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BMW Two In One Gloves - First Impressions


Jake

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Are the BMW Two In Ones the perfect glove? For me, maybe. Hopefully for you too.

 

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My staple riding gloves have been the BMW Airflows for the last 14 years or so, and I've been through a number 'em. I haven't had the opportunity to ride enough miles to wear any of them out, but the elements plus time usually do them in. If there's rain, I can find it, and the Airflows are the wrong tool for that job. Who'd think that vented gloves would do such a thing? :/

 

Mr. Prune Hands

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So, in anticipation of riding a bunch more (last kid is leaving the nest) I have been revamping most of my gear. Regarding gloves, I have had Held Steves, Olympia Gels, Dianese street gloves with carbon fiber protection, an anonymous pair of ropers, and some Held track-day behemoths in addition to my beloved Airflows. Only one of them is designed to shed water.

 

Late night clicking & reading others' experiences has led me to discount overgloves as well as lined gloves that come undone when you remove damp hands from said glove - which is really annoying when you want to gas and go. The Steve's were notorious for this, which is why I preferred to wear the Airflows and just get wet. I know we wear them for protection above all, but an inconvenient glove sure is annoying. A wise man once taught me that skin is waterproof, and he's right.

 

In recent years the X-trafit technology has been a welcome addition as the design is similar in concept as to how Aerostich makes their suits. The Gore-Tex is bonded to the inside of the leather which stays put when you remove your hand. The added bonus is that they also have overall less bulk than lined gloves. Sounds great, there are plenty of testimonials of happy riders, and only a few instances where riders have experienced damp hands, but not too bad. Interested, I purchased a pair of Held Rainclouds. Unfortunately, the correct sizing did not fit me comfortably which is an issue I have had with Held products. Not their fault - I have three long fingers in the middle and short pinkies and thumbs. The Rainclouds appeared to be very well constructed and seemed to be a very fine product. They were a bit bulkier than my preference, though not due to the X-trafit, but they are constructed with a goal of providing extra warmth. If I lived in a 3 or 4 season riding territory and had longer outer digits, they'd be great. But they weren't my tempo.

 

On to something else.

 

While researching, I saw much love for the Held Air 'N Drys, with talk of chambers which I did not quite understand at first, but the concept is elegantly simple. I feared they would not fit but was intrigued with the design concept, so I happily stumbled upon the BMW Two In Ones which employ the same two-chambered concept. A quick ride over to the dealer to try them on and instant showroom love ensued. "I'll be taking these, please." Easiest sale they had all day.

 

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They fit great. They are not overly flashy. They will neatly tuck under my jacket cuffs like the cool kids do. (why can't the Webbike reviewer dudes figure that out?) They should do their primary job which is to protect. Did anyone read Iron Butt Rallyer Ed Meese's experience with his 2013 crash? The super high techy carbon fiber knuckle thingy on his gloves broke into shards and impaled his hand, necessitating surgery. I promptly threw out my Dianese gloves after reading that. Yeeesh. These don't have that, just a well-formed hard shell made of something that should not impale you.

 

So, the chamber thing. These are not X-trafit gloves. They have a traditional Gore-Tex liner that surrounds your hands for one section of the glove, and good old-fashioned palm on leather for the other "chamber". You choose which chamber into which to slide your hand depending on your anticipated riding conditions, and everything is sewn securely throughout - the liners stay put.

 

The upper Gore-Tex lined waterproof chamber:

 

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The lower "grip" chamber, non lined for the palm side, skin on leather for greater feel.

 

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You can read all about the leather types and techno terms on the BMW site of your choice. Suffice it to say, I anticipated things would be getting crowded inside this glove design, and was amazed that I could not feel any seams. You can detect the presence of the mid layer of the Gore-Tex liner whether it is above or below your hand, but it is not remotely intrusive. Also, venting and water-resistance seem to logically mutually exclusive terms, but the underside of the fingers have perforations which actually function well (see 1st pic). It seemed like the only, but silly, spot to incorporate venting, but someone figured out that all you have to do is stretch out your fingers (i.e. covering a brake lever) to get some airflow while in the grip mode. It works way better than it should - I spent 4 hours in them in 94 degree heat yesterday. Yes, I was hot, but these things worked well enough for me to be happy with them in those conditions.

 

For me, these might just be my perfect glove. They might even be the carry-one-glove that I think many are seeking. Final judgement must be reserved until they go through an extended downpour, but I suspect they will be fine. Yes, I could have bucket-tested them for you, but that is the silliest test I can think of. No wind pressure, no driving rain, no swatting at lightning. Just a docile dunk and we are all to be convinced. Silly. The Two In One's will not have the warmth for cold-weather riding that the Helds can offer, but with heated grips on and a Gore-Tex layer they will do far better than my vented gloves, and should be ok for the majority of anyone's riding season, except you hearty Minnesotans.

 

Obligatory Flash-Viz Pic - R90/6 Brake lever reflection an unintended bonus.

 

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That's all I got!

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What is the retail price, if you recall?

 

Yeah, I'm kinda owed a bring a friend in bike sale commission at the dealership and maybe these will cover that! :thumbsup:

 

 

Pat

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What is the retail price, if you recall?

 

Yeah, I'm kinda owed a bring a friend in bike sale commission at the dealership and maybe these will cover that! :thumbsup:

Pat

Retail is $229.

 

Looks like I'll need to sell another bike and maybe a case of oil. :grin:

 

Pat

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Thanks for the write up.

 

I have the Held version,which I bought for a great price slightly used.

Glad to echo all the positives you described.

Only potential downside is while they flow good air,its not the same as a fully vented glove when you get into 90 plus territory.

So for multi day trips,I'll still be alternating between these and my Rev'it fully vented gloves.

Also,these as well as my Held Warm n Drys,are not effective when temps dip into the 40's.

Still,for the majority of my riding,I can now just take one pair of gloves and not worry about different glove weights,rain gloves.

 

I think my Helds and the above described BMW's are a worthwhile purchase,even if a bit spendy at list price.

 

JR356

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