Elkskin Gauntlet Gloves, Black

Finally replaced my Elk Skin Gauntlet’s after 6 years and tens of thousands of miles. My finger tips wore through the wool lining. Y’all make the best gloves on the planet!
Thanks,
Rob

I did the online gloves sizing & it said I needed a large, 10.5. (Two points on hand distance was 4 inches.) Gloves are a bit restrictive if I try to actually wrap them around a motorcycle grip. However, if I just stood there and pointed to the air as might a JC Penny model, they would fit fine. Aerostich page says I can soak them in water and ride them wet until they dry and they might fit better. I think I will order XL next time. Order the next size up.

Let me start this review by saying I love my normal gauntlet gloves without the insulation. After my first pair wore out after about 30K miles, I went through about 3 different gloves before coming back to those and falling in love all over again.

Now on to the insulated version. I did upsize for sure. Can't remember how much as that was a long time ago that I bought them but they fit great. Despite it being long ago, I haven't worn them very much. I live in San Diego so my cold weather riding isn't very often. However, it has been in the 30s lately going to work lately and I do notice my finger tips getting cold and that is with heated grips and handguards. Sort of how they're described so no real complaints about that. Adding my rain covers helps when wet so they are actually warmer when raining with the covers. Very comfy overall. Good feel on the controls too.

The only complaint I have is that they seem to wearing out very quickly. I have hardly used them (maybe 1000 miles... if I'm lucky) and the leather on the fingertips is all frayed and thinning. It looks like there is no way they'll survive an off.

I think this is because compared to my normal gauntlets, the leather on these feels super soft but also seems very fragile. There was no stiffness or break-in at all compared to my normal gauntlets. It makes for a great feeling glove when you're holding them in your hand, sort of like something you want to roll around in... naked, but I would prefer if they were less soft and just as robust as my normal gauntlets. As I mentioned, my first pair of those held up forever. My 2nd pair looks like they'll do the same. Maybe my insulated ones are just from a funny batch of leather or something. Not sure. I want to love them, but they're falling apart before I get a chance to!

I own size 11 deerskin gauntlets and love them. I was looking for a larger pair of deerskin gauntlets to use with a removable liner for colder weather adaptability. I ordered size 12 in an elkskin gauntlet as size 11 is the largest deerskin offered. When arrived they weren't large enough for me plus the liners. The sizing chart showed I needed a size 10(large).
I sent the elkskins back and am now awaiting an elkskin in size 13. Hope they work as they don't offer larger than a 13. Also I noticed on the size 12's the strap across the back of the knuckle was barely long enough to reach through the loop and back onto the velcro to grab.
Overall they look like good heavy winter gloves, though running small for my needs.

I've got about 35K miles on mine and I'm looking to get another pair. They're still in fairly good shape (stitching and everything is perfect) but the condition of the leather is getting pretty hard and crackly on the outside. Still comfy as ever on the inside. I've never cleaned or conditioned them so given how much abuse they've seen, I figure they would have lasted a lot longer if I had taken better care of them. My new bike (Ducati Multistrada Enduro) has a grip that is pretty aggressively textured and it is eating up the palms near the thumb and forefinger. My R1200GS grips were smooth in comparison and didn't do this.

Anyway, they fit like a glove... like your favorite gloves should fit. My knuckles have imprinted into the outside of the fingers so they look like gorilla fingers now. Funny but it shows how much they conform to your hands.

The gauntlet is short but it covers the gap on my roadcrafter in cool weather and I tuck in into the sleeve in warm weather. When it is really cold I switch to the insulated ones. Those don't conform as much but are super soft.

The black ones bleed onto your hands when new and even a little when really old. I consider that the price of getting them in black, which I will do again.

For the price I have to rate these just OK, 5 out of 10. I've worn them about 25 hrs so far, The leather is soft and plush and comfortable for the most part. The gloves appear well made with strong stitching. I broke them in by soaking with Lexol conditioner 3 different times prior to rides, and I think they are fairly well broken in. They were a snug fit initially and overall have obtained a good fit to my hands. I sized them per the instructions. The gloves will stretch and conform, and you want them to - this type of soft leather will stretch and become oversized if not snug in the beginning.

