Do you wear gloves over or under cuff?

Do you wear your motorcycle gloves under or over your jacket cuff?

Yes, we cover the BIG issues here at Motorbike Writer!

Surprisingly, this issue has resonated with riders in the past when we have mentioned it in glove reviews.

So we thought we would investigate the issue further and invite you to comment.

There are many issues here that include glove type, rider position, comfort, rain and safety.

Off the cuff!

Glove type

Obviously the most important aspect of whether you wear the glove over or under your cuff is whether the glove suits.

With a shorty glove you have no choice. Some don’t even reach the cuff to tuck under.

This is particularly evident on bikes where there is a long reach to the bars such as sportsbikes and cruisers with ape hangers.

The jacket pulls up your arms and leaves a little strip of wrist that can get sunburnt!

On one trip I found this a major problem so I invented my own gauntlets from Maccas chip packets. Necessity is the mother of invention!

In the opposite corner, racing and long gauntlet gloves are way too big to fit under most cuffs.

However, there are many gloves with a moderate sized wrist section that will fit either over or under a cuff, giving you the option depending on comfort and safety.

Comfort

Comfort is very important for riders as an uncomfortable glove can not only be annoying, but also a dangerous distraction.

So it may be up to the individual and the type of glove or jacket sleeve whether over or under makes you feel more comfortable.

We suggest not trying to squeeze too much gauntlet under your sleeve as this can reduce the movement in your wrist.

The other comfort issue is temperature.

Under the cuff will allow air to ventilate up your arms on a hot day.

However, you don’t want a loose sleeve as this can dangerously ride up your arms in a slide down the road.

A Ventz unit will channel cool air up your arms but also leave your sleeve tight and secure.

They can be worn above or below the wrist. We found under to be better as it directs air on to the surface veins that help cool your whole body.

They’re only $34.99 (plus postage) in our online shop. Click here to check them out.

If you like wearing your gloves under your sleeves in winter, you’d better make it a tight fit.

We haven’t come across a gauntlet glove that allows enough ventilation when worn over the cuff in hot weather.

Rain

The other comfort issue is riding in the rain.

You may think a gauntlet on a waterproof glove is going to offer more protection from the rain.

However, water can still find its way around the end of the gauntlet and back down into your sleeve.

To prevent this, some waterproof gloves have a cord to pull the gauntlet tight at the end. Most are available on overgloves which are meant to be worn with other gloves underneath.

 

In some cases, a shorter glove that fits under a tight sleeve will provide better rain protection.

Some gloves, have the best of both worlds with two gauntlets; one that goes under and one that goes over.

There is also the clever Siima Sibirsky which have a zip-off gauntlet and a shorter gauntlet underneath for the best of both worlds.

Safety

The more protection you have the better, which means race gloves with big gauntlets that have extra padding and protection.

These are bulky and can only go over the top of the cuff.

Short gloves are never going to offer decent protection.

However, a mid-length glove that goes under the cuff gets the extra protection of the sleeves.

Another aspect of safety I hadn’t thought about until I got stung was insects.

If you have a gaping hole between your glove and your sleeve, you could get a wasp or bee up your arm like I did last year.

It was painful and caused me to suddenly jerk the bars.

Since then I always make sure the gloves are over the top or tucked in tight!

Do you wear gloves over or under your cuff? Leave your comments below.