covering both the knuckles and the outside palm – a section I have worn skin off earlier in my riding career without such safety advancements.

Increased leather and padding is also featured in the palm, on the top section of the fingers/thumb areas, and also on the wrist area in many places. There’s also extra material at the base of the fingers and inside the thumb, increasing the comfort and protection against blisters more than anything.

The tightening wrist-strap system is handy in the way that the main strap folds from both sides into a Velcro patch, with the ability to overlap if required for the tightest fit around the wrist. A secondary wrist strap is also included for added safety, which is a simple Velcro pull strap around each wrist.

Comfort is further increased via stretch panels throughout the glove in areas that are designed to add comfort without decreasing the safety aspect, working well with the soft leather to ensure comfort.

One thing to make sure of is that you have another set of gloves handy for winter riding unless the sun is blazing, because ventilation in between the fingers is massive – which would be great in hot conditions during the summer months.

They look the goods in our black pair of test gloves for our review, with a variety of colours also available if you’re looking to match your riding gear or bike.

For a comfy set of road and touring gloves that are also more than good enough for track riding, the Italian company has done a solid job in designing these gloves for with quality, safety and comfort in mind.

There are both more race-orientated and more road-going gloves available, but as a decent mix, the Spyke ALIENs do the job just fine.