There’s a real shortage of ladies’ gloves on the market so often we find ourselves browsing the men’s range to get the functionality we need. Invariably ill-fitting or rather unattractive options are sometimes all that’s available. Enter these gloves from Furygan, which manage to hit my sweet spots for a good-looking and functional glove and so have become my new best friends for cold weather riding.
I love the feel of the material, both inside and out. Inside is a winter thermal liner which feels like putting your hand into crushed velvet; it’s so tactile and welcoming. The palms on the outside are made of a softer, suede-like material which makes for good pliability when opening and closing the hand. That’s just what I want, I really don’t want to fight bulky, stiff material every time I want to buckle my helmet or carry out any dexterous tasks with the gloves on. The Furygan Sensitive Science inserts in the fingertips worked a treat every time, enabling me to use my smartphone without taking the gloves off.
A nice touch is added reinforcement to the palm, at the points of most friction when you’re pulling in the clutch or applying the brake.
These gloves are CE rated Level 1 performance (EN13594:2015), so there is some good protection but not so much as you’d get in a Level 2 glove. There will always be a trade-off here, the Ares provide great dexterity and warmth which for my needs is a priority. A bulkier glove on a small hand could compromise on machine control so it’s important to get the balance right for you.
A must for me is good knuckle protection. I prefer this to be unobtrusive and Furygan have come up trumps. I really like the brand writing over the knuckle, in shiny reflective black, it looks very stylish. While we’re talking style points, the Furygan panther is stamped on the outside of each wrist cuff, in the same gloss black, another nice touch.
I went on tour with these gloves in their country of origin, France, and got caught in a spectacular rainstorm that truly tested their waterproofing and breathability claims. I was not disappointed. My fingers stayed dry and there were no nasty surprises of any leaking colour from the liner when I took them off. The lining stayed in too and didn’t try to escape with my fingers.
The cuff has a nice, easy-to-use Velcro fastener which gives good range for closure round the wrist. There’s not a massively wide opening though so you may struggle to get this over your jacket sleeves if they are thick. The cuff trim edge looks to be leather, but here is my only grumble, a couple of stitches have unpicked on one glove. It won’t take a moment to repair but still, it is a little disappointing after just a couple of thousand kilometres.
All in all, a very nice, lightweight, stylish glove for women that keeps your fingers warm yet doesn’t compromise on functionality. For sizing, I strongly recommend using the style guide and even plumping for one size larger, as they seem to come up a lot smaller than other gloves.
For further info and how to find a UK stockist, click here
Review by Louisa Swaden
RRP of £64.99.
Colour: Black
Sizes XS -XL
