What We Wear! The Held 'Classic Rider' goatskin gloves

Our Stan has been wearing these on his key worker commute. Let's see how he's getting on with them!

The Held 'Classic Rider' unlined goatskin gloves - under £50!

The background to getting them

I've been wanting some 'proper' Summer gloves now for years. Gloves that keep my hands cool and don't have long cuffs so I can throw them on and off with whatever I'm wearing. I've also been looking for gloves that will go with the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled and look great as well. Naturally I wanted them to fit 'like a glove should' from the word go and not break the bank. These little chaps have ticked all the boxes.

My commute is a mixture of 'A' and 'B' roads and my shifts are anything from 8am to 10pm so the gloves needed to offer some form of 'block' from chills before / after the day is warm. Enter the Held 'Classic Rider' gloves! 

Great fit, love the padding on the palm for extra protection

The features of the glove

Well used now! grubby and with the odd fly strike! 

Protection:

• Reinforced edge of hand and thumb
• EU certified 'protective gloves for motorcyclists'
• Extra padding on the palm

Fit/features:

• Perforated finger side walls
• Velcro cuff adjustment
• Special leather at fingertips which allows smartphone operation

Lining & Shell:

• Unlined palm
• lighweight lined back
• Goatskin (soft and supple)
• Colourfast and sweatproof
• Available in the creamy colour or black

How I've been getting on with them

The devil's in the detail - perfect stitching and very robust. Oozing quality

I got these for the reasons mentioned above - and they haven't disappointed. Maybe I should have gone for black as they're getting a bit grubby, but nah! I love this colour, they're different and go with the bike better. (Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled). 

They're basic unlined gloves, but the quality and the attention to detail is astounding. Especially for the sub-£50 price tag. They've moulded to my hands beautifully and feel so comfy to wear on the commute. My jacket cuffs don't get interfered with which adds to that 'jump on and ride' feeling I like to have this time of year. 

I still feel protected - the stitching is not going to give, the goatskin is super abrasion resistant and the gentle padding on the palm gives me confidence without compromising the 'feel' of the controls at all. They're not the warmest gloves at 730am or 1030pm, but you wouldn't expect unlined gloves to be! That said, they've offered enough 'block' from the chillier times of the day to do the job!

Looking for some Summer unlined gloves at a great price? The Held 'Classic Rider' could be just what you're looking for! 

Stan

Checkout the Held range, here 

Wigley Racing: Donington Park WSBK Race Report

Donington Park WSBK Race Report

This was the second weekend Matt had visited Donington Park to race this year.  This was good for the team as we was able to pick up where we left off. As the supersport class does not compete here we was down to one rider.

 Fridays Free Practice proved to be a step in the direction that we had hoped for as Matt was able to pick up where he left off and get up to race pace in the early stages of the session. Despite the 37◦C track temperature and sweltering heat, Matt was still able to put his best time in towards the end of the session, putting him in 27th Place.  Although there was plenty of room for improvement it was a good start to the weekend. 

Saturdays Qualifying however took a turn for the worst. Although Matt had high aspirations with a plan for improvement, his progression was stalled when an unbalanced tyre hindered his lap times.  As the session progressed Matt was unable to get any feel from the bike as the front end was juddering violently.  Despite this being the case Matt still matched the time from Fridays FP1 session but the lack of improvement put him 31st place on the Grid for Sunday’s back-to-back race.

Matt had a brilliant start to the 100 mile race as by lap 2 he had battled his way up to 23rd place.  As the race progressed and the pack fanned out it was harder to jump each gap.  By lap 10 we had used up all the good rubber and as Matt started to slow, he was swallowed up dropping back to 27th place.  For the restart Matt took his 27th place grid position. This put him at more of an advantage due to his inside positioning on the track.  This allowed him to gain places with fewer risks on the entry to the first turn.  With new tyres Matt was able to push through the pack and work his way up to 20th place. After an off track excursion on lap 2 at the Foggy Esses he had it all to do again.  Nevertheless as the race progressed Matt battled his way up to a respectable 19th place and knocked 1.9 seconds off his personal best.

It was a positive result for the team with yet another top teen finish in the Stock 1000 class.  We look forward to the next British Superbike round at Knockhill in just a couple of weeks’ time. 


