In case you’re wondering, the Halvarssons Ljusdal gloves are named after a municipality in Sweden.
Date reviewed: May 2022 | Tested by: John Milbank | RRP: £99.00 | halvarssonsmc.com
The Halvarssons Ljusdal gloves on review here are claimed to be all-season, which given their short-cuff design is a challenge, but for those who aren’t hard-core winter riders, they do have some advantages.
I’ve been wearing them on my 2001 Honda VFR800, 2019 BMW S1000XR and the Yamaha Tracer 9 GT for around 600 miles to find out if they’re any good…
For and against
- Excellent fit and comfort
- Great for chillier rides
- Touch screen nubbin does work
- Can get warm much over about 20°C
- BOA-style Windwire a little awkward at times
- Short cuff not the answer for heavy rain
Fit and feel
Obviously fit is very subjective, but I’m very impressed with the Halvarssons Ljusdal gloves as the finger length and overall size is spot-on for me. I typically take a large, and these came up perfect.
Feel is good; there is more material between your palm and the controls, but not to any detriment.
Touchscreen compatibility
I was pleasantly surprised with the Nudud touch-screen lump on the Ljusdal’s right forefinger – it does add some precision to the gloves when using what can be quite small controls on some smartphone apps.
The whole tip of the forefinger on the left and right hands are both touchscreen-compatible, but only the right has the small, rounded Nudud nubbin. It doesn’t work miracles – you still have to position your finger with some care – but it really can help when using apps like Google maps on the bike.
Warm and cold weather use
While claimed to be ‘all-season’, I do think that’s a bit of a push. I took these on a Spanish bike launch, and found that above 20°C they were a bit too warm for me to be comfortable.
While the Outlast lining can help regulate the temperature to some extent, there’s only so much it can do before the 60g Innoborn lining becomes too toasty.
To be fair, I suffered from sweaty hands as a teenager, so I don’t like getting too hot (incredibly, Helen still married me even after I left a sweaty handprint on her leg on an early date); how deep into summer you feel like riding with these will vary, but I can’t see anyone preferring these to a pair of single-layer leather gloves when the temperatures climb.
Below 10°C back in the UK, I started to get chilly fingers after 20 minutes or so on the VFR. This will be influenced to some extent by the short cuff design, which means there’ll always be something of a draft around the wrists. On the S1000XR though, with its hand guards blocking much of the wind to the hands, I was fine throughout a long Sunday ride at about 11°C.
Protection and certification
Tested to Level 1 and for knuckle protection under EN13594:2015, the Halvarssons Ljusdals include the company’s HI-ART (High Abrasion Resistant Textile) on the palm beneath the goat leather.
The top of the gloves is textile, and while these aren’t race-gauntlets, the overall construction and well-padded knuckles do inspire confidence.
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Fastening
The Ljusdals are fastened with a Windwire system that you press down to lock, then rotate clockwise to tighten, which draws a fabric thread through a series of smoothly-curved runners to tighten the wrist. It runs to the rear of the cuff, though doesn’t really cinch the back down that snugly without being too tight around the wrist. It’s a very similar system to the BOA seen on some other products (and motorcycle gloves), though it doesn’t have the same fine, coated stainless steel wire. I’ve not seen any signs of wear on this tough fabric ‘wire’ yet, but I will update the review if anything changes.
The Windwire does work well, though the elastic in the underside of the wrist means they can still be pulled off, though not too easily and they do pass certification.
Just like the BOA, the Windwire is released by pulling it up. The edge of the wheel isn’t silicone-coated like the BOA, so the hard plastic outer can be a little more fiddly to get a good grip on, especially when wearing the gloves.
It’s fine, but I can’t help thinking a simple strap could have been more effective.
Wet weather use
The Halvarssons Dryway+ waterproof membrane helps keep your hands dry in a shower, but you can’t seal a short-cuff glove under or over your jacket’s sleeves, so they’re never going to be that good at keeping you properly dry.
There’s a less wicking material around the inside edge of the Ljusdal cuffs, which certainly helps and is something other brands could benefit from, but in heavy rain, water can still start to find its way in.
A wiper on the left forefinger helps with clearing rain from your visor and is a welcome addition.
The lining just inside the cuff is less prone to wick water up than what’s deeper inside – a thoughtful touch
Lining
The soft lining is very comfortable and slides smoothly over the hand. Most importantly, it uses ‘MC-fit’, which sees the lining of the fingers bonded in place, meaning it’s far less likely to pull out when removing the gloves. A great feature that I look for in any lined gloves.
Three alternatives to the Halvarssons Ljusdal gloves
Think about what kind of conditions you really ride in, and what style you want, then choose your gloves based on that…
- The Oxford Mondial gloves cost £99.99, and are also designed for all seasons. Like the Ljusdals, they’re too hot for summer use, and not warm enough for deep winter, but they do have a long cuff, so are more suitable for rainy weather
- The Furygan TD21s are waterproof short-cuff gloves that cost £69.99. They have the same too-hot-for-summer, too-cold-for-winter issue, but they’re simple, warmish gloves that are good for showers. The fabric on the fingers tends to fray a bit quickly though.
- The Held Twin II gloves are the closest I’ve found to true ‘all-season’, but you can still definitely forget summer in them. These gloves have two entry holes – one being more heavily lined than the other – they’re properly waterproof, and they’re good for deep winter to early Spring and later autumn. They’re £175.99, but worth every penny if you ride through the year.
These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the gloves we’ve tested here and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.
Halvarssons Ljusdal review: Verdict
I struggled to understand the reasoning behind the Halvarssons Ljusdals at first – they might be waterproof, but just like others, the short cuffs limit their practicality in ‘proper’ rain. And they’re only warmish, yet they can get too hot in the summer.
But they’ve ended up on my hands more than any other gloves for a lot of my leisure rides over the past few months. Dry, chilly Spring trips in my riding jeans and a leather jacket have been great with the Ljusdals as they offer just the right balance of comfort, warmth and style. If your jacket’s sleeves fit reasonably well, while these won’t create a seal, they do find that sweet spot between long winter gloves and short summer ones.
The Halvarssons Ljusdals are unlikely to be the only pair of gloves you need, but for anyone who doesn’t ride in the deepest winter cold, and avoids heavy rain, they could prove a great compliment to a pair of short summer gloves.
Do you have a pair of these gloves? Email us at enquiries@bikesocial.co.uk to tell everyone what you think of them…
