What does waterproof mean??

[justsomeguy]

Hi guys,

What does waterproof mean in terms of gloves??

Just went for a nice ride down SH22 today to see Quasi and came back....

Bought a pair of "waterproof and breathable" SPOOL gloves and gave them a good test today.

The gloves are made from cordura / leather and suede and the packing definitely said waterproof.

And my fingers were bloody damp at the end of the ride......you could see the water on them as I took my hands out of the gloves.

Is this normal for you guys too - or do your hands come out dry - absolutely dry???????

JSG

[XTC]

The only way I stay 100% dry is in the car.....

[N4CR]

I used to get pissed off with my Alpinestars SP-2 gloves... then I realised the damn water was mainly coming in because I did not have it secured VERY tightly against my waterproof jacket properly.. hence water was leaking in from the opening of the glove.

I 'abused' the fairings with arms tucked all the way in.. racer riding position and put the gloves on tighter and since have had no leaks :D

[Jantar]

Or, to make your gloves completely waterproof, wear breadbags outside your gloves. :yes:

[bugjuice]

were your jacket sleeves on the inside or the outside of your gloves? Wasn't more 'sweaty' damp, was it?

[justsomeguy]

It's mostly my fingers which get soaked

[justsomeguy]

were your jacket sleeves on the inside or the outside of your gloves? Wasn't more 'sweaty' damp, was it?

Naa mate you could sqeeze about a quarter cup of water from the bloody things...

Sleeves were inside but that area was relatively dry - only got wet from wrists backwards as the wind blew the water in......

[Keystone19]

Just got back in from Rotorua - rained heavy all the way. Hands/fingers were dry as a bone - I've got a similar pair of gloves, RJays though. Bit pissed off about my feet though, nice pair of Sidi leather boots with the waterproof membrane - my feet are soaked!

[Zed]

Hi guys,

What does waterproof mean in terms of gloves??

Just went for a nice ride down SH22 today to see Quasi and came back....As opposed to water-resistant, waterproofing is supposed to keep your hands dry! I'd take them back to the shop and tell them your story demanding to do a swap with a different brand or summat?

So Guy, was this a heavy downpour you rode in today or just showers?

[Zapf]

yep... get them replaced... water "PROOF".

[MikeL]

IMHO anyone who takes "waterproof" literally is being a bit naive. If you ride for 2 hours in a torrential downpour you are unlikely to arrive dry unless you are wearing a seamless plastic oversuit. Even then you will probably be wet because of the perspiration...

[Coyote]

The only way I stay 100% dry is in the car.....
Even in our car you can't be sure you're not gonna get wet :lol:

It's an '84 Laser, what do you expect?

I've got cheap Motoline gloves, cost me $80 and I'm pretty sure the cabon fibre is real. I've had no problems with the rain nor the tarmac

[thehollowmen]

I work at a medical lab and nick a pair or two of extra large latex gloves. Nitratex ones will tear but the latex ones will fit OVER your normal gloves

Now that's waterproof

[justsomeguy]

So Guy, was this a heavy downpour you rode in today or just showers?

It was bad on the way there......

.....and even worse on the way back ..... 10 meter visibility.

[Jeremy]

I've got Progrip road winter gloves (picked them up from Colemans for ~$40 on sale for half price) and they've been through hour long downpours, and although the outsides were soaked the insides have never been wet. Then again 2 hours through 10 meter visibility would probably get through anything that wasn't plastic. How about the rest of your gear, did it get through your boots?

[Brian d marge]

IMHO anyone who takes "waterproof" literally is being a bit naive. If you ride for 2 hours in a torrential downpour you are unlikely to arrive dry unless you are wearing a seamless plastic oversuit. Even then you will probably be wet because of the perspiration...