*Held UK are pleased to supply gloves to Wigley racing! For more information on Held in the UK please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Held Racer update: Tom Weeden - Olivers Mount Gold Cup 2015

Tom Weeden - Olivers Mount Gold Cup 2015

Tom Weeden ended his 2015 road racing campaign with a weekend of highs and lows at the International Olivers Mount Gold Cup last weekend. The rising 21 year old pure roads racer was in high spirits going into the meeting on the back of a successful two weeks out on the Isle of Man for the Manx GP, where he walked away with an 8th and 6th place finish in the Junior and Senior races and a personal best average of 118.1mph around the 37.73mile course. 

Saturday proved to be the ideal conditions for Weeden as the rain came down strong in the morning. Tom favours wet conditions around the Olivers Mount circuit as it levels out the playing field against the top TT riders on far superior machinery. John McGuiness, Bruce Anstey, Michael and William Dunlop, Ryan Farquhar, Dean Harrison, Lee Johnston and Ivan Lintin who have all either won or been on the podium in Isle of Man TT races were in attendance. Racing against the big factory backed teams, the privateer “Dad and lad” team would have their work cut out for a top 10 finish amongst an extremely high quality field of riders.

Practice boded well for Weeden as he went 3rd fastest in both the 600cc category and the practice for the main event – the Gold Cup, in very tricky wet conditions. Tom followed this up with a brilliant 2nd position in the 600cc qualifying session to place himself in the centre of the front row for the race later that day. Unfortunately he made a slight error on his final and fastest lap in the Gold Cup qualifying session running slight wide at the end of the back straight. 

He ended up in 5th missing out on 4th place by 0.1second from William Dunlop. This didn’t deter Weeden, he knew if he got off the line well he could battle it out with the big names. He still had several top class riders on 1000cc machines behind him, whereas Tom was riding his own teams 2011 spec Triumph 675 with a huge a power deficit and considerably less electronics aids. 

The rain had subsided a little by the time of the first 600 race, but wet tyres were still the only option as it remained wet under the sections of track that were covered by trees. After getting off to a decent start, Tom held 3rd place half way through the first lap. Daley Mathison crashed out of the lead at Memorial Hairpin and Tom took the opportunity in the ensuing chaos to drive past Lee Johnston who had been tangled up in the crash although remained upright himself. 

This put Weeden into the lead. It didn’t last long however as Tom took a particularly tight defensive line into the Mountside Hairpin. By over defending his line to block anyone shooting past on the inside on the brakes Tom made the already extremely tight and slow hairpin even tighter. The front tyre gave way at the apex of the corner sending Tom and his bike sliding down the track. Fortunately it was a very slow crash and both Weeden and the bike were unscathed barring a broken footpeg. 

Understandably he was quite annoyed with himself after crashing out of the lead but remained positive for the next and last race of the day – The Cock o’ the North main race that was cancelled last time at Olivers Mount due to an oil spillage covering most of the circuit.

Starting from 6th on the grid Tom didn’t make a great start and dropped a position into the first corner to demote him into 7th at the end of lap 1. On lap 2 Mark Goodings ran wide at Drurys hairpin allowing Tom to move back into 6th before closing in the other Goodings, Mick. He remained calm and passed Mick on the brakes around the outside going into Memorial bend at the end of the back straight. On the 5th lap Ivan Lintin crashed out in front of Tom promoting him into 4th position. He pulled out a gap on Mick Goodings and cruised home into a creditable 4th place which made up for the earlier disappointment in the 600 race. 

The sun came out for Sundays day of racing, which meant it would be difficult to match the pace of the TT riders on far superior machinery. The organisers decided to make the riders requalify for all races as conditions were completely different and probably also because a few of the big names hadn’t qualified for the main race. A slightly unfair decision but there was nothing Tom could do about it so had to bite his lip and forget his qualifying positions from Saturday. 

The track was still wet in places but Tom decided to run dry tyres for the 3 lap requalifier as the wet tyres would be destroyed in a couple of laps and the team simply cannot afford to do that. A few of the team riders decided to go with wets or inters and Weeden couldn’t match their pace through the wet sections of the circuit.  He went 9th fastest in the 600cc session after making an error on the final lap and running over the curb, losing a chunk of time in the process. 

In the Gold Cup qualifying session Tom felt he was being held up by the riders in front of him on lap 2 so he sat up and allowed a gap to form so he could get one fast lap in on the 3rd and final lap. Unfortunately he made a slight error going into the final Farm Bends section of track and ran onto the grass on the exit. This washed out the front end causing him to hurtle into the bushes at a fast pace. Fortunately the bushes offered a relatively soft landing and once he had crawled out of them he realised the bike wasn’t too badly damaged either. 

