Date reviewed: October 2019 | Tested by: Steve Rose | Price: £109.99 | www.richa.eu
Finding a pair of dependable, comfortable, waterproof summer riding gloves is harder than you’d think. I’m lucky – as a journo I get to try at least one pair per summer, but in the last ten years, there are only a couple that have really made an impression. And now these too. Richa’s Street Touring gloves are a simple construction; cowhide leather, with a Gore-tex lining, hard-knuckle armour and double layers on the key impact areas. I’ve done 3000 miles in them so far on bikes ranging from KTM’s Super Duke GT, BMW’s S1000RR right down to my own Yamaha TDR250 and Fazer 1000 and a whole bunch of middleweight road bikes.
More importantly, they’ve been absolutely soaked on many occasions this summer – so a good, thorough test then.
Fit is superb (for me) without being too thin to compromise safety
Fit and feel
The fit is almost perfect for me. Snug when new, but they broke-in really quickly. There’s no bagginess or intrusive internal seams that dig-in and start to annoy 300 miles into a 500-mile day. The length is spot-on too, fitting as easily over a leather jacket as they do under textiles. Some summer glove get on your nerves with niggles like the fasteners digging into your wrists or being slightly too tight in the fingers which exaggerates the tingles on a vibey bike. These gloves do none of that. You barely know they’re there.
Warm and cold weather use
The Gore-tex lining does some kind of job of keeping the heat in and the lack of venting helps, but these are end-of-spring- to-early-autumn gloves and no more.
On the flip-side, they were cool enough to be comfy even on the warmest summer days as well.
Double leather where needed plus hard knuckle armour that doesn’t intrude on user comfort
Protection and certification
CE approved for protection and water-resistance with a minimum of intrusive armour. Double layer leather on the palm wraps around the back of the hand and there’s additional double-layering on the finger backs too. The hard knuckle protection is well-fitted and doesn’t affect comfort and there are small padded areas behind the knuckles and on the back of the fingers. Double fastening at the wrist and the cuff keep the gloves securely on my hand
From April 21 2018, all new motorcycle clothing is deemed to be Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). To meet this legislation, it must be tested to a recognised standard. For more information on the new laws, click here.
Simple-but-effective fastenings that don’t dig in or affect comfort
Fastening
The wrist fastening is secure but comfortable after a long day in the saddle. Cuff fastener has enough adjustment to fit securely over a leather jacket or under textiles
Wet weather use
They haven’t leaked yet and even when soaking wet can be removed without the Gore-tex liner coming out as well. There’s no visor wipe or suede panel on a finger to help clear water though. You’ll be surprised how much you miss it.
Lining
Soft lining is very comfy, but secured in place in a way that doesn’t ever feel like it will come out when wet. Combined with the fit, these are a really comfortable glove to wear.
Superb construction, very comfy and waterproof too. Just needs a visor wipe to be perfect.
Conclusion
I like the subtle styling and thoughtful spec for protection. It’s a long time since I had a pair of gloves that fitted me this well and were so comfortable even on 12-hour riding days. So far they’ve survived some horrendous weather without leaking. They dry quickly and still remain comfy and nothing has broken, come apart or shown any signs of wear. Only the lack of a visor wipe lets them down.
£109 might seem expensive for what looks like a lower-spec glove than some of the Star Wars race items out there, but as a summer glove for riding above ten degrees C (or into Autumn with heated grips) these are superb. Highly recommended.
