keirin gloves source
 

I saw them on business cycles but the "current price" button doesn't come up with anything...I sent an email to them, anybody know another source?

I see what I can do locally. Damn why am I still here!

S/F<
CEYA!

I emailed Business Cycles regarding the gloves as well as how would they fit cos I currently have 2 brands of gloves in two different sizes. That was a week back and he has not replied me yet. If it boils down to it I really might have to look around elsewhere.

maybe call him and see if there is a message stating he is out or something.

I have dealt with Business Cycles many many times and never had a problem.

I will have to get you banned trooper, if you fail to un-ass the AO.

I've found motorcycle gloves with the kevlar knuckles and high wrists for fairly cheap, locally. For riding purposes, they seem to be just as good as the cycling-branded gloves. A lot of sportbike riders seem to like them as well, so I guess the supply/demand thing means a better deal.

Brooklyn machine works also makes a similar glove, with carbon fiber knuckles and kevlar digits/palms. You can get them for about forty bucks. A couple words of caution though: they are pretty hot to wear in the summer, and they will also make you feel like darth vader...

I'd concur that John at Business Cycles is super reliable and is always checking e-mail, even at night and weekends. If you didn't get a response, give him a call.

Another source is Bike Central (www.bike-central.com), a messenger coop in Portland, OR. They have lots of interesting stuff and carry the Tanabe gloves (and, I believe, the Pearl Izumi as well). They are huge track supporters at Alpenrose, and do a lot for the local fixed community generally, so I'm very happy to recommend them.

By the way, keirin gloves are actually just cross-over products from baseball batting gloves. You can find good keirin gloves at any store selling good baseball supplies. The idea is to have a little knuckle protection (whether it's a handlebar or a hardball that hits them) but to keep the glove thin and light (which is where motorcycle and other lumpy gloves don't work as well). If you don't really need the knuckle protection (and even in keirin it isn't really necessary -- baseball needs it more), another option is actually golfing gloves. It sounds crazy, but the point is a thin gloves that doesn't slip on the bars and they do that great. They're inexpensive so it's not a huge loss if you wear them out -- they even come in 5-packs. I do have to say, however, that the new Tanabe keirin gloves with the carbon fiber vents on the front of the knuckles (possibly the first dedicated keirin gloves they've made) do beat the heck out of any other gloves for sheer weirdness -- I heard a local rider got pulled over by the cops who thought he was riding with brass knuckles (and knowing the rider, he was probably using them on errant cars).

Well I would like to give him a call, just that the international calling charges would kill me. :p

Will try that this coming weekend if he still does not reply. Email is more convenient and economical though as I live across the Pacific Ocean. Otherwise I would have gone to his shop in person instead of calling.

Look up this site. www.americancyclery.com i hate the guy's but they have what your looking for. or try to find anyone who deals with euro-asia importers

You can also use football wide receiver gloves, but be warned that for this community they may be a bit extreme -- no padding in the palm, very thin leather, and extremely sticky (made to grab and hold a football as you run with it -- get it?). They're superb for racing, but not necessarily for any other riding. There was a thread on them recently on FixedGearFever.com, which everyone on this forum might check on -- very nicely done albeit race oriented.

On the Tanabes there are a whole array of keirin gloves available: some thin simple white ones (look like golfing gloves), some very nice black ones with soft kevlar reinforced knuckle pads (my personal favorite, and the choice of the French national team), the ones with the hard kevlar knuckle covers (they make BMX gloves look tame; you can get them in red/white and red/black, but they look pretty extreme and are a bit overkill), the ones with the hard kevlar knuckle covers plus air vents in the kevlar (extremely wicked looking, but you start feeling stupid for wearing them), and then the heavily padded white ones (which were what Pearl Izumi imitated). They all are in the $110-125 a pair range and generally last well in racing but won't do well with continuous road fixed gear use.