Tried and Tested: ViaTerra Kruger Riding Gloves

Riding gloves are as crucial as any other riding gear and are available a dime a dozen. However Rs 5-6000 is a good mid-entry range for full gauntlet gloves. The ViaTerra Kruger are leather-mesh-hybrid gauntlet gloves and come with an impressive spec sheet – full gauntlets, mesh ventilation, dual-velcro closures, Sas-tec level 2-rated knuckle protection, abrasion protection for the wrist, and the works. 

The outer shell of these gloves is mostly made of leather but has mesh patches on the top of the fingers and at the wrist to aid ventilation while offering good protection. The knuckles have Level 2-rated protection made up of viscoelastic foam that also makes the gloves comfortable. ViaTerra has put something called SuperFabric abrasion protection which is, to put it simply, a sandwich of multiple layers of fabric with a hard top layer. It’s claimed to not hinder the feedback from bars, which is true to a certain extent. However, ViaTerra has placed these patches strategically on places that would bear the brunt in case of a slide – wrist, scaphoid, and pinky fingers. The base of the fingers have a grippy patch that lets you hold on to the motorcycle grips without having to exert additional pressure, which goes a long way in reducing fatigue. While the top of the fingers have a mesh layer, there are rubber pads on the joints. That said, the underside is completely leather, with the index and middle fingertips having conducive patches to help with touchscreen operations. Though these are a bit iffy to use and precise touches are a matter of getting used to the gloves. Also, the fingers have external stitching to keep the gloves comfortable. However, there’s no bridge to bind the pinky and ring fingers, which you would usually see on race gloves like the ViaTerra Grid. 

Safety covered, the Krugers offer a great comfort too (if I wasn’t too explicit earlier), especially with the ventilation they offer. Apart from the mesh, the gloves are also perforated in several areas to keep your hands cool. Riding in Pune’s winter, I can definitely say these would be a boon to ride with in the hot season. To wrap things up, quite literally, you have dual-velcro closures on the wrist accordion that help seal the glove on the hands as well as on the jacket cuff. All said, the ViaTerra Kruger gloves are definitely worth taking a look at considering their cost-to-feature ratio. But if ViaTerra wants to add on the value proposition, I would love to see a pinky bridge.

The ViaTerra Kruger gloves cost Rs 5,699.