Full credit to the Held leathers/gloves, Daytona boots and LS2 Helmets that Weeden uses which allowed him to walk away from the high speed crash with not a single mark on him and ready to compete in the rest of the meeting. After sitting up on his 2nd lap he lost a lot of time and only posted the 15th fastest time. Despite this he had still out qualified a few of the TT superstars who were then proceeded to be slotted in front of him on the grid, again making a mockery of the whole qualifying process.  Tom was due to start the Gold Cup race in 18th position and wasn’t particularly pleased about it after originally qualifying 5th on Saturday. 

First up was the Gold Cup race, by now dry tyres were the right call with only a few wet patches remaining under the trees. Weeden needed to get off the line well from so far back and he did just that. He went into the first corner aggressively and got past several riders into turn 1.  John McGuinness then went down in front of Tom giving him an extra position and 3 laps later so did Michael Dunlop. He kept his head down and caught a pack of riders. Unfortunately with the extra power of the 1000cc bikes it made it difficult to force a pass as he lost too much time along the straights and on the torque out of the hairpins. 

Tom found himself in 12 place with one lap to go. He forced his way past Jamie Coward on the brakes into turn 1 but was too far away from the riders in front to make a move. Weeden put in his fastest lap of the race in on the last lap to pull a gap and defend his 11th position to the line, eventually taking the chequered flag with a 2 second gap to 12th position. It was a case of making the best of a bad situation after a difficult qualifying process. 

With one race left of the season, Weeden was determined to make the 600 race a good one. He got a lightning start from 9th on the grid to slot into 7th on lap 1. Dan Hegarty slotted past on the second lap to demote Tom to 8th. He remained calm and passed Mick Goodings on lap 3 to briefly return to 7th before Lee Johnston went through on the next lap. Tom couldn’t match the pace of Johnston who quickly got away but clung on for long enough to bridge the gap that had formed to Dan Hegarty in front.  

Tom passed Hegarty and Bruce Anstey to move into 6th at the end of lap 5. The pack was starting to draw in William Dunlop and James Cowton in front for the battle for 4th. Unfortunately for Tom, Hegarty made a brave pass on him on the brakes into turn 1 causing him to sit up mid corner and lose a bit of time. 

Weeden tried to chase Hegarty down but wasn’t close enough on the last lap and had to settle for 7th place. He was happy enough with the result considering the class of the field, but felt a top 5 could have been possible. 

That’s the season complete for Tom. He is still undecided on whether to compete at the Manx GP again and go for glory or move up to the TT and also the Ulster GP. Ultimately it all relies on funding but wherever he ends up he’d  like to secure a ride on a Supertwin bike for the 2016 to add to the track time available at race meetings. One thing’s for sure, he’ll be back at the Olivers Mount circuit that he loves where he is hoping to secure more podium finishes. 

Want to know more about Held motorcycle gear in the UK, including a list of stockists and and online catalogue? Check out www.held-uk.co.uk

Michael Dunlop's Held gloves

We're delighted that Michael Dunlop is wearing Held gloves and Held body protection for the 2015 racing season, including the NW200 and the Isle of Man TT. 

We've made the following available to Michael- Held Titan Evo, Held Chikara Pro and Held Kashiro gloves. 

Michael has chosen the Kashiro for practice so far, perhaps bedding in the Titans- or maybe he's preferring the Kashiro.. We'll have to wait and see!

Here's the Held Kashiro- RRP £169.99:

Held Kashiro, as worn by Michael Dunlop

• Highly abrasion-resistant leather sport tour gloves
• KEVLAR& DuPont COOLMAX lined back: Protected
• Step seam avoids pressure points & enhances feel

An awesomely protective sport tour motorcycle glove! It's top marks in the looks department with these motorcycle gloves called the Kashiro. Available in a range of colours, to suit your bike, these gloves blend the protection from sport gloves and the understated design of tour gloves.

Held Kashiro motorcycle gloves- also in red, white, black

In terms of protection, there's plenty: The outer is highly abrasion resistant and you've also got some hard external knuckle armour. The glove heavily features SUPERFABRIC reinforcements in areas such as the fingers and side of the hand to offer further abrasion resistance in the event of a slide.

