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I am well aware of the fact that most people who longboard nowadays are more than capable of throwing big ol' standing slides when they want to slow down about 90% of the time. However, there are those times when you are going t a little too fast and are just out of your comfort zone but still need to slow down in a pinch. During those times it is important to know how to throw a glove slide so you can shut your speed down immediately. Equally important is having gloves that are suitable to the job!
If you consistently skateboard to and fro around town, then you are bound to have come across a situation such as this before.... You're riding along a familiar run, one that you have hit a bajillion times on the way to work or class, when all of a sudden a seriously spiteful rock appears out of nowhere! It catches your wheel just right and you go flying. Rather than waiting to land on your beautiful face you throw your hands down and catch yourself, but at what price? Your handles go from evolutionary wonders to bloody scraped up shadows of what they once were.
However, if you are riding smart and safe and have your Triple 8 slide gloves on then you can avoid such a tragedy. This very situation rears its ugly head in my life a few times a year and it actually happened on a commute where I was rocking these slide gloves. They we life savers, because I know that you're not supposed to put your hands out and catch yourself because you can break your wrists, however, instinct always takes over and I do it anyways. My gloves kept my hands feeling great and kept from just doing a giant bellyflop, haha.
Freestyle
I don't think many people need to throw glove slides in their normal freestyle sessions. However, there are a few benefits to the Triple 8 slide gloves when getting your freestyle on. The first and most obvious is the protection that they provide just in case you take a little tumble. You are most often going to fall when trying to land something new and freestyle is the place where you are probably going to be learning something new every session.
Another nice feature that these gloves have for freestyle is that they have free fingers. Many slide gloves have finger pucks that lock your fingers into one place. The Triple 8 gloves don't lock you in with pucks, but instead have kevlar reinforced fingers that have proven to be very resistant to abrasions and worn very well. In addition having full use of your fingers allows for easy grab tricks like early grabs, tiger claws, and bonlesses.
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| Learning toesides is tough.... |
Alright now we are really getting started. Triple 8 Slide gloves are siiiick for all your sliding needs. Whether you like to throw your hands on the ground or hit mad standies these gloves have you covered. I'm not a super glove slidey expert, however, I know a few and the Triple 8 slide gloves meet all my needs. The pucks themselves were nice and icy, which is of course something you want in a puck, because you don't want them to link up with the ground ever, haha. After some extensive use there is very little visible wear on them which is nice because you don't have go out and replace your pucks every few days, however, if you were to wear through your pucks Triple 8 has you covered and you get news ones for a nice 15 bucks. I never had an issue with the fact there were no finger pucks when freeriding, which I was a little worried about my first session with them. The few times I let me fingers hit the ground for a second the Kevlar fingertips kept them nice and safe.
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| Apparently really tough |
I grew increasingly anxious about the fact there were no finger/thumb pucks as I took these gloves faster and faster and started to downhill with them. I feel like not having these pucks definitely makes you focus more on the proper technique of just placing your palm on the ground, however, if you messes if it the consequence could be dire. Especially if you are trying to hit a shut down slide going like 35mph. Again the Kevlar finger pads kept me safe from anything I could have encountered, so I am probably just being paranoid. It was just a hard thought to shake when going fast, haha. The advantage of keeping your fingers free is that if you like to grab rail when taking a crazy turn at high speeds you can actually hold onto your rail in these gloves. They performed really well in downhill, despite my finger paranoia, and kept all my fast glove down slides predictable.
As I am sure you can gather from my review thus far, I have really liked these gloves, they are durable, have long lasting pucks, and get the job done quite nicely. I think the biggest downside to these gloves is mostly a matter of preference, some people really like to have a layer of puck between their fingers and the road when sliding, and some don't. If you are one of the people who need finger pucks, then these gloves might not be the choice for you.
Would I recommend these gloves to a friend?
I am 100% certain that I would. These gloves have taken everything I could throw at them, and assuming I can keep my fingers off the ground when I slide they will continue to do so for quite some time. The pucks have shown minimal wear appear to be equally durable. If you are just getting into downhill/freeride, want a little more protection, or are a seasoned veteran I can guarantee the Triple 8 Longboard Downhill Slide Gloves have something to offer you.
Any Questions, Comments, Concerns, Stickers, Temporary Tattoos?
Send them my way!
Thanks for reading!
Stay Awesome,
Wayne