Well rukka dont leak,,,,,,Actually as a London dispatch rider in the early eightys ,,I tried alsorts ..the best combo I found is ...A Rukka jacket and some PVE yellow Plastic over trou ....Later when Gortex came out ...I have a one piece over suit that Yeah right is water proof and a yeah right waterproof riding Jacket and of course the freezing works PVC over trou ... but I didnt sweat ,,,,,ie it breathed enough and was waterproof enough .....I still have Both after 20 years ..the rukka has lotss of road rask and the zipp is buggered ..but is still useable ..That why I replaced it with a cordaroy Jacket ..and the 1 piece ....
Gloves I have good leather and some PVC over gloves from the army and navy store ....
Boots well I dont know ..at the moment I use riding boots leather with over covers ,,and Chain Spray ,,,Hey its not fashion but it stops the water and I have heaps ..( I use it in Enduro ,,one for the chain one for the boots .....)
But after a tropical storm the boots leak,,,,Gumboots would be better but I cant solve the sweat problem ....and me sock fall down inside when I walk ,,,,)

Except for the boots I am preety much 100 percent dry ,,,I mean 14 hours in the saddle wet is NOOO fun ,,,,

Stephen

[justsomeguy]

I've got Progrip road winter gloves (picked them up from Colemans for ~$40 on sale for half price) and they've been through hour long downpours, and although the outsides were soaked the insides have never been wet. Then again 2 hours through 10 meter visibility would probably get through anything that wasn't plastic. How about the rest of your gear, did it get through your boots?

Hands were soaked..... and stomach upper thigh area -- as the water flows down the tank and enters through the gap between the jacket and pant....not very nasty.... tolerable...... got sports boots...applied beeswax liberally - but it's bloody useless.....At least thanks to my woolen socks somehow I wasn't cold...

And I don't care how wet I get as long as I'm not cold I'm OK:cool:

[Gremlin]

I've Dririder Nordic gloves and haven't had a problem yet, but I haven't tested them over hours of riding, or 100km/h either.

Hour long rides in rain I haven't had a problem. Once I felt one drip in each glove and thought they were leaking, but nothing else.

Only $90 at Motomail. :niceone:

[Zapf]

well I had / still have a pair of spidi's and after heavy rain, I when I close my grip you can see water bubbling out of all the seams.... and that is even if I tuck my gloves tight under my jacket..

[MacD]

well I had / still have a pair of spidi's and after heavy rain, I when I close my grip you can see water bubbling out of all the seams.... and that is even if I tuck my gloves tight under my jacket..

Are your hands getting wet however? The waterproofing in my Spidi gloves is provided by a layer between the outer glove (cordura/leather) and the inner lining. These breathable membranes only remain waterproof if they are clean. Once they become dirty they "wick" water through them, which is why it is recommended you use non-depositing detergents to clean jackets etc.

My Spidi H2OUT gloves are 2 years old and still waterproof. I'd buy another pair.

[FEINT]

just reading how some of the jackets / gloves not being waterproof, is there anything that can be sprayed on or applied to make them MORE waterproof? I am assuming as time goes on, cordura becomes less and less waterproof. Ideas?

[Ixion]

I find my present set up seems to be pretty good. I don't get wet on the Whale regardless, and I usually take that if its wet, so I don't often put waterproofing to the test nowdays But, an hour and a half the other week on Li'l Ratty through heavy rain the whole way, and my gear was sodden , but I was dry as when I took it off. Except for a bit of damp around my neck, I'm getting on of those neck warmer things to deal with that.

All my stuff is cheap, I think the thing is to spend time arranging so there are no gaps for water to seep in.

Those pvc trousers from the Warehouse are good for torrential rain, wear over leggings (buy them two sizes too large )

Thing is , though , anything that's leather is going to get soggy. You can't expect the leather itself to stay dry, only question is whether the wet gets through to you. Same with textile I think. It's not designed to stay dry itself, only solid PVC will do that. Rather to stop the water getting through to you.

[Pixie]

My Spidi's don't leak :ride:

[Paul in NZ]

Good quality waterproof gear in good condition does not really leak unless you are careless with the putting on or the refastening of.

It does become less resistent to water with use and time (my Spidi NT Tour is 6 years old and still pretty good.

Some jackets stop the water at the outer layer and some use an inner membrane (the spidi).

With the latter type (membrane) it is ESSENTIAL and with the other highly recommended that you tuck your gloves inside the sleeve of the jacket or else the water runs down your sleeves and fills up your gloves! ie wear the jacket over the gloves NOT the other way around!

Cheers

[Jeremy]

Good quality waterproof gear in good condition does not really leak unless you are careless with the putting on or the refastening of.

It does become less resistent to water with use and time (my Spidi NT Tour is 6 years old and still pretty good.

Some jackets stop the water at the outer layer and some use an inner membrane (the spidi).

With the latter type (membrane) it is ESSENTIAL and with the other highly recommended that you tuck your gloves inside the sleeve of the jacket or else the water runs down your sleeves and fills up your gloves! ie wear the jacket over the gloves NOT the other way around!