As well as being protective, these motorcycle gloves also have plenty of features to keep you comfortable for everyday riding. The Boa adjuster (just turn the dial to get the fit you need!) means that you can get a personalised and comfortable fit, ideal to keep the elements out and it is paramount in safety so that the gloves don't slip and slide as you ride. A special step seam also helps avoid pressure points on the inner hand and enhances feel.

An awesome pair of gloves that would be great to wear on all of your bikes - if you're lucky enough to have more than one!

Held Kashiro Motorcycle gloves in black

Technical information

Outer Shell:
• Highly abrasion-resistant kangaroo leather
• Colourfast & sweat-proof
Lining:
• KEVLAR& DuPont COOLMAX lined back
Fit/Features:
• Special step seam avoids pressure points on inner hand & enhances feel
• Tunnel strap
• Visor wipe
• Elasticated leather panels on back, thumb & fingers
Protection:
• Hard plastic knuckle protection
• Side of hand covered with hard plastic & reinforced with SUPERFABRIC(32% polyester, 68% epoxide resin)
• SUPERFABRIC reinforcement on edge of hand
• Little, middle & ring finger reinforced with SUPERFABRIC brand material

• BOA adjusters

To see more about Held in the UK, an online catalogue and a list of stockists please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Held Titan Evo: The Gloves that Michael wears

We're very proud that Michael Dunlop will be wearing Held Titan Evo Gloves this season, and look forward to the TT, as always!

Michael Dunlop- wearing Held Titan Evo Motorcycle Gloves and Held Keltor back protection in 2015

It's fitting that, after winning 'Best gloves' for the tenth consecutive year in the Motorrad Magazine awards (The World's biggest selling bike mag) that arguably the best road racer on the planet, Michael Dunlop, has chosen to wear Held motorcycle gloves this season. The Titan Gloves are not newcomers to TT success- Gary Johnson wore them in 2014 during his TT winning ride!

Michael's Gloves, The Held Titan Evo, RRP £249.99

Held Titan Evo Motorcycle Gloves

These gloves are all about safety for racers- and road riders: There's heaps of protection, dare we say these may be the most protective motorcycle gloves ever. There's a new titanium knuckle, new and improved from the old Titan, new wrist slider with titanium insert, carbon and gel protectors on sides of hand! There is also DuPont Kevlar at the necessary zones including the finger bridge which is designed to stop your fingers separating and breaking in the event of a slide. If you were going to slide, you'd want to be wearing Titan Evo's! The best just got better.

Held Titan Evo Motorcycle Gloves- half sizes available too

Technical information:

Outer shell
• Highly abrasion-resistant kangaroo leather
• Colourfast & sweat-proof

Lining
• Unlined

Fit/features
• Special step seam avoids pressure points on inner hand & enhances feel
• Tunnel strap
• Pre-formed, crease-free palm
• Elasticated leather panels on back, thumb & fingers
• Perforated finger side walls

Protection
• Ring- & pinkie finger bridge reinforced with DuPont KEVLAR fibre ceramic polymermatrix coating (DuPont KEVLAR are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company)
• Edge of hand protected by hard plastic shell reinforced with titanium
• Carbon / aramid thumb joint & hand-edge protection
• Titanium knuckle protectors
• DuPont KEVLAR fibre protection on back of hand (DuPont KEVLAR are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company)
• SUPROTECT shock-absorbing special foam on back of hand & ball of thumb
• Ball of the thumb & finger protected by highly abrasion-resistant stingray leather, underlaid with shock-absorbing gel

To see more about the Held UK range, list of retailers in the UK etc please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

NEW! The Held SR-X Sports Glove

New for 2015! the awesome Held SR-X Sports Glove

Held SR-X Sports Glove - £129.99 RRP

Outer shell
highly abrasion-resistant kangaroo leather
colourfast & sweat-proof

Lining
unlined

Fit/features
special step seam avoids pressure points on inner hand & enhances feel
Perforated hand for maximum ventilation, feel and comfort.
velcro adjustment at wrists & cuffs
pre-formed, crease-free palm
visor wiper
elasticated leather panels on back, thumb & fingers
perforated finger side walls

Protection
SUPERFABRIC® reinforcement on fingers & edge of hand
Titanium knuckle protectors
SUPROTECT® shock-absorbing special foam on back of hand & ball of thumb

Colors
black
white-red-blue
white-black
white-orange

Sizes
7, 71/2, 8, 81/2, 9, 91/2, 10, 11, 12


To see our online catalogue please click here