My Glove Experience​

Everyone that knows me understands that I have a mild glove fetish. At one time I had over 20 pairs of motorcycle gloves, including a pair of fingerless gloves I don’t recall ever wearing.

Over time several pairs wore out and others were given away (with some encouragement from my spouse) until I found myself with only two pairs. A heavy pair of winter gloves and a pair of mesh summer gloves with nothing to fill the void in between.

Enter the REV’IT Bastille gloves, a perfect ‘tweener’ glove for spring.


Shopping Now? We Recommend:


webBikeWorld has worked closely with RevZilla over the years to provide our testers with products to review. In addition to being a great site to shop from, they’re also a great partner.

RevZilla




Free shipping on orders over $40
30-day no-nonsense return policy
Excellent selection of all major brands
Awesome pricing

Buy These Gloves on RevZilla

A Little About REV’IT​

We at wBW are no stranger to REV’IT motorcycle gear. REV’IT has headquarters in both the Netherlands and New York City with a reputation for making nice quality, well fitting, motorcycle gear.

I’m not sure if the Bastille gloves are named after the French fortress/prison or the British boy band. Perhaps the name implies the protection of the fortress and the hipness of the pop-rock band. They do give off a stylish retro vibe while hiding some surprising safety features, so let’s take a closer look at them.

Sizing​

All my gloves are a size medium but the REV’IT size chart put me squarely in the middle between a size small and a medium. Since I have some arthritis in my hands I decided to go with the bigger size. They do fit but the size chart is right on as these are just slightly too large. This is most evident in the fingers as they’re a smidge too long.

I don’t mind the extra length in the fingers, in fact, a lot of my gloves put pressure on the end of my index fingers when I ride, so the extra length is welcome there. The extra length in the thumb, however, did make using the controls a little bit awkward at first.

They are quite comfortable though and the more I ride with them the more comfortable they get. The leather is pretty pliable, and the lining is slick and soft. I found the opening was large enough to get the gloves off and on easily.

Construction​

The Bastille gloves are made out of thick drum-dyed goatskin leather. They feel completely different than the $20 pleather gloves found at my local motorcycle dealership.

These feel more like the heavy leather gloves my dad used to wear for his flat track races back in the ’60s although these are a heck of a lot softer and much fancier looking. Goatskin leather breaks in and conforms to your hands very quickly and is considered very durable.

Design Features​

Accordion pleats on the back of the hand and the outside of the thumb allow for more freedom of movement and the pre-curved fingers provide a comfortable grip wrapped around the throttle.


Extra pieces of leather at the base of the fingers, outside of the little finger and wrapped around the outside edge of the hand and base of the palm are all double stitched.



Finger construction involves a top and a bottom with the two sides meeting with a center seam over the end of the fingers. The thumb is also constructed with a top and a bottom, but the sides wrap over the top in one continuous piece with no seam.



Outer edges of the retention strap and the lower edge of the short cuff are wrapped with PU (polyurethane) coated fabric that makes a nice soft edge while the interior has a nylon type lining. There are seams on the inside that I can feel. I thought the one at the base of the thumb would bother me when I ride but I never seemed to notice it. I’ve not noticed any issues with any of the other seams.

There are no vents or perforations so these will probably get warm during the heat of the summer but I’ve been riding with them in 50-60°F weather this spring and they’ve been quite comfortable.


Shopping Now? We Recommend:


webBikeWorld has worked closely with RevZilla over the years to provide our testers with products to review. In addition to being a great site to shop from, they’re also a great partner.

RevZilla




Free shipping on orders over $40
30-day no-nonsense return policy
Excellent selection of all major brands
Awesome pricing

Buy These Gloves on RevZilla

Styling​

The Bastille gloves are part of REV’IT’s Urban collection made specifically for hipsters and scrambler riders.

Well, I’m way too old to be a hipster but I do ride a scrambler (or I will if it ever gets here) so I guess I’m the intended audience for these gloves. They do have a simple vintage look that I like and they do remind me of the ’60s although I don’t remember gloves being that pretty back then.

The accordion pleats are both functional and stylish and the fake snap on the retention strap is a nice nod to the vintage look. Safety features are subtle and nicely incorporated as is the minimal branding, an embossed REV’IT! along the base of the retention strap.



These are nice looking gloves that don’t particularly scream motorcycle gloves. Along with the black shown here, they also come in a pretty brown color and come in both men and women’s sizes.

Safety Features​

The Bastille gloves are not meant to provide race level protection but they do have some features incorporated into the design that make them safer than they perhaps look while carrying a CE Level 1 designation.

To begin with they’re all leather which despite the popularity of synthetic materials is still considered excellent protection. They also sport Temperfoam knuckle padding on the first 3 fingers and thumb.


The entire outside of the little finger has an extra layer of leather with another extra piece of leather wrapping around the outside of the hand to the base of the palm with what feels like gel padding underneath. There is an additional piece of leather on the palm at the base of the fingers.



On the inside, the palm is lined with the REV’IT PWR/shield material, created with a unique knit technique that results in a fabric with “unsurpassed cut, tear, and abrasion resistance” which lends a surprising level of protection in these fairly non-descript gloves.

To round out the safety features there is a thick wrap-around retention strap that adds an extra layer of leather to the back of the hand and fastens with a long length of hook and loop fabric. Beneath the strap is a strip of zig-zag elastic to provide even more security.

I was unable to pull these gloves off with the strap fastened. They do not have any reflective qualities.

Conclusion​

The REV’IT Bastille gloves are well made, nice looking, vintage style gloves that look good on or off the bike. And for gloves made to look good and retail at $99.99, they have sneaky good levels of protection that will help keep your skin unscathed and your manicure intact.


Pros

• Stylish vintage gloves
• Good protection
• Comfortable on the bike

Cons

• Use the size chart
• Interior seams are noticeable
• No reflective material

Specs

• Manufacturer: REV’IT

• Price (When Tested): $99.99

• Made In: Europe

• Alternative models & colors: Black or Brown

• Sizes: SM – 3XL

• Review Date: April 2019

Shopping Now? We Recommend:


webBikeWorld has worked closely with RevZilla over the years to provide our testers with products to review. In addition to being a great site to shop from, they’re also a great partner.

RevZilla




Free shipping on orders over $40
30-day no-nonsense return policy
Excellent selection of all major brands
Awesome pricing

Buy These Gloves on RevZilla

REV’IT Bastille Gloves Image Gallery​

The post REV’IT Bastille Gloves Hands-On Review appeared first on Web Bike World.

Spoiler

Read More...