I have 40 years road riding experience, and these days lean more to the sport/sport touring area. I prefer gloves that provide good feel. The thick leather in the palm of these gloves (not the extra strip for crash protection) is a bit too thick for my taste, and this bulky feel is exaggerated by 2 items in the glove design, which I find inexcusable for Aerostich - the flat palm and the under stitched middle two fingers.

Regardless of marketing folly about the leather form fitting to your hand, when too much material is in the way the gloves are not going to conform as well. The extra material in the palm is not going to disappear. I really don't understand why these are not made with a pre-curve as other high quality sport gloves are. On top of the inadequate palm design, the under stitching of the middle two fingers just provides more bulk - I'm not a glove designer but this just shouldn't be. I was able to decrease this problem area by actually hammering the stitched seams with a hammer against a wooden dowel, flattening them considerably, but the seam should not be in that location.

Since these gloves are intended for the more sporting rider (skid pad in the palm, padded knuckle strip), they should include a strip of leather down the top of each finger and the thumb for increased impact resistance.

I also had a twisting finger, the left index. The inside stitch rolled up to almost on top of my knuckle and was a bother. Hammering this seam has improved it and it should improve with time.

Another issue is the wrist strap. It is ~1/2" too short. Sometimes when putting the gloves on the straps pull through the metal cinch strap which is a pita to run back through with gloves on. The Velcro appears to take a strong hold though.

I think these will be cool to moderate temperature gloves. I don't ride below ~45°, so I don't need cold weather gloves. They are pretty warm for cool weather. So far it's only been in the 70's. and I don't think these will be bearable from ~85° up, but we'll see.

I like the rubber squeegee on the left thumb. I've had this on other gloves and it works. The gauntlet and back parts of the gloves are fine.

Time will tell if these improve. At this point I would not buy them again due to the basic design shortcomings. A more tour oriented rider may not mind the bunched palm feeling as much as I do - personal taste. Include the described design changes and these would be my favorite gloves of all time.

The gloves do everything as spoken in the catalog. The seam on a couple of the fingers are not in the best place, should be back farther (the cut) The seam on a couple fingers is right under my finger nail, so it pushes my finger nails up. Partly my fault I have "piano fingers" and my fingers are touching the top. Best pair of gloves I've found so far. I would like gloves that have thin material on the palm side and thicker on the back (wind side) even padded on the back would be fine. Maybe even offer a "tall" size. XL-tall with fingers 1/4" longer. Move the finger seams to the wind side also. Thank you.

i've worn the elkskin ropers forever and bought these for the gauntlet. the black leather was not as soft right out of the box, but after i oiled them they were close enough. i love the gauntlet, especially on cold days. i had to take out the elastic. but most probably won't ( i mean, i wear my undershirts inside out because the seams bug me) .

I look forward to pulling them on every time I ride. These are well-made accessories that you will feel lost without, once worn.

Keith
Houston, Tx

I purchased these gloves a little less than a month ago and have put about 1300 miles on them since. They are the most comfortable gloves right from the package that I've ever bought and they just keep getting better. I've only been caught in the rain once with them and despite it just being a brief shower, they did not leak or bleed at all. For me, they are comfortable down to about 40 degrees but the warmest weather I've used them in so far was around 72 degrees and they were still quite comfortable. Because of the comments about the thumb being on the small size, I ordered mine to the next size up and I'm glad I did. By doing so I have no issues with the thumb and it gives me some room for some kind of fleece or under-glove for cold weather. other review comments about the front closure needing a stopper at the end of the strap are spot on as well and as soon as I can get myself to stop wearing them long enough, I plan to have that resolved. I have no doubt that these will be the last pair of gloves that I buy for a long time. Well worth the money.