Icon 1000 Axys Gloves Review
Okay, buying your favorite biker a new leather jacket most likely ain’t happening this Christmas. One, that piece of gear is spendy as hell, and, two, it won’t fit in a stocking. But a fresh pair of motorcycle riding gloves will.
The Icon 1000 Axys Gloves are a combination of traditional black leather outer and an ultra-soft goatskin inner. Icon says it opted for goatskin because the leather is thinner than cowhide, yet is still abrasion resistant, and the presence of lanolin in the leather makes them super supple. An extra swatch of goatskin has been stitched into the palm to further fend against road rash. This swatch includes a small goatskin tab extending past the wrist to help pull the gloves on, which is particularly useful after the first one’s on. A small Velcro strap secures them at the wrist.
The Axys gloves feature diamond stitching, an extra patch of goatskin, and other reinforcements on the palm.
Icon
Between the goatskin palms and the stretchy ribbed panels along the side, the Icon 1000 Axys Gloves were comfy from the start, except for a little stiffness in the web between fingers. Protection on the backside of the hands includes a small layer of padding over the main joint of the thumb, and soft D3O armor over the knuckles. Unlike other gloves I’ve tested with large hard plates over the knuckles, the soft armor of the Axys Gloves is barely noticeable. There are small perforations on the back of the hand which allow just enough of an airflow to make them ideal for warm-weather rides. There’s no perforations in the fingers though, so Icon’s Axys Gloves are suitable for moderately cold rides as well, down to about 55 degrees.
Related: Cold-Weather Motorcycle Gear Options
The gloves are finally getting to the stage where they’re worn in and curled up like my hand, and the stitching is none the worse for wear. The light goatskin is beginning to show a few dark spots from grabbing the grips, but I’m okay with that; standard wear and tear give leather garments character. Between the diamond-tuck stitching in the palm to the ribbed panels down the sides to the flex panels in the fingers, Icon packed a lot of features into a rugged-looking pair of riding gloves. Add reinforced palms and D30-protected knuckles to the equation and the Icon 1000 Axys Gloves are a good buy at $85. And yes, they’ll easily fit in a stocking!
Icon 1000 Axys Gloves
| Sizes: | S–4XL |
| Price: | $85 |
| Contact: | rideicon.com |
