- Where to Buy: Wheels In Motion; Chatsworth, CA. Contact: Danny (818) 576-0003
- My Hand Size: Small, short fingers but fairly wide across the knuckles. I also wear a size 6.5 in Helds.
- My Veloce Size: Small
- Sizes available: XSmall, Small, Medium, Large
- $169.00 MSRP
- Colors: Black / Red, Black / White and the "Atrum" Model which is Black / Black
FEATURES
- Fully vented
- Articulated thumb
- Kangaroo palms
- Split knuckle armor for better articulation
- Reinforced stitching between the 4th and 5th fingers
- Reinforced palms with Dual Density CE padding
- 1 year manufacturer warranty
OVERVIEW
As a new manufacturer in the motorcycle apparel industry, Veloce has decided to take on the challenging task of creating women's racing gloves. Walk into any powersports dealership or apparel shop and try finding a pair of women's gloves worthy of several high speed crashes on the track. Chances are you're not going to find very much. Even at Scuderia where the women's glove selection is enormous compared to many other shops, there are only a couple of women's high end race gloves, compared to the 5-7 available for men.If you've been shopping lately, you've probably realized how hard it is to buy a good pair of protective gloves. At Scuderia, we probably carry more men's and women's gloves than any other dealer you'll come across. You'll definitely find at least 2 or 3 pairs of women's gloves that will work for you. The hard part is finding a glove with solid protective features such as armor, a strong gauntlet, reinforced stitching in high abrasion areas and materials such as Schoeller®Keprotec®. Unfortunately the market for high end women's gloves is a difficult and sometimes impossible segment to reach. But Veloce has decided to tackle that market with the Achillias and in doing so were able to do it in a very thoughtful and precise way. Asking women about their bodies! Asking them what they want! *gasp*. What a concept. It became crystal clear to Veloce when they discovered how different and complicated sizing women can be. Especially with hands. Our hands are more tapered, narrower and articulate differently than a man's, especially in riding position. Collaborating with women riders was going to be the only way they were going to better understand us and make a product that we would want to buy. Veloce also tested the fit and performance of these gloves with a female amateur racer in Oregon. Apparently, she's crashed several times and has never injured her hands in them. I'm also told that she refuses to give them back, for obvious reasons. :)
The first thing you'll notice about the Achillia is the generous gauntlet with a double flap and wrist strap. And what appears to be red batman-like graphics. Those are actually the Veloce logos, which are a modern interpretation of an Eagle staff as carried by Roman armies of that era. All of their apparel bears that logo. The internal lining on the gauntlet is also made with Schoeller®Keprotec®, which you'll find in most mid-high end gloves. They also have the softest, most supple kangaroo leather palms. You would think they were goat or lamb, given how soft they are. These gloves have never been ridden in before I wore them, yet feel as though they'd been broken in long before. There was absolutely no breaking in period, whereas even my Racer's required one ride before reaching this point. The padding on the palms are made with Dual Density CE padding, which not only provides a little extra comfort, but certainly added protection should you get too close to the pavement.
These gloves also have unique armor on the knuckles and fingers. The reason for this is to accommodate for the way in which our hands tend to taper when we make a fist. Having this split knuckle armor complements the way a woman's hand articulates. I really appreciated this feature in general. The smaller armor/ventilation points along the fingers are also better suited for our fingers as well. You may also be wondering what the 'SPQR' stands for above the knuckle armor. That's part of Veloce's approach to protective motorcycle gear:
- Safety
- Performance
- Quality
- Refinement
FIT
When I first these gloves on, I was sitting at Starbucks with Michael, the founder of Veloce. They fit "like a glove", as they say. The fingers, the palms, the knuckles, the wrists, everything. My hands are wider across the knuckle than other women, they're disproportionately wider than they should be compared to my fingers. Because of this, I have a hard time squeezing my hands into most gloves. I have to bring my thumb and pinky fingers together in order to make my hand narrow enough to fit through the opening. That's what happens when you take after your father's man hands. Generally, my fingers tend to be too short for REV'IT gloves, but I am able to fit into small Icons, Racers, AlpineStars, Spidis and Olympias.
Unfortunately, trying on these gloves with a tshirt was a completely different story, especially with the jacket I wear. Since the glove has a wrist strap and a gauntlet that is meant to be worn over the sleeve of your jacket, I had a problem with getting my sleeve comfortably under it. With the extra sleeve material pushing into the glove, I couldn't get the gloves all the way down between my fingers. So that made the gloves much longer than I wanted them to be. Not unsafe for riding, as I was able to continue riding in them, but not ideal for overall comfort.
Definitely not the glove's fault, but my jacket's because the cuff doesn't taper snugly around my wrist. It's a little loose and therefore requires a generous gauntlet to accommodate the extra material. I'm able to make it work with my existing gloves, so I didn't think that would be an issue. The other problem I have is that my hands sweat so easily. Even in 60 degree weather! One thing you can't see from my pictures is that the top, inner lining of the gauntlet is fuzzy and padded. I've never tried on a non winter glove that had this type of feature. The gloves themselves aren't lined, but the gauntlet is, which makes the combination of a wider, sweaty hand impossible to deal with. I believe the padded lining is to help reinforce the gauntlet with shock absorption as well as a little added warmth.
Keep in mind that when you're trying on gloves, you must assess fit with your hands wrapped around the throttle and using your brake / clutch levers. All too often, people will make a fist and complain that the gloves are too small. When will you ever make a fist while riding your motorcycle? Never! Keep in mind that a little bit of length at the end of the fingers is a good thing, so that when you wrap your hands around the handgrips, there will be a little extra length to accommodate the articulation. Depending on the kind of bike you are riding, you may find that the glove fits better in one riding position vs another. I strongly suggest anytime you try on gloves, that you try them on different bikes in order to assess overall fit. Given how soft and broken they already feel, you should buy them as snug as possible vs. allowing for traditional break in time. Normally I would tell you to buy a pair of gloves super snug everywhere, and allow them to stretch once you break them in. And then you'll achieve the perfect fit. But with these, I'd say that's not necessary.
I'm a very particular person when it comes to how things fit and if there's an extra flap, piece of material or anything else that causes discomfort I won't wear it. Due to the combination of my weird hands and the way the gauntlet conflicts with my jacket, I wouldn't be able to leave my High Ends for the Achillias. I would however, recommend them as a protective racing glove for any woman looking for a glove that's designed for a woman's hand with all the features she would need to protect herself on the street or the track.