Racer High End Gloves

Racer High End Ladies Gloves
MSRP $199.99

If it's possible to be in love with your gear, well then I'm proud to say that I am in love with these gloves! I was worried they wouldn't be warm enough for my always cold hands, but I have to say that so far, they're performing better than I expected! They fit my short fingers perfectly. Look for a full review soon, hopefully after this week from hell is over. My real job is kicking my ass this week, so I hope to dig up more content for the next newsletter (sign up if you haven't already!) this weekend. Overall, I would highly recommend these gloves for everyday riding. I don't know how they'll do in colder weather (below 60 degrees), but in 60s-70s they're perfect. They have just enough ventilation but not too much. And they have much better dexterity than my Multitops do.

My husband and I are going to be riding down to Ventura, CA this weekend for an extended stay visiting his family. Although we've been to Ventura many times before, this will be the first ride on Minnie. My wonderful friend Leyla was so generous as to lend me her gel seat for the weekend, so I hope that makes for a more pleasant ride. After riding ~170 miles this weekend, my butt was screaming at me to never do that again without a better seat. But it was definitely happier with new tires! Nothing like the feeling of smoooooth acceleration out of a satisfying sharp left turn. (I still hate left turns, still working on that).

View Larger Map

Although I didn't celebrate Ride to Work Day yesterday, I rode today instead and it was fantastic. Riding the dirty streets of San Francisco makes you remember not to be so complacent with your reaction time, ability to predict people's movements and remaining vigilent. I learned how to ride here, so it's all I know. When people ask me if it's scary, or how I do it, I simply tell them that it's just like riding anywhere else, only much worse, busier and a little rougher on the tires (so many potholes). I think I'd have more fun on a DRZ! I also love the small streets, sharp corners and beautiful scenery that we're so lucky to have. Today was particularly fun as I rode down Powell Street along the cable car lines to courier a package to Union Square.

If you ever come to San Francisco, I highly recommend renting bikes (maybe a KLR from my friend Glenn?) and riding around the city. If you're not used to riding in the city, it'll definitely give you some riding experience to take back with you to the 'burbs!

Racer gloves Are Back!!

If you love Racer gloves as much as I do, then you'll be thrilled to know that the US has a NEW and improved distributor based in San Jose. A little birdy told me that Scuderia West just placed an order, so hopefully a shipment will be coming in soon.

But check with your local retailers who might have been carrying them before and let them know that Pacific Powersports Distributing based in Monterey, CA is going to be the new distributor!

Yay!!

4/24/09 Update:
MotoStrano in Redwood City is also carrying Racer Gloves again!
For those of you who live in the South Bay, go see my friends at MotoStrano and tell them I said hi.

Racer Gloves :(

For reasons unknown to me, it's impossible to get Racer Multitop gloves in the US right now. At least, it seems that way when you google for them. I've only found UK websites that are selling them online! And unless you can find a US dealer that happens to have extra inventory on hand. Bastards.

I contacted www.ukbikegear.com because they have them available in men's and women's. And they're marked down to 107.99 Pounds. (Thanks John!) But the US equivalent is only 155.00. Which is still a sale price, considering the regular price would have been 189.99. I am *this* close to ordering them, depending how much shipping would be.

And, damn they've even updated it with hard carbon fiber armor. *sigh*

Too many jobs! And a review.

I am in the midst of switching jobs, but already started a new one 3 weeks ago. Sadly, between that and working a couple days as well at Scuderia West, it's been killing my spare time.

I need to update some things on my site and will attempt to do that by next weekend. I will be changing the reviews page to make it more useful. Hopefully I can get that done when we ride (Yeah!) down to SoCal next weekend.

In the meantime, I just wanted to share my latest purchase, a pair of Spidi Strada Womens' gloves. I needed a better pair of summer gloves with protection and perforation. As much as I'd love a pair of Racer High-End gloves, (see a review of the Racers from WebBikeWorld here), I just didn't want to spend that much. I purchased a pair of Lookwell unisex gloves last year, but the velcro on them is already falling apart! I also wanted a glove that was a little thicker, but not insulated like the Racer Multitops (see a review of these here) that I already wear mostly year round. I know, you're thinking, "how many pairs of gloves does she have??" Too many. Just ask my husband.

The Stradas retail for ~$99.00. They are perforated in between the fingers and I definitely love that feeling of wind between my fingers, especially when it's mildly hot and/or humid in San Francisco ( a rare occurrence, but it does happen!). I think I'll be taking them with me as we ride down to SoCal, as they will come in handy when we hit some hot spots. I've found them to be super comfortable, well ventilated and exactly what I need with San Francisco's and the Bay Area's microclimates.