Thursday, 25 December 2014

CKX Throttle 3-Fingers Mitts

Just picked these up off a Motorcycle/Snowmobile online website. They cost a shade under $50 and the shipping was free.



I am a huge fan of Lobster style 3-finger mitts. I am currently riding with a set of Sugoi trigger style 3 fingers and I am not very impressed with them. I ride with hydraulic discs and I can brake will with 1 finger but around -20 C my index finger starts to get really cold. The durability also left lot to be desired for a $90 mitt, they are mostly held together by duct tape after a season and a half of regular usage. I got them as a warranty replacement for the earlier version which also fell apart.

As for these, they appear quite nice. They appear to be designed for snowmobiling, with a goggle wipe and a reasonably long gauntlet. They come with a fleece glove liner that Velcros in and there is an internal divider for the fingers. Not sure why you would want an internal divider, but I will update on how warm it keeps my hands after I have some serious kilometres on them.


They have a nice, grippy palm material. I obviously can't comment on the durability of the palms yet, but it seems pretty tough and not to stiff which bodes well for them. I purchased a size XL and they run quite a bit tighter than my Sugoi's. I generally wear an XL mitt and these seem to run small but considering they already have a liner I guess I shouldn't need any extra room.


They also have a healthy amount of reflective piping which I appreciate since most of my riding is done in traffic.


All in all they seem like a pretty good buy. I'll keep you posted on the longevity and warmth. They also have a Hipora waterproof/breathable membrane, but if you are wearing these in the rain you are doing something wrong. If I take them skiing on a wet snow day I'll see how they hold up, but I am not going to wear them riding in the rain. They would be way to warm for a rainy day.

The main reason I bought these is simply because they were the first decent looking Lobsters I found. The Castelli's and Pearl Izumi's that MEC is carrying are significantly more expensive and no where near as well insulated as the Sugoi's I am looking to replace. Giro has a nice looking pair, but they retail for more than $100 here in Canada if you can find a pair and I won't plunk that kind of money down without being able to try them out. If any one else has a recommendation I would love to hear about it, although I really have no interest in trigger style mitts.

Intro

Hello Everyone,

This Blog is going to be an extension of my internal dialogue about riding (mostly commuting) in and around Calgary throughout the year. I am a year round commuter who tends to go though quite a bit of gear and with a lot of what I have been buying lately I haven't been able to find a proper review. I will post reviews of the stuff I use here as it comes to me.

I work full time and have young children, so my reviews will be somewhat intermittent but I will my best to stay on top of things.