Product review: Shima D-Tour waterproof riding gloves

Shima is a Poland-based riding gear manufacturer. They have recently tied up with MotoIgnite in India to market their products. The gloves you see here are the Shima D-Tour waterproof units. We have had the gloves for more than three months now. These are also my first waterproof gloves.

Being waterproof, you assume that the D-Tour will be heavy and all but it feels almost the same as your regular gloves. In fact my Royal Enfield full gauntlets used to feel a tad heavier. These aren't your winter gloves and when you first wear them, you don't feel the warmth on your fingers. However after 2-3 hours of riding in the sun, they do tend to get warm.

Fastening is via a regular velcro flap as well as a wrist closure strap that ensures a snug hold. The water proof membrane has been co-developed by Shima and another textile company. The membrane is designed to allow moisture to escape from within but only from one way, ensuring the water stays out.

I got these gloves at the onset of winter season, just after the rains had abated. So I tested them by dipping my hands in a bucket full of water as well as holding them under a running tap for 20 minutes. The gloves felt a little heavy but none of the water seeped inside. I even rode a motorcycle with the wet gloves on and found no issues with the feel or grip on the handlebar.

The glove offers a soft knuckle protector which I found to be non-intrusive on the skin even after prolonged riding stints. The palm gets a double panel at the impact points near the scaphoid and the under side of the fingers gets small rubberised strips for extra grip. I'd like to see a bit more protection and some reinforcement on the palm side of it.
Fit is good and I found no seams or folds that dig into the skin. Each finger has an elasticated stretch panel for better fit. Being waterproof gloves, there's a neat feature in a rubber fin on both thumbs that work as a wiper for the visor.

At Rs 4,000, the Shima D-Tour WP gloves are good value for money, especially if you ride a lot in the rain. Live in a hot climate region and cannot use thick winter gloves, the Shimas will still work for you. In India, however, they are available only on a few e-commerce websites as of now. Shima and MotoIgnite plan to expand to retail other riding gear such as jackets, pants and suits in India soon.

Website: Amazon.in, Shopclues.com and snapdeal.com
Price: Rs 4,000 inclusive of taxes and duties

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