Leather Question

[Warrant R6]

So here's the deal. I decided that i needed to buy a new pair of gloves cause the Joe Rocket gloves i have now are worn out and really loose so i went and tried on the A* GP Pro gloves and decided to get a pair. The problem is that the XL;s were too loose and the L's were tight but not really tight so i desided to buy the large ones cause i know they will break in. Well i went to ride the bike today and after a few miles my fingers were starting to feel uncomfortable, so my question is, is their a technique/chemical/any other means that i can use to loosen the gloves a bit since i wont be riding my bike till i go to Super Dave's school in april (it's a track only bike and i just rode i arround the block a few times). If they just need to be worn then i'll wear them arround the house for a little bit each day but i didn't know if you all had other ways of loosening leather.

Thanks

[Sobottka]

i try to buy gloves a little loose... my gloves always shrink, maybe cuz my hands sweat a lot   

[Super Dave]

You might have the problem I have...

I have long fingers that are really flexible.  I fit smaller gloves, but my hands cramp terribly in them.  I have to buy bigger gloves so I can have that ability to open my thumb away from my fingers, get everything around the bars, etc. 

Honestly, I can usually fit in Mediums, but I have to buy XL's.  Yeah, gloves will stretch a little, warm water will help, but you're not going to get a lot.

Last year, I found out that Vanson Leathers was making custom gloves.  So, there was a measurement process.  I really like them because finally I have a glove that doesn't cramp me, and it actually fits my hand and fingers.  They are about $190, I think, but they are nice and heavy, yet supple and comfortable in use.

http://www.vansonleathers.com

[Jeff]

You can get them wet and race with them...  They will strech & flex a LOT more when wet.  Will they shrink when dry?  I personally haven't had anything go smaller...

[Super Dave]

I've had them curl up and get a bit smaller.  Alpinestars seemed to have done that the worst, from my experiences.  Might be a leather quality issue, not sure.

[Court Jester]

I have the same problem. Large is small and x-large is too big.
Something I've done that works really well.
Get a screen or a strainer. I have a screen that you put over a frying pan to keep the grease from splattering when you make the good fattening foods. Works awesome.
Fill a pan full of water and bring it to a boil. Lower the temperature on the stove so it goes from a roaring boil down to a good solid simmer with some a little bubbling and some good steam coming off of it.
Set your gloves on the screen for a while. About 10 minutes or so.
The gloves will heat up and grab a little moisture in the process. Take them off and as soon as they are cool enough to put on, put them on and work the hell out of them. Make a fist, pull on the ends to stretch them. Whatever you can do to make them stretch. And just do that for a while.
Put a little leather conditioner on them and stuff the insides with newspaper to help draw out the water that might have built up. After they have dried completely, add more leather conditioner. This will help with the stiffness and keep the leather in good shape.
They may be stiff for a little bit but it'll work out and they will be a little looser. Just make sure you put the conditioner on them.
Hope that helps.

[Warrant R6]

Thanks guys, i appreciate the help. I'll try somthing tonight after i get home from work and i'll let you know the result.

Thanks again

[Court Jester]

Serious though. Make sure you use the leather conditioner. Otherwise, the heat and the moisture will cause them to dry out real bad and you will get little cracks that will turn into rips and rashed hands if you go down. Put it on the outside when you let them dry and it will draw into the leather as the news paper pulls the water out.
it works great, just double stressing the leather conditioner. 

[Z-man]

I bought Alpinestars GP Tech gloves last year.  The palm was too small on the large glove and the XL was too big.  I like my gloves snug but my hand was cramping up something fierce.

I wet down the gloves and used leather softener and kept pulling and stretching during a rained out track day and after four or five hours of working with the leather, they fit great.

[Spooner]

Soak them..then ride until they are dry.  Works great!

[Garywc]

why not try a different brand of gloves ? you might find ones that fit great

[funsizeracing]

If you have odd sized hands you  might want to try Motophoria.  They make mens and womens in sizes XXS all the way to 4XL and seem to be shaped a little different from the norm.  I bought a pair a little over 3 years ago, I use them for all my riding, street and track.   They are starting to fade a little but still really comfortable.