New Models & Products
NEW MODELS & PRODUCTS
PRODUCT EVALUATION: A GLOVE CALLED "TIBBLIN"
Like nearly everything else in this industry, the state of motocross glove technology is advancing by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, prices usually follow suit. So when we tell you that the new Rolf Tibblin Motocross Gloves retail for $28.95 a pair, you’ll want to know why.
Rolf Tibblin, former World Champion of Motocross, and King of Baja (when he doesn’t hit trees), is said to be responsible for the development of the JT Racing Imports Tibblin Gloves. The gloves are made of 100 percent lambskin, come in an orange, black and white tri-color combination, and carry a three-month guarantee against defects in material and workmanship.
The gloves are unique in that both the palm and inside thumb area are padded with layers of shock absorbent material that is sandwiched between more lambskin. A special stitching pattern has been employed to prevent this padding from rolling or bunching. The knuckle area has been covered with durable high-impact material to protect against injury to the backsides of the hands. Well, so much for paraphrasing the press release we got with our gloves, now to tell you what we found out.
The gloves are very tight fitting, which, according to Tibblin, is the way they have been designed. Lambskin will stretch. Our gloves fit like they were sprayed on, and it took about five hours of use before they stretched enough to be called truly comfortable. But they did stretch, and now they’re a perfect fit.
We suppose that the thing most of you are curious about is the external padding in the palm area. Does it reduce blisters and keep your hands from taking a beating? Yes and no. At first the padding is so thick that, with the initial tightness of the gloves, it is difficult to make a fist, or even to get a good grip on the handlebars. But ride around for awhile at slow speeds and eventually you’ll be able to hang on better.
As the gloves begin stretching, the padding begins to settle. You’ll notice that much of the “feel” that you lost when you first tried the gloves will have returned. The more you ride, the more the gloves stretch and the more feel the padding allows through. This is where the yes and no part comes in. Yes, the padding refuses to roll or bunch up and the gloves will prevent blisters; but no, they don’t keep your hands from getting a fair amount of abuse. Your hands will turn red just as they always have, and on top of that, they’ll turn orange courtesy of the leather dye as you sweat.
Hands don’t receive the abuse inside a pair of Tibblin gloves that they would inside a pair of just about anything else, but they’re not exempt from it. Besides, if you’ve been racing motocross or desert or enduros for any length of time, your hands are already hard and calloused. The only protection you’re looking for is from those pesky blisters that form underneath the calluses. That, these gloves will help you with.
Tibblin gloves are not a panacea. But they’re far superior to anything else we’ve used, once you break them in. Don’t try to race with a fresh pair on because they’ll hinder more than help when new. Like any finely made piece of equipment, such as good leathers or sturdy boots, break them in.
These gloves are expensive, but when you consider the guarantee, the protection they offer, and the fact that other gloves are creeping closer and closer to the $20 bracket, they are certainly worth the price. Besides, they look great. Frankly, we wouldn’t use anything else.
