Giro Monaco fingerless glove Review

 

After black lycra bike shorts, few things are as iconic to cycling as fingerless cycling gloves. When the parameters have been unaltered for generations, it boggles the mind that we have such a plethora of options.  Gloves should have a grippy palm, padding at the heel of the hand and a breathable backside. That pretty much sum it up. 

In addition to the basics outlined above, we have come to ask even more.  We like it when they keep our hands cool on hot days.  We want them to fit like a glove, yet come off easily when we stop.  I like them to dry quickly and survive frequent washings.  Style? Sure.

Like so many products it is easy to find something that scores high in one category but then they tend to fall short elsewhere. The Giro scores high across the board and that makes it a winner.

The Giro glove fits well and is made well using excellent materials. It dries well and has survived many washings.  I’ve got a seam that is starting to unravel, but this glove has been to hell and back with me, so I’m still giving it excellent marks for quality and durability. 

The padding is right where you need it and isn’t so thick that it gets in the way.  For Cyclocross I like little or no pad and this glove is my one and only if it is warm enough to go fingerless and rough enough that I want some padding. 

I wear these mountain biking, trail riding on my cross bike and road riding when the temperature allows fingerless gloves.

I recently bought a second pair, in white for summer use.  The new pair had some refinements and has settled in for a long career with Evo. The later version of this glove has two tabs on the backs of the middle two fingers that are supposed to make glove removal easier.  Everyone else seems to have better luck using them compared to me, but since everyone else seems to love it, I guess I do too.

Some types of products are harder to evaluate subjectively than others.  When you ride a bike you notice the stiffness. For most clothing products the highest compliment you can give them is that you didn’t notice them.  If you have a bibshort that works perfectly on a six hour ride you don’t notice them for a second.  When a short chafes you, you notice it, when it doesn’t you don’t. The same applied to shoes, helmets and gloves.  Not noticing means they are doing their job and letting you enjoy the ride without distraction.

I have never looked at these and thought, “Man these gloves are super padded!”  I have thought that with a pair of Castelli gloves that have other shortcomings. More importantly, I have never thought, “I need to wear something different tomorrow” after wearing the Giro gloves.  I feel kind of weird giving them five Evos when I haven’t had an epiphany that I can point towards.  I can tell you I set a high bar and these have never let me down.

Months after you buy a product your subconscious reveals all you need to know.  The stuff that gets pushed to the back of the drawer and stays there is what you don’t like. It no longer matters if it was expensive or cheap, it is all yours now.  The stuff that you pull out without even thinking about it is what you like.  

I have looked down at my hands and wondered, why did I grab these Giro gloves today?  Why? Because they are the working man’s glove, that’s why!  Think Ford F-150, think Dickies or Carhart; these are tools for your hands.

When my luggage was lost on my cycling trip to France in 2012 I had a chance to contemplate what I would replace and what I would not.  On my short list were these gloves. (As it happened all my clothes made it back to my house so I didn’t have to replace them) BTW, what kind of friend is Big John?  When I was in France and depended on the goodwill and spare gear of my brothers in brown, John loaned me his Giro Monaco gloves.

A couple days later we were in a town with a bike shop and I was able to buy my own gloves.  When I gave John back his gloves he was happy as he had developed a blister on the palm of his hand wearing something else. What kind of friend is John?  What kind of gloves are these Giro’s?  Same answer to both.. The best

Five of five Evos