Summer is calling. The heat is on its way, and with it the need to put those bulky, gauntlet style gloves aside for the warm months and start wearing something that makes more sense in hot weather.
Five’s Stunt Evo glove range at Bikebiz is a great place to start.
The Stunt Evo glove range was born around a decade ago, an original design by Five that’s grown and evolved over the years to become the Stunt Evo ‘family’. It’s a line that’s never really been matched by another maker and it really is a family, as there’s a whole range of designs under the Stunt Evo name.
In this review we’ll focus on the Five Stunt Evo Airflow glove - a glove with the short form factor you’d expect in a summer glove, with a lot of great protection and practical features packed into it.
Let’s start with the palm of the Stunt Evo Airflow, which features a carbon fibre palm protector or ‘slider’. It’s human nature to throw out our hands and land on them in any type of fall and so the carbon fibre protector makes a lot of sense. It’s backed by memory foam so that the palm of the glove still moulds perfectly to the shape of the hand. The main palm is perforated goatskin, and it’s supplemented by Clarino material with silicon treatment for good grip. The Clarino delivers flexibility and easy movement right where the palm interfaces with the bike’s controls, while the leather offers maximum protection.
The outside of the thumb has extra padding to prevent blisters where this area can rub on the bikes’ grips. The heavy lycra material used between each of the fingers offers maximum flexibility and comfort, too.
The back of the hand is where you can really see where the ‘airflow’ has been put into the Stunt Evo Airflow - it’s an extremely open-weave material called 3D Mesh that flows an enormous amount of air, which of course is just what’s needed when riding in the heat. It’s impossible to overstate the effect of airflow through these gloves compared to other ‘vented’ designs - in fact if you are planning a ride on a warm day that you think might include some cooler spells here and there, it might pay to pack a pair of ordinary gloves as well, because wearing the Stunt Airflows in anything but warm weather will quickly result in cold hands! Although the mesh is very open it’s also super tough and has passed all the necessary abrasion resistance tests in order for the Stunt Evo Airflow to qualify as a fully CE certified design. The back of the hand also features protection that comprises two separate pieces of knuckle armour. This design allows the hand and knuckles to easily flex to the shape needed to grip, without compromising protection. Again, there’s memory foam below this knuckle armour, so despite the protection on offer, comfort is never compromised.
The result of all this smart thinking is a very tough glove that’s easy, natural and comfortable to wear - a carefully thought-out design that offers the best protection in all the right areas, yet never feels bulky or awkward like some other high protection gloves can. But wait, there’s more…
The tips of the index fingers as well as the thumbs on the Stunt Evo Airflow feature Five’s TouchScreen system - as the name suggests, connective fabric in these areas enables the use of touch screens without the need to remove the gloves.
The cuffs of the Stunt Evo Airflow are made from Airprene and 4-Way Spandex for a snug, comfortable fit. The closure system is that trusted favourite, the Velcro tab - simple, quick and secure.
Summing up
During hot weather it might be tempting for some riders to simply go without gloves, (we’ve all seen them out there, right?) but with the huge airflow and top-notch protection in Five’s Stunt Evo Airflow, why would you risk it? Cool, comfortable and yet packing the sort of quality and protection that Five are known for, these gloves are the smart alternative to bare hands or sweating it out in full gauntlets.
The Five brand normally commands a premium price tag, but Bikebiz have the Five Stunt Evo Airflow available in store and online for just $109.95. That’s a very reasonable price for a pair of cool gloves that could save your skin and look good doing it.
