Review: Dakine Concept Gloves

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A good pair of gloves can remain in your riding ensemble for longer than any other item for the simple reason that gloves are different – once you find a good pair, it’s hard to replace them with anything else. With the increasing demands, or at least the expectations of today’s rider, we are seeing some seminal product across the board and with the increased expectation of product that is both sufficiently well designed and delivered, comes the capacity for manufacturers to offer unique items that won’t be for everyone, but for the select few, the holy grail. Case in point; the Concept glove from Dakine…

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Words & Photos: Olly Forster

As soon as they arrived, I was thinking “hell, these are light” and I wasn’t wrong. After a quick trip to the scales, these are almost a third lighter than some full finger gloves on the market!

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The palm is also something which initially put a smile on my face and has continued to impress me over the last few rides – manufactured from a seamless piece of vented silicone mesh material (that feels similar to a well tailored rubber glove), it is also, and not surprisingly really grippy in the wet.

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Following the trend for lightweight gloves, the Concept’s have a slip-on closure with a small elastic section to allow for an easy on and off. To say these “fit like a glove” is an understatement…

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One feature I really like, was the ability to access touchscreen devices with your gloves on – I’m sure many of us have had the frustration of a ringing phone in a awkward to-get-to pocket, just for it to stop ringing by the time we’ve peeled a glove off… The thumb also features a large microfleece section that’s spot on for when you need to wipe a runny nose…

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Sporting a 4-way stretch material on the back and internal venting mesh between each finger, these are both comfy and extremely well vented.

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Conclusion.

If you like your gloves with plenty of protection from both impacts through your bars and potential trips over the bars or into trees, these will not be what your after the next time you go glove shopping. If you like to feel though your bars and adhere to a minimalistic approach to your riding wardrobe, I really think you’d struggle to better the Dakine Concept gloves. From the offset, these have felt special. They weigh nothing and on the first ride I was constantly looking down at my hands (I’m not exaggerating here) to check I’d remembered to put my gloves back on after a pit stop at the van.

Like a second skin – with a superb feel on your hands and on the bike, the dexterity and feel of the Concept’s is pretty amazing to say the least and the only chink in their armour is exactly that, they don’t have any…

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Crazy light, crazy thin and with the ability to increase contact to the trail below, the Concept gloves are pretty crazy on many levels and will certainly put a smile on the face of those of you think less is more, especially if there is more of the right stuff: dialed aesthetic, state of the art materials and sound construction. With a few rides in, coupled with a few more on the trail tools (in terrible weather), the Concept’s are ship shape and with no sign of quitting any time soon, and while I haven’t put a solid season into them (it’s only just thawed out!), I can’t see them falling apart on me for quite some time. So, how much are we looking at? Well, by the time they hit our shores they’ll be around the £40 price mark, which isn’t terribly cheap, but then these are anything but cheap and represent one of the best ‘bare bones’ gloves I’ve tried. Highly recommended gloves for those who want to feel what’s going on.

For more on the Concept glove and to see what other delights Dakine have in store this season, tap the logo. Happy trails, Olly.

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