Regardless if they look like they’d make the perfect match to Napoleon Dynamite’s Moon Boots, the Held Freezer motorcycle gloves do exactly what they’re designed to do: keep the hands warm during freezing temperatures.
For a motorcyclist living in the Northeast who loves to ride regardless of sub-50-degree temperatures, and even the occasional “out of nowhere” snowstorm, cold-weather riding gear is a must, especially for the hands.
Made in Germany, the Held Freezer gloves are constructed of soft aniline cowhide and a Gore-Tex membrane that is waterproof and windproof, but also breathable (100-percent polyester with 100-percent polyurethane coating). The inside lining is Primaloft (65-percent polyolefin, 35-percent polyester), which gives a comfortable, soft feel on the hands.
I wore these gloves during many cold rides, and my fingers and hands kept warm. On one trip, a straight-through 528-mile run from North Carolina back home to Pennsylvania during March, the Freezer worked tremendously, and honestly, if I didn’t have these gloves, I would have never been able to make it home.
The temps were much warmer down south, but by the time I reached the top of