Arc-on Competizione Gloves review

£140 | www.arc-on.co.uk | 07956 291 656 | Tested by John Milbank

Used by BSB and club racers, these kangaroo hide gloves are built for safety. There’s plenty of padding across the back of the hand, and the ring finger and little finger are bridged with an elasticated section of leather, which allows a little movement, but should help protect your pinky in the event of a crash. The cuffs are well padded, with large non-grip panels to help your hands slide. This is aided by the highly abrasion resistant, low friction stingray skin on the palm – when Tarmac grabs your hand in an off, it can damage your scaphoid, so allowing the gloves to slide is important.

Kangaroo hide is often used in high-end gloves as it’s tougher than cow hide for the same thickness, thanks to the fact that Kangaroos only sweat through their tails – that means no pores in the skin, so thinner leather can be used allowing for better feel.

The fingers are pre-curved – a feature favoured by racers to reduce fatigue when gripping the bars. It feels odd if you’re used to ‘normal’ gloves, but your hands are well positioned when riding. Other neat design touches include the Kevlar matting on the palm and fingertips for extra grip, and the flaps of leather that protect the wrist strap.

The Arc-Ons took very little breaking in, besides one finger on my left hand that had a bit of pressure across the lower joint for the first few hundred miles. The titanium knuckle tops doubtlessly add to the protection, but if I’m nit-picking, they’re the one point that spoils the quality styling of the gloves, looking a little tacked on to the top of the carbon fibre.

Overall, fit is very good, with the fingers just the right length for my fairly average sized (Large) hands. The cuff sits well over my leathers and while they’re easy to put on and take off, there’s no chance of the Competiziones being dragged free if things go wrong. These are quality gloves at a good price for the spec.