Cheers

After thinking about this for a couple of mins I've realised how much sense this makes. I'll try it next it pours down with rain.

[justsomeguy]

Hmmm.... it's possible that the water did come down my sleeves - as the gloves as designed to be worn over your sleeves......

But my fingers were soaking wet - and the gloves were heavy with water - whereas the upper bits - that connect to my sleeves were comparitively dry.....

Gotta search for that blaardy receipt.....

[Gremlin]

What about the fingertips?? Some gloves have different fabrics or stitches on the tip, and if the gloves are a little small, you might have pulled the stitches??

Even the smallest holes would make it easy for water at speed.

[Paul in NZ]

Hmmm.... it's possible that the water did come down my sleeves - as the gloves as designed to be worn over your sleeves......

But my fingers were soaking wet - and the gloves were heavy with water - whereas the upper bits - that connect to my sleeves were comparitively dry.....

Gotta search for that blaardy receipt.....

Yes! Think about it...

With the Spidi the inner waterproof membrane channels the water to the extremities like a roof to a rain gutter and it runs out the bottom.

With your gloves over your sleeves the water runs down inside the jacket to the end of the sleeve and fills up the hand portion leaving the gauntlet bit dry (ish)... I found this out the hard way first time I wore my spidi in a REALLY wet day.

Try it anyway! Might work (or you may have naff gloves)

Paul N

ps - my Spidi gloves were waterproff for 4 seasons and are now semi waterproof, my cheapie winter ones are still 100% waterproof due to their membrane.

[vifferman]

Boots - StylMartin Stradas ("Water resistant", rather than "waterproof", as the waterproof bit only comes halfway up. Never leaked a drop, although I've had water in them when caught out without my leggings over my leathers, and water's run down the seams of my pants. They're always warm and cosy, without being too hot in summer.

Jacket - Teknic Hurricane. Was waterproof, apart from the bottom pockets. The textile is designed to breathe, so water runs down inside the fabric (but not through it), and out the bottom (hence the reason for the wet pockets). Not waterproof liner like a Spidi - it's slightly more high-tech than that. A couple of the zips (stormproof self-sealing jobs) leaked slightly at the top. As it's guaranteed 100% waterproof, I could have had it replaced in the first year, but I crash-tested it after a few weeks, so that stuffed that up.
I now waterproof it (and my gloves) regularly with Scotchgard, as it now has leather patches, the seams of which would leak without some treatment.

Pants - Leather, and only barely showerproof, despite applications of SnoSeal, as they have too many stretch panels and seams, which are an absolute *%$#@ to waterproof. So, I wear Motoline nylon/PVC pants over the top. Excellent! :niceone: These Motoline pants are one of the best bits of gear I've ever bought.

Gloves - Orina Denver "waterproof". Feckin useless. The seams of some of the nylon panels failed very early on, so in desperation I hot-glued them. Because these gloves are of the "waterproof membrane" type, the leather and suede bits suck up water, which is then absorbed by the insulation. They are marginally waterproof, but water gets in anyway, and I hatesss them, nassssty little Urinasss. I wear them only if it's really cold or wet, and then only to save my 'good' gloves from getting wet. Around town I'll often wear a pair of old summer gloves in the rain, as they're holed anyway, so it doesn't matter if they get ruined. I *hate* gloves that are too thick, and I'm on the lookout for some summer gloves that are waterproof, and padded only on the backs. :whistle: Yeah, I know - good luck...

[Lou Girardin]

Waterproof gloves are only waterproof if you have the gloves INSIDE the sleeves of your jacket.
Otherwise the water runs down your sleeves into the gloves!

PS Spidi waterproof gloves are waterproof. 4 hours in pissing rain and still had dry hands.

[justsomeguy]

PS Spidi waterproof gloves are waterproof. 4 hours in pissing rain and still had dry hands.

How much $$$$$ Lou??

[Coldkiwi]

spidis will cost your more than spool JSG. I got my pair of Spidi Hypers for $300 odd and were pretty good until they flew out of the back of the bag going over kopu!

'waterproof' gloves should be able to handle a decent amount of rain without leaking, but don't expect to be bone dry unless they're nonbreathable

[Lou Girardin]

How much $$$$$ Lou??

$159.00. Cheap