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Review: Pearl Izumi Cyclone Gloves
So last fall I was in search of some new gloves. My first mistake was that I went to MEC, the second mistake is that I listened to the sales staff. Anyway, I hummed and hawed for a while because I couldn't find any golves that met my needs. I had a pair of specialized gloves that did me very well (2+ seasons) and I wanted something similar. The selection was either they were too thin for riding all day in the rain, or they were meant for the Iditarod. I ended up purchasing a pair of Pearl Izumi cyclone gloves, which seemed a bit on the thin side, but strangely warm. At first I was quite happy, that is until I actually started to use them.
Introduction
First off, lets get to the purported claim by Pearl Izumi as to why you should buy these gloves. They are as follows:
- Shock absorbing Gel-Lite padding with U-Bridge palm for riding comfort
- AmFIB® and AmFIB® - Block fabric combination for water and wind protection
- Synthetic leather palm for an excellent grip and durability
- Silicone screened palm for added gripping performance
- Molded low-profile Airprene cuff for cold weather protection
- Soft Microfleece wiping surface
- Contents: 35% Polyurethane (synthetic leather)/20% polyester/28% Nylon/17% Airprene
I highlighted the "durability" claim because it was a bit of a farce.
The Good
They are thin, giving a good feel of the bar and brake levers, but at the same time they were new were surprisingly quite warm. In fact I found I could wear them in a wide variety of temperatures, from around 0 C to about 14C. I think the long wrist coverage helped immensely. One of the secrets to warm hands is a warm wrist, as there is no insulation around our wrists they tend to loose quite a lot of heat. I think I need to divert for a second and focus on how much I appreciated warmth to thinness ratio of these gloves. I still had a lot of touch sensitivity in these gloves, which I appreciated greatly as I entered in the combo on my lock in them and did other things that were touch sensitive in the winter (use your imaginations).
The gloves also look cool. Hate to admit it, but I am a slave to Euro-bike fashion at times. Actually, the look was one of the deciding factors in my decision to plunk down $50 smackers for these fucking things. It comes down to the fact I like to look good on the bike. And why not? You never know when you might across a beautiful and available women in a ride. Its best to always be prepared for such occasions.
The Bad
Besides the price, there is one major draw back with these gloves that I would consider a deal breaker.
DURABILITY!!!!
In making these gloves Pearl Izumi either never tested these gloves or gave them to a bunch of weenies who don't ride anywhere but to the coffee shop, because within 2 months of use I had lots of wear had a gaping hole in the palm below my knuckles(see below!)
Wear on the Cyclone glove palm
Gaping hole! ACK!
The reason was simply. They put these gel comfort pads on the palm to make your ride more confortable. There are three of them (pictured below). If you hold a pair of straight bars (i.e. what you get on a mountain bike) these lined up perfectly, HOWEVER, riding on a road bar on the brake hoods the top pad that lies under the knuckles gets in the way. As a result, by sitting on the hoods you are constantly putting pressure on this top pad pulling it towards the center of the palm. The resulting pressure tore a hole in the Synthetic leather. If they had used a stronger synthetic leather all would be good, but they chose this crappy shit boarders on being fleece (see the first photo).
What the fuck gives with that?
Wease's Solution:
- DO NOT buy these gloves... ever! If someone suggests it kick them.
- If you must buy them then cut out those fucking pads. They are such a waste of time. I have no idea why they sell them, just put on some GOOD bar tape and your hands will be happy.
Which makes me wonder do they even TEST these fucking things before they release them into the wild? Probably not... what fuckers!
Conclusion
So if MEC, or anyone else tries to sell you these piece of shit gloves, get postal on their lame ass!
Gloves
Hey it's quite funny that I should dig emails from you out of my spam inbox and then visit FG to find a 'dodgy glove' post, the very day after I sent a pair of dodgy gloves from England to the USA in the hope of receiving some kind of replacement/refund!!
I have a pair of cheap shit TUFF gloves I bought in Oz that have done thousands of racing, training and touring kilometres and yet I pay 10x the price in London for a pair that can't even last 8 months of lame-o commuting!
They are not Pearl Izumi gloves but I'm not going to reveal the make/model because so far the company has been very speedy and helpful dealing with my glove's DURABILITY issues. I will write up a report on thehippy.net after I hear from said company.
P.S. Take your gloves back to the shop and get replacement. If that doesn't work, contact PI and write a sooky email about poor quality products. I thought PI were expensive and good.. guess not everything they do works?
hippy
Taking them back
To their credit MEC took the gloves back and gave me a full refund. Then for shits and giggles I replaced the same gloves... Hey, I will give anything a second chance. Then the exact same thing happened in the exact same time of frame. Then I took them back to MEC AGAIN got my money back AGAIN then bought a truing stand instead of more crappy gloves.
I guess I could of contacted Pearl Izumi before I threw down a rant on the internet. But they are a big company with a "brand" identity who explicitly market these gloves for cycling. If they are too stupid to do serious testing before releasing a product they should pay the consequences.
Us consumers are tired of paying too much for CRAPPY cycling gear.
Everyone, bike riot now!
hippy sez
Dude,
I got a new pair of gloves! Actually two pairs. I sent the shoddy pair back to Gore a while back and in the mean time bought a pair of cheap Altura gloves.
Today, I get home and find a box from Gore on my doorstep - nice new pair of BLACK Compact II gloves. I know they didn't last long but at least I'll get double the life with this free pair.
I think I need to divert for
I think I need to divert for a second and focus on how much I appreciated warmth to thinness ratio of these gloves. I still had a lot of touch sensitivity in these gloves,put these gel comfort pads on the palm to make your ride more confortable, However, it is one of the most important areas of your life, and its best to know exactly what your score is, and how you can improve it. if you can understand it, you’ve gotten one step closer to building a wonderful credit report, and a fabulous credit score. For more info just visit the above stated page.
The selection was either
The selection was either they were too thin for riding all day in the rain, or they were meant for the Iditarod. I ended up purchasing a pair of Pearl Izumi cyclone gloves,the iron condor options strategy can play a valuable role in your portfolio.Many people are scared to see their credit report, and their credit score with it, but you can improve your credit score by reaching to us, it is very easy.
Durability has never been a
Durability has never been a forte for any pearl product I've used. However, they do stand behind their products, and while a hassle, you can usually take them back to their dealers for a replacement. To date I've replaced many pairs of mountain bike shoes (sole separates from the uppers), winter gloves (not much good below freezing BTW), shorts (wear through where the thigh rubs the saddle).
If anyone has found a good winter glove (think 0 degrees to 32 degrees F) I'd love to hear about it. I've got some black diamond renegades, supposedly rated to zero degrees F but not much good below 40.
They Repeat the Same Problem?
I can't believe that the same damn thing happened to the
second pair they shipped to you. How does that do anything
to resurrect their reputation with you. No matter how good the
customer service is, is the quality is subpar, what is the point!
If I didn't see the pictures, I wouldn't have believed it myself.
I stick with Tuffs myself and just replace them when they wear
out. If I were in your shoes, I would have done the same thing though.
My 2 Cents
George
Good to hear
I was just about buying a pair of these when I happened to stumble on your site. Thanks for saving me some money.
-Ali
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