Top Hard Enduro Gloves

Hard enduro is slow, technical riding. You feather the clutch on climbs, drag the front brake down rock steps and restart after stalls. At Erzberg, the Red Bull Hare Scramble gives 500 starters 4 hours on one mountain, per the organizer. That is four hours of grip.

A glove has three jobs:

1. Grip. It holds the bars and levers when your hands are sweaty, muddy or soaked from a water crossing. Clean clutch feathering needs a glove you can feel the lever through.
2. Skin protection. It keeps rock, bark and branches off your palm and the back of your hand.
3. Impact protection. Knuckle armor takes the hit when your hand meets a rock, a tree or your own lever.

Our view: in hard enduro the first two jobs matter every minute, and the third matters a few times a day. That comes from the kind of falls the sport produces. Most are low-speed tip-overs on logs and rocks, not slides down tarmac at speed. Keep that in mind when you read the standard below.

EN 13594:2015, "Protective gloves for motorcycle riders – Requirements and test methods", is the European standard for motorcycle gloves. The Estonian Centre for Standardisation catalogue entry lists it as valid, published on 6 October 2015, and replacing the 2002 edition. Its scope reads: "This European Standard applies to protective gloves for motorcycle on-road use." Note the words on-road.

Where the law comes in

In the EU, protective gloves are personal protective equipment under Regulation (EU) 2016/425. Per the European Commission, the CE mark is the evidence of compliance, and meeting a harmonised standard gives a presumption of conformity. Annex I sets three risk categories. Category II covers "risks other than those listed in Categories I and III". Leatt's certificate for its Moto 4.5 Lite shows how that lands for a glove: "Category of PPE: II: 'medium' risks", examined by notified body RICOTEST (0498).

Two levels

SATRA, a notified body and test lab, describes Level 1 as protection "while having low ergonomic penalties" and Level 2 as "greater protection than level 1", with possible weight and restriction penalties.

The glove must also pass chemical safety checks (such as chromium VI in leather and nickel on metal parts) and an ergonomics check where an assessor performs set movements.

The numbers behind the knuckle test

SATRA's guide to EN 388 describes the impact method, which EN 388 borrows from clause 6.9 of EN 13594:2015. The protected area is cut out, laid over a domed anvil and hit by a 2.5 kg flat-faced striker at 5 J. A load cell under the anvil records the peak force that gets through. SATRA gives the EN 13594:2015 Level 1 limit as a mean transmitted force of no more than 7.0 kN, with no single result above 9.0 kN.

What the standard does not cover

• Grip and bar feel. No test measures how well the palm holds a wet grip.
• Wear life. Abrasion is a one-off crash test, not a measure of how many rides the palm survives.
• Off-road crashes. SATRA notes the impact abrasion test models a rider sliding along the road, and was developed from studies of real accidents. That is not what a low-speed fall onto a boulder looks like.

Most off-road gloves are built for feel first and carry no certification claim. A few are certified to EN 13594:2015. Some carry a CE mark earned by a different route. Here is what each maker states.

Read past the product page

The Leatt line shows why the paperwork matters. Leatt's EU declaration of conformity for the Moto 4.5 Lite says compliance "has been assessed against an internal method partially based on the applicable parts" of EN ISO 21420:2020 and EN 13594:2015. The EU type-examination certificate lists the tests it assessed (seam strength, tear strength, restraint, palm abrasion, knuckle protection) and gives an "overall PASS level". It describes the protection as limited, against "minor bruises, lifted stones and debris", and says the glove is "NOT to be used on tarmac". Leatt's own glove user information says the knuckle attenuation was assessed with an EN 13594:2015 method "adapted to off-road use", and calls it "less robust" but "sufficient for use in the Motocross environment".

So a CE mark on an off-road glove can mean full EN 13594 Level 1 certification, or a notified-body pass against an off-road method built from parts of the standard. Both routes end in a CE mark. They are not the same claim.

What that means for you

For rocky hard enduro, certified knuckle protection is worth its extra weight. For tight woods and mud, a light uncertified glove is a fair choice. The reason is what the standard tests. The knuckle impact test maps onto a rock strike. The palm abrasion test models a slide on tarmac, which hard enduro, ridden at walking pace, rarely produces.

Knuckle hardware alone does not earn the KP mark. REV'IT!'s Massif has a "flexible TPR knuckle protector" yet is listed as Level 1 without KP.

The declaration of conformity

Under the PPE Regulation's Annex II, point 1.4, the maker's instructions must name the standards applied and the notified body, and say where to find the declaration of conformity. Leatt, for example, posts it under the DOCUMENTS tab on each product page. In the declaration, check:

1. The exact product name matches the glove in your hand.
2. The regulation is (EU) 2016/425.
3. The standard, and whether it is applied in full or "partially".
4. The notified body's name and four-digit number.
5. Any stated limits on use, such as "not for tarmac".

