The success of Lewis Leathers has prompted the revival of a couple of other old favourite British motorcycling apparel brands, Mascot and Gold Top. A good friend turned up on their bike with a pair of sheepskin lined Gold Top gauntlets a while back and I felt envious ever since. Luckily Santa Claus does indeed listen and Christmas Day under the tree these babies awaited me.
I've had the chance to use them for a while now. They look the part and are nicely made. The leather is spectacularly supple and the sheepskin lining toasty. They have, frankly, the waterproof qualities of a string vest but I guess you have to sacrifice something for style. Regarding protection, I think the best we can say is that they will offer it at vintage bike speeds. I had some concern that they would come off in a spill but if you can be bothered to tighten the strap with the popper each time you put them on you should be ok.
Given the quality the gloves are good value and it's nice to know that a decent product can still be made in Britain and sold for a fair price. http://www.goldtop.co.uk/
Just came across your blog. You offer one of the few reviews of a Goldtop wool-lined gauntlet, and thank you for that! i'm considering purchasing the Merino wool-lined gauntlets, but was curious just how warm they keep your hands at particular temperatures. Did you have an opportunity to wear them during the winter? I live in New England, and ride year-round.
ReplyDeleteHi there, thanks for reading the blog. I too ride through winter and the wool lined Gold Tops do indeed keep me fairly warm. There're a couple of caveats, I don't use them if it looks like the weather might be damp and not for long distance on the more bitterly cold days - I've got a pair of Rukkas for those occasions. All this said I live in the South of England and I am fairly sure our winters are milder than those in New England. Long and short of it though is that the gloves are surprisingly toasty, much below five degrees centigrade though and I would always go with modern technical gloves. All the best, Richard
DeleteHi.thanks for the blog. As Dirk pointed out this is one of the few reviews on the web for these gloves, if you discount reviews from people who have only worn them a few times etc. I was wondering if you'd tried them in wetter weather after using any of the Goldtop balsam, or Nicwax. I'm struggling to find well made, warm, comfortable gloves that go over jacket sleeves, without sacrificing waterproofing (and don't look like a power ranger).
ReplyDeleteHi there. The Gold Tops are still giving good service! In all honesty their waterproof qualities are not of the highest order, that's not a slight on them - it's just that I wouldn't expect much from a traditional pair of leather gloves that have so many seams on them. If you wanted to keep the traditional look you could use the Gold Tops with a pair of over-mitts for occasions of heavy rain. There's a few goretex ex-army types available for very reasonable money.
DeleteHi. Thanks that's a good idea - or the old dodge of wearing washing up gloves inside.
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