off-road.cc

The Dakine Covert glove is tough mountain bike glove that will protect hands sufficiently whilst providing a good contact surface to grip the bars. A cheap glove, good for all year round use.

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Dakine says the Covert's are a minimalist glove, whilst they don’t have any extra padding on the palm and the synthetic suede palm is thin, the upper isn’t the most minimalist or the most breathable of any glove we’ve worn. The gold standard for us as a thin glove is the Alpinestars Stella F-Lite gloves we reviewed here.

There is no fastening, these gloves just slip on and slip off via a neoprene opening with small gripper tab, it's neat and works well, in this respect they are minimalist. 

The one-piece palm does offer good traction on the bars but it does ruck up a little at the knuckles, not so much that it is uncomfortable though. The back of the hand is made from a moisture wicking, stretchy material which is super comfy and flexible. It also doesn’t have any extra seams crossing the material unnecessarily. Any seams present on the gloves are discreet and without bulk.

The fore and middle fingers have silicone stripes printed on them, which even after a few months use are still intact. The gloves are also touch screen compatible and it works, very well in fact, bonus!

These gloves aren’t as cool as the aforementioned Alpinestars but they are more comfortable than the Giro DND gloves I have previously worn and offer the same rugged protection that these rivals do. At £20, they are a bit of a steal, I’ve been wearing them all year round, only needing to opt for something lighter when the weather is super hot.

• www.dakine.com

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