Makers size by different measurements, so take both. REV'IT! measures hand circumference around the palm just below the knuckles, thumb excluded, and hand length from the tip of the longest finger to the crease under the palm. Fox sizes by hand length (7.1–7.3" for S). Leatt sizes by circumference (19–21.5 cm for M, 21–23 cm for L).

Leatt's fitting steps, in short:

1. Fasten the cuff snugly, but not so tight it restricts movement or blood flow.
2. Grip a handlebar or similar cylinder.
3. The glove should be as close fitting as is comfortable, with minimal bunching in the palm and no pressure on the fingertips.
4. Check that the cuff strap stops the glove from being pulled off.

MotoCAP, Australia's gear rating program, adds a fist test: make a fist and check that the material does not bunch or pinch. It also warns that a glove that is too tight can make your hands go numb, and one that is too bulky makes the controls harder to use.

Fit at the bars, not in the air, because bunching only shows up when your hand closes around a grip, and bunching is what makes you squeeze harder.

Bar feel versus protection

Every layer between palm and grip costs feel. The Fox Airline uses a "single-layer perforated Clarino palm" for "reliable bar feel". The Fox Bomber CE uses a "padded double-layer palm" plus knuckle and finger armor. Our view: pick by terrain, because the fall pattern differs. Rock gardens put your knuckles at risk, while roots and mud mostly test your grip.

Grip when wet

Leatt claims wet and dry grip for both its gloves here. Fox adds silicone fingertip print to the Airline for lever grip. No standard tests wet grip, so these stay maker claims. The only sure fix for a soaked glove on a soaked grip is a dry pair. We say that because of how often the sport crosses water and mud.

Blisters and arm pump

Blisters come from the glove moving over your skin. A glove will not cure arm pump, but a bad one adds to it. A thin palm that fits tight at the bars helps with both. This follows from the fit checks above and the grip mechanics in our arm pump guide: less slip means less squeeze. Pair it with grip and forearm training.

Spares and wear rate

On a long or wet day, carry a second pair in your hydration pack, and treat light off-road gloves as consumables. There are two reasons: the wet-grip point above, and construction. Makers use thin palms to maximize feel, and a thin palm has less material to wear through.

1. Prioritize bar feel and comfort. Expect faster wear. Try the glove on a real grip before you buy.
2. For rocky terrain, get knuckle protection. Look for EN 13594:2015 with the KP mark, or read the declaration of conformity to see how the knuckle armor was assessed.
3. On wet days, carry a second pair. Tacky palms help, but a dry pair beats any palm on a soaked grip.
4. Check the cuff. EN 13594 requires an adjustable restraint at the wrist or cuff. A slip-on cuff, like the Fox Airline's, trades that for an unrestricted fit.
5. Read the documents behind any CE claim. Look for the level, the KP mark and whether the standard was applied in full.
6. Buy for your terrain. Our view: a light pair for mud and woods and an armored pair for rock covers most hard enduro. That split matches the terrain points above: rock gardens put your knuckles at risk, while roots and mud mostly test your grip.

Washing and storage

Fox's care instructions for the Airline and the Bomber CE: machine wash cold and gentle, close the hook-and-loop closure first, line dry, and do not bleach, iron or dry clean. Leatt's user information points to the care label in each glove. For storage, Leatt says to wash and dry the gloves thoroughly, keep them in a ventilated place away from direct sunlight and UV, avoid airtight boxes and bags, and keep heavy objects off them, which can permanently compress the impact material.

Inspection and replacement

Leatt says to inspect the protector before each use. Stop using it if any part is damaged, worn, cracked or deformed, or if the padding has deteriorated. Leatt recommends replacing it every three years under normal use, and after a crash either having the seller inspect it or replacing it.

Replace any glove when the palm wears through, a seam splits, the knuckle armor cracks or the cuff closure no longer holds. SATRA calls seam strength one of the more difficult EN 13594 requirements to meet, and notes that a failed seam can split open and expose the hand to abrasion.

• Reading "CE" as "Level 1". A CE mark can sit on a glove examined against an internal off-road method built from parts of EN 13594. Leatt's own declaration for the Moto 4.5 Lite says exactly that.
• Sizing up for comfort. A loose palm bunches, rubs and makes you grip harder. See the fit checks from Leatt and MotoCAP above.
• Drying gloves on a hot pipe or heater. Fox says line dry, and Leatt warns against heating its protectors.
• Trusting knuckle plastic you cannot trace. Armor without a KP result or documented assessment has no number behind it. REV'IT!'s Massif is a case in point: it has a TPR knuckle protector, yet it is listed without KP.

For the rest of your kit, see the gear overview and the gear guide in our training section. Leatt's brand profile covers the company behind two of the gloves listed here.