Held Sambia 2.0 gloves in brown

 

The back of the glove is made from a stretchy, ribbed fabric that is called Elastathan. The palm is a highly abrasion-resistant, suede-out, kangaroo leather. And for a motorcycle glove there's no leather that gives more feel. It's what all Moto GP gloves are made from.

 

As you might expect of a summer glove that's designed to flow a lot of air, the Sambia is totally unlined. For comfort, all the seams are flat stitched. The fingers are perforated for extra airflow. On the palm there are panels of digi-leather for extra grip. You also get a SuperFabric slider on the base of the palm. 

 

On the back off the hand there's a bit of concertina banding for extra comfort on the bars. There's a Velcro strap for the wrist. For touchscreen usage you get the NUDUD system that for many years was exclusive to Halvarssons gloves. You also get a visor wipe, which is something you don't often see on a summer glove. And, in truth, don't often need!

 

For protection, there's a hard knuckle protector. There are some rubber bumpers on the fingers. There's another rubber bumper on the  outside of the  wrist. And that's about it. That's the spec. of the Sambia. It's not a complicated glove, but it's got all the bits you need. And a few that you perhaps don't.

 

There's actually little in the spec. to suggest that the new glove would be much different to the old one, yet the new version is undoubtedly nicer to wear. One of the reasons for this is the more streamlined knuckle protector. The old one was so large that it made it difficult to actually curl your fingers around the grips. It didn't really seem like a problem. The new protector is what is known as a 'two-part' protector. It makes a huge difference to how the glove wears. The other thing that makes a difference is the smaller, rubber bumper at the wrist. The old glove had one on the outside and one on the inside. 

 

The bottom line is that the original Sambia was a nice, summer glove. The new glove is the same concept, but better executed. It's a bit more wearable; and is simply going to be nicer to ride in.