Update: RST GP-Pilot Race Gloves

Hello again.

Next up is the RST GP-Pilot gloves. Initial review of them is here.

I didn’t really speak about them that much in the review, only that they are really comfy! Well here is an “extended” review then…

The RST GP-Pilot is the 2nd from top end glove that they offer.

The GP-Pilot is a very good glove. And when I say very, I mean very. When you first try on a brand new one, it may feel a bit tight, but after short while of bedding in, the GP’s start to feel really snug. The leather moulds around my hand in a way that as soon as I put it on, it’s instantly like home. The leather that is used around the glove depends on it’s location. For the fingers and middle palm a beautiful soft leather is used. Blair’s first comment when he tried on my GP’s are “Wow, how soft are these!?” He has a set of Alpinstars Sledges, like mine only he has actually worn his and he seemed really impressed with the GP’s.

As you move around the glove you have a harder leather on the outer edge of the hand…I don’t know what you call it, but it’s the bit of hand between your pinky and your wrist. This tougher leather continues across the bottom of your hand with a funny “pillow” of material right over the ball of your thumb.

Across the palm you have some grippy stuff and in the major finger joint is some stretchy panelling. The finger sides are ventilated with holes and on the index and middle finger are funny “fencing masks.”

The vents on the leading edge of the index and middle fingers.

These vents actually work, supplying a small amount of air in to the finger cavities and offering some relief from heat, however I don’t really know how much use they are when it’s not that hot here in Scotland.

There is a lot of nice design touches on this glove, and one such design touch is the stitched 3rd and pinky finger.

Webbed 3rd and pinky finger.

It is a bit annoying if you are a 3-finger braker or clutcher, but for me being a 2-finger and 4-finger for brakes and clutch, it was no problem. The concept behind this webbing is because in a fall, the pinky is the one thing that is guaranteed to break, so if you attach it to the 3rd finger, it doesn’t. Now I have no evidence of this being true, but you’ll find a lot of gloves these days are webbing the final 2 fingers together.

Now on to the finger tips. These areas have started to lose their white colour and have no adopted the raw leather colour. It’s so far away from being an issue that it seems silly bringing it up, but some people may find this annoying/disappointing.

Left hand index finger.

It is mainly happening on the left hand as this hand is doing more, but it has started now on the right as well. It’s not really that bad because the bare leather now gives a better feel and better grip with the levers and bar grip. Fastenings are all excellent, with a wrist velcro closure and the main double whammy velcro enclosure (you fasten one from right to left and then the main one from left to right, over that first velcro…) and offer whatever kind of fastening you want, whether it’s over leather race look or under jacket street look.

Comfy as you like.

You can see the thumb is wearing quite a bit as well as the index and middle fingers.

So to conclude:

This glove, which I got for £5, but retail for £69.99 is the best glove I own. In my glove arsenal past and present I have had some RST Vortex’s, RST SRT6-7’s and Alpinestars Sledge’s and these gloves are the daddies. Perfectly fitting glove, with beautiful materials, great stitching (Hooray RST) which is Kevlar if I am correct in thinking, and great ventilation and feel. I have absolute confidence that in a spill these gloves would do the business. They even have Carbon Fibre knuckle and finger protection.

There isn’t really a bad point with these gloves. Perhaps the £70 price may put some people off, but for a glove that gives you brilliant value for money, it’s a no-brainer. The next best I imagine is probably an Alpinestars Race glove, and they start at £150…

For a glove that is made by a company that I haven’t really had a good time with, these gloves have restored some of my faith in RST and make me more confident that the stuff they bring out in the future will be of the same quality.

Thanks for looking!

Gordon