Review - Bontrager RL Fusion GelFoam Gloves

It had been over 10 years since I last bought a pair of cycling gloves. The pair of Pearl Izumi gel gloves I had served me well. Comfortable, they fought hand numbness to the bitter end. When they finally expired, grip had been on a steady decline. The loss of grip was so gradual, however, that I was able to slowly become accustomed to it. The final death blow came when the pads on the palms simply feel off. This is in no way to be considered a flaw of the gloves. As I said, they lasted a good 10 years of heavy use.

When it came time to seek out a replacement, I opted to examine a name that had served me well with other products. Those who know me know how much I cherish my Bontrager Privateer. I decided to see what the Bontrager name had to offer when it came to gloves. Bontrager, a company that began as a small manufacturer of legendary hand-made frames, is now the in-house brand for Trek. Trek now applies the Bontrager name to pretty much anything outside of frames that comes out of their factories. 

Bontrager offers four variations of short fingered gloves. Of those, the RL Fusion GelFoam Gloves seemed to best fit the features I was looking for and the price point I was interested in. I placed an order for a white pair with GNO Cyclery (a New Orleans LBS that I have done extensive business with in the past). It only took a few days and I received a call that my gloves had arrived. I went down to the shop that afternoon and picked them up.

My initial impressions were strong. The fit was spot on and the stitching and finish looked well executed. Two of the features I appreciated the most upon inspection were the rubberized pull tab at the base of the palm to pull the gloves on and a rubberized cinch tab on the cuff restraint. Both of these features made the gloves much easier to get on and off as well as adjusting the cuff. 

Although I have only used these gloves on a handful of rides averaging only around 25km per ride, I have developed a better understanding of their true quality. First, and most importantly, these gloves provide excellent grip and I am pleased to say I have not experienced any numbness when riding my road bike. I have, however, noticed a little numbness on my mountain bike but this may be attributable to other factors - such as I notice I place a lot more of my weight on my hand when riding the Privateer.

The one negative thing I have to say about these gloves it that shortly after beginning use, the rubber application on the cuff adjustment for one of the gloves has separated from the velcro strap. I will attempt to remedy this with a judicious application of super glue. I hope this is not an indication of the true build quality of these gloves.

Next I will be looking for a set of full fingered gloves. Any suggestions?