Giro The DJ Glove

California-based Giro is best known by mountain bikers for its range of helmets, but really their ‘bag’ is protective accessories for action sports, and that includes gloves. We tested these Giro DJ gloves, which evolved from the Xen glove and despite the name, are apparently designed for "all day sessions and all mountain riding". So, how did the DJ hold up after some serious abuse out on the trail?

Giro are preoccupied by fit. Their mission is to create products that ‘feel like a part of you’, and the range of sizes available plus the ‘Super Fit’ engineering means they are a safe bet no matter what size your mitts. As someone with freakishly small hands, I was impressed at how snuggly the DJs fitted, with no baggyness round the palm or gaping round the cuff. 

Giro’s Super Fit design means the palm is tailored from three sections to minimise bunching. This also seemed to avoid any pressure on the calouses at the bottom of my fingers, which is where a lot of gloves will dig in and rub.

The palm design enables maximum bar feel...

The Giros are comfortable. But they achieve that comfort with only a very thin layer of fabric between you and the handlebar, and only a small padded area for the boney outside of your hand. The palm design enables maximum bar feel, which means you don’t feel like you are squeezing a cushion when you want control through technical sections of trail, and it is the lack of bunching which creates the feeling of comfort. After a very long time in the saddle, though, and particularly with hard lock on grips, you can end up craving a bit more squidge under your palm.

The DJs have calibrated finger joints which mean the material doesn’t pull on the end of your fingers when you curl your hand round the grip. The fingers are covered in an airy mesh, reinforced with strips of tough but flexible plastic (beautifully designed in an eye catching angular pattern). The same mesh covers your upper hand and this keeps the air flowing when the sweat really starts to run on those climbs.

Across the knuckle and round the wrist there is a padded section designed to protect you from knocks. The cuff on the DJs comes a nice distance up your wrist, not obscuring a watch but keeping the wind out. The sturdy wrist strap means you can tighten the fit if there’s a nip in the air. Generally, though, these are mid season or summer gloves. There is too much air ventilation around the fingers, palm and upper hand for them to be comfortable in winter, but for the rest of the year they would suit.

the DJs do look beautiful...

The all important snot wipe patch on the thumb completes the features on the DJ. However, the soft suedette might me more suitable for cleaning your glasses than wiping the sweat off your face as it lacks much absorbency.

Giro’s mission is to create products on the leading edge of inspired design, and the DJs do look beautiful. They come in various colourways (blue, red, green) but the grey and white version that we tested are eye catching and manage to balance the chaotic ‘free ride chic’ pattern with flashes of white that we all know means speed. The DJs will complement any outfit and make you feel like a trail god.

Costing around the £29 mark, the DJs pack a lot of punch for their relative high cost but would be a good investment for riding during most of the year, particularly for shorter rides of less than 3 hours. If you ride technical trails, you will really appreciate the delicate palm area and the undampened feel of the handlebar. A month of daily use and washing has not made a dent in their shape and there are no signs of wear.

An attractively designed and sensibly priced glove for 3 season, everyday riding.

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