It ’ s true that , as members of Team SG , we get rather spoiled when it comes to riding gear . Each year we get new gear to try out and write stories about . But sometimes , the new gear doesn ’ t work as well as we ’ d like , and we end up going back to an old favorite .

That had been the case with a pair of FXR CX gauntlet-style gloves I kept returning to for five consecutive seasons . Some TOBE gloves I received a couple of years ago , for example , had too short of fingers for my taste . Some 509 gloves I tested worked fine , but they sometimes bunched-up in the palm when gripping the handlebar . Some Klim gloves I received were too inflexible . But the trusted FXR CX units ? They fit me like , um , a glove I guess .

But then it happened : At the end of the fifth season , two fingertips wore through on the CXes . I applied hockey tape and kept using them until I was guilted into trying their potential replacement : A pair of FXR Helium Leather Gauntlet Gloves .

Dimensionally , the two gloves appeared the same in overall length ( 11.5 inches ) and exposed finger length ( 3 1 / 8-inch middle finger ) in a size XL . But the new Heliums featured a more substantial full-grain leather in the palm , fingers and beyond as opposed to the mainly nylon CX set that had a few leather inserts .

The Heliums had less insulation – featuring 100gram Thinsulate where the CX units had 250gram – but with the more durable and sturdy full-grain leather exterior to lock out the cold , I figured it would balance out .

In terms of warmth , it was relatively close when riding – though my fingers did get colder in the Heliums when shoveling snow or hooking up a trailer . But I enjoyed the Helium ’ s trimmer style and the more connected feel at the handlebar .

But not everything new is necessarily better . When pulling a hand out a Helium glove to do something – especially if my hands had gotten damp or sweaty – the soft microfleece interior material in the finger holes would consistently bunch / clump up . I would then find myself trailside trying to force my fingers to the

INFO

Helium Leather Gauntlet Gloves – $ 109.99 FXR Winnipeg , Manitoba FXRracing . com

FIT : The size XL fit me well , though the pinchpoint at the wrist is tighter than some gloves even with the adjustment strap fully extended . Folks with wide paws may want to go up a size .

DURABILITY : After wearing them for more than 1,500 miles of riding last season , they literally still look new , with not a single loose string or wear mark .

FEATURES : A goggle wipe is found on the left index finger , and the drawstring on the gauntlet end lets you quickly tighten them around a jacket sleeve end .

end of each fingerhole to straighten the material while my friends were riding away .

If you can accept that , the Helium Leather Gauntlet Gloves appear to be well-made , they feel very durable , they are sized right and they look classy . But if straightening out the interior of the fingers is a thing that is going to bug you as much as it bugged me , maybe hockey tape on the old gloves isn ’ t so bad .

- John T . Prusak FEBRUARY 2025 / SNOWGOER . COM / 49