Three seasons, one glove
All the protection we've come to expect from the brand
Coniston is one of those picture perfect English villages. Located in the Lake District, which is a bit like Wicklow with the same sort of strange people and you get the idea. The roads in the surrounding countryside are a motorcyclists dream and the village is a perfect stopping point on a Sunday morning ride out. While it dates back to the 12th century it really put itself on the map in the late 19th with it becoming a Victorian tourist resort of sorts.
Poets, philosophers and painters, all of great renown, called Coniston home at one point or another. These days the village, with its Tudor houses, has a population of less than 800 people.
Almost 500 KPH!
The adjacent lake, Coniston Water, is where none other than the infamous Donald Campbell broke four water speed records. He went on to set it another three times elsewhere before getting it horribly wrong on his eight attempt. He lost control and crashed at a staggering 470 kph on a lake in Australia. As ways to ‘kick up your heels’ go, this is the best one I’ve heard of in several weeks!
"I'll have the full English with a pot of tea please"
Because of the surrounding mountains the weather can be a bit sketchy and choosing the correct motorcycle kit while out making a mockery of the Road Traffic Act on a Sunday spin can leave the rider in a bit of a bind with regards to the decision making process. Too well ventilated and it’ll rain. Too warm and the sun will beat down. To address the problem my very favourite clothing company, Knox, have been producing ‘three season’ gloves for a number of years. The idea here is that we have something that is warm and waterproof for the colder and wetter days, while still being comfortable enough to wear on the warmer ones. All in the one glove. Now they've a newly designed pair for the coming season. Rather wonderfully they're called ‘The Coniston’.
A palm grip makes holding the grips easier on the wrists
While they're a fully waterproof leather glove, they're also breathable. This is because they’re made with an "eVent" air permeable waterproof membrane. The first part lets one’s hands breathe while the second part keeps the rain out. What this means is that they work on good days and bad yet are still comfortable enough to wear all day. I really like that they do what I need a pair of gloves without being in anyway bulky.
The Boa closure is simply ingenious
A number of cows have gallantly given up their lives to supply the bovine leather that the new Conistons are made from.* The cuffs are longer to cover the riders’ wrists, as would be the case with a pair of winter gloves. There’s even a rain wiper on the left hand thumb. The fingers are touch screen enabled so you can play with your phone without taking them off. An Amara silicone grip pad on the palms makes holding the bars easier. The Boa closing system is a big favourite of mine as it makes for a perfect fit, just as it does with the original Handroids.
SPS; sliding, not snapping
Then there’s the armour. The companies Micro-Lock moulded knuckle is part of the show as is the scaphoid protection system (SPS). There’s also a set of TPR finger sliders. Between both of them the protection in the event of something going wrong is well proven as is the rest of the range. They meet a CE approval and are available from the very large triple extra large all the way back to extra small.
See the Knox website for these and the rest of the range.
The gloves are brilliant, but this is still a Suzuki...