Gear Review - Rynox Gravel Gloves Review: Great Dual-purpose Buddies

Rynox is one of the very few homegrown motorcycle gear manufacturers that have managed to ace it when it comes to affordable high quality products. I have been quite happy with their riding pants, picking up a pair of shorty gloves recently too, which have now become my daily runners. However, Rynox offered their brand new Gravel gloves for me to try out. I couldn’t think of a better opportunity to try them out as there have been a few adventure shoots recently and my new long term Hero XPulse 200 4V has just arrived. How do these shorties fare and do these make for better sense than the Tornado Pro 3s?

Product name: Rynox Gravel Gloves
Sizes available: S-XXL
Price: Rs 3,150
Colours: Hi-Viz Green Blue, Blazin Orange, Granite Grey

Specs
Material: Full grain leather chassis, mesh liner on outer hand area
Armour: FLEXPROTECT super flexible knuckle, scaphoid and finger joint protectors
Size tested: L
Adjustable straps: Wrist straps
Fit type: Short, relaxed fit

Pros: Extremely light, SureGrip panel offers great grip on the bars, FLEXPROTECT panels help dissipate a lot of energy away from your hands in a fall, pull tabs are a nifty feature.
Cons: The touchscreen compatibility doesn’t work

DESIGN
The Gravel gloves look fit for off-road riding. The large FLEXPROTECT panel on the knuckle area looks extremely rugged with a neat little round Rynox logo engraved on the protector. In this high visibility blue and green shade, it does catch your attention pretty easily. I love the contrast between the black and blue leather with the fluo green silicone palm grips, upper layer of the fingertips and the prominent Rynox logo all standing out.

FIT AND PROTECTION
Having not broken down the gloves before taking it to the Royal Enfield Scram 411 first ride in Bengaluru, I was a bit unsure how the gloves would feel, especially since there was a lot of off-roading in store at the Big Rock Dirtpark. Thankfully, it didn’t take much time for me to get comfortable with the Gravel, feeling nice and soft in the first few kilometres itself.

For these gloves, Rynox has offered a special pull tab that makes it so much easier to slip your hand inside. The velcro strap is long and secures itself properly. The aim here is not to have it tightly done up as you need a bit more flexibility when going off-roading and hence, the larger strap comes in handy.

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The full outer mesh layer means that even in this sweltering summer weather, there’s enough air blowing to your hands, keeping them cool and not sweaty. So breathability wise, it does an excellent job.

The SuperGrip coating continues to impress here as well. This silicone lined palm panel grips to the bar grips quite well. Even when things got extra muddy, like when I had a small spill on an off-road shoot that kicked up a lot of dust, the adhesion levels never waned.

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Which brings me to the best bit of the gloves: the FLEXPROTECT panels. In the said spill, I landed a bit hard on my right side. ATGATT rules always apply on shoots but I was particularly impressed with how very little I felt the rough floor during impact. Rynox has got this unique rubber panel that’s meant to absorb the impact energy to a great extent before it reaches your palms. This protective panel is especially helpful around the scaphoid area because when you are off-roading, the chances of you sliding or dragging on the floor in a crash are minimal. You want something that absorbs the blows and these small pieces do a great job.

THINGS THAT COULD BE IMPROVED
I had two complaints about the Tornado Pro 3s: the stitching and touchscreen compatibility. Of the two, Rynox has managed to improve on the former. The external stitching meant they weren’t irritating on those first few rides. However, operating your touchscreens when you have these gloves on is a bit challenging even now. It was becoming a hassle even on our long term Ather 450X when we wanted to feed in places to navigate it. But judging by how well Rynox has taken the feedback from the Tornado Pro 3s and implemented it on the Gravel, I am sure that things might improve on their next release.

ANOTHER KNOCKOUT!
Rynox has got the intent right with the Gravel gloves, offering a brilliant cost-effective option for those who are looking at a pair of dual sport riding gloves. It will not replace my Tornado Pro 3s for regular use, though, as I find the latter to be better suited for road usage and in the event of a road crash, I would have a bit more protection on hand. However, I have suggested the Gravels to a couple of office mates who wanted something that can do it all, and one of them has already picked them up and is loving them. So, job well done, Rynox.