Troy Lee Designs XC Glove - Outdoor Gear Review

The XC glove from Troy Lee Designs is targeted for the cross country rider looking for a glove that combines good protection and ventilation, with style and quality. This is one of several gloves in the Troy Lee Design collection.

Upon first examination the gloves seemed moderately stylish, nice and light, but a little skimpy on padding and protection. The gloves are a classic design featuring a Spandex backing, leather palm with light padding, and a Velcro® wrist closure often found on similar products in this category. However, this particular model comes in a variety of colors, that are less commonly found, including pink.

The gloves were used on a series of cross country rides, giving me an opportunity to put them to the test. The gloves felt fine on, with the expected fit in the fingers, and body. I would recommend buying the next size up to ensure a good fit. The gloves seemed a little light on the protection side of things with minimal padding in the palms, barely offering any padding between the grips and a users hands. Ventilation was good in part due to the lightweight fabric used to cover the back of the hand. Style is something often associated with Troy Lee Designs, and although some license was taken here, they were appealing to the eye.

Quality, however, is where these gloves seemed to miss the mark. After only 2 rides, the gloves began to come apart on two of the finger seams. There were no wipe outs, no unusual circumstances, and no issues with fit. My calls to Troy Lee Designs went unanswered, so an explanation for the defect will never be known.

Being an avid rider, I can expect a pair of XC gloves to last 9-12 months with regular use year-round. These gloves provided every indication that they would fall well short of that expected use life.