Gear: Alpinestars SMX-2 Air Carbon V2 gloves

Rs 6,500
planetdsg.com

In the month of February this year, I was on the end of a silly crash. Thankfully, I walked out of it with a few bruises. My gear however had to be disposed off. I had been searching around for a good pair of gloves. My previous pair were MX style and thus offered little tarmac abrasion resistance.

While our friends at Planet DSG in Pune were shooting their summer catalogue for our sister mag Fast Bikes India, one particular pair of gloves – the SMX-2 Air Carbon V2 – caught my attention. For starters, they were not gauntlets. Given my history for buying overly flashy colours for my gear (hi-viz being the main factor), they had a pair in a fluorescent yellow-red-black colour scheme.

The SMX range is Alpinestars’ line of products for the street and I have had good luck with their SMX-5 boots, thanks to a close friend. These SMX-2 gloves are now made with better material to take care of your hands in case of an accident. The mesh-leather hybrid construction is extremely airy and more importantly is quite grippy. Leather panels as well suede palm inserts help meeting high standards of abrasion resistance. There is an extra foam layer around the scaphoid area. The SMX-2 gets a hard carbonfibre knuckle protector as well as TPR inserts for better impact protection. While I certainly do not have any GPS systems, the thumb and index fingertip are touchscreen compatible to aid those who do.

At Rs 6,500, the SMX-2 Air Carbon V2 gloves are a great buy for all intents and purposes but for the track, obviously. They may not be extremely useful in water resistance but their protection levels are unmatched in this range.