Belstaff Montgomery gloves in oxblood

Belstaff is best known for its jackets; particularly waxed-cotton jackets, although the company does some great leather ones too. But like many companies who want to leverage the brand, as it's known, Belstaff likes to have a go with other products. And like some of those other companies they're not always successful.

Over the years Belstaff has produced lots of gloves, but rarely have any of them been exceptional. And sometimes their gloves have just not come up to scratch.

The Montgomery glove is okay. It's a summer glove. It's made from goat hide, which we always like in a glove. It's lightweight, has perforations, some concertina banding in the knuckle, extra padding in the  palm. And touchscreen-sensitive fingertips. All of these are things you might want in a lightweight, summer glove.

But this isn't one of those gloves that is more than the sum of its parts. In fact, quite the contrary.

I appreciate that what's important is how a glove like this feels and wears. Less important is how it looks, yet rarely have I come across a glove with less shelf presence. Out of the bag, the fingers look bent and twisted. I have examined thousands of pairs of gloves over the years, but I have never seen a supposed premium-quality glove like it. They simply don't look well made. Or rather they don't look as though they have been made with great care.

To wear, they are alright but not in any way exceptional. And what makes them less comfortable than they might be is a feature that I have never seen on any other glove. And it's concertina banding in the palm. Now concertina banding on the back of the hand works. As you wrap your hand around the bars, the banding opens up and relieves the pressure, so allowing the material to stretch out for added comfort.

But concertina banding in the palm simply doesn't work, in our view. When you put your hands around the bars, the banding does not stretch out. It just serves to create an unnecessary element of unwanted bulk. The only time you would 'exercise' the banding is if you were to flatten your palm and straighten out your fingers. And that's not something you would not normally do on the bike.

But if this is a glove that fits you well, and that you find comfortable, then it will do its job.

Some, of course, will be beguiled by the Belstaff name although, on this glove, the only mention of it is on the 'faux' popper on the Velcro wrist strap. There's nothing wrong with the spec. of the Montgomery, but there are nicer gloves out there for the money.