Five Tucson gloves in beige

The Five Tucson is very much a summer glove, by which we mean that it has no waterproof membrane.

 

By and large, summer gloves are lighter, softer, more pliable, more breathable and deliver better feel on the controls.

 

They will usually be, in every meaningful way, nicer to ride in; especially when it's hot.

 

By contrast, because there's no membrane, your hands will get colder when the temperature drops because there's no protection against the effects of the wind chill. By the same token, a summer glove will be pretty useless in the rain.

 

The entire outer shell of the Tucson is made from full-grain cowhide. For enhanced breathability, the backs of the fingers and the cuff are quite heavily perforated. You also get a few holes on the underside of the fingers for a bit more of the same.

 

For comfort on the bars the forchettes, basically the bits between the fingers, are made with stretchy Lycra. There's also some concertina banding on three of the fingers that makes it a bit easier to curl your fingers around the bars.

 

You don't get a hard knuckle protector with the Tucson. Rather you get a foam pad to absorb the energy of an impact if your hand come into contact with something hard.

 

You also get foam pads on the minor knuckles.

 

There's extra leather and some baffled padding on the outside of the hand. You get another layer of leather on the palm. It's often said that this is done to improve the level of grip, but it's actually probably more about cushioning and comfort, and about protecting the glove in a high-wear area.

 

One thing we do like about the Tucson, and we don't see it on many gloves these days, is its 'open-back' construction. As you curl your fingers around the controls the back of the glove, helped by a concealed panel of stretch material, opens up. It makes a glove less tiring when your hands are wrapped around the bars, particularly on a longer ride.

 

There's not a lot else to say about the Tucson. It comes in two different colourways. The forefinger and thumb on both hands are touchscreen compatible. The wrist fastens by means of a Velcro strap and you get a handy loop to help pull the gloves on, although why there's a metal ring in that loop we have absolutely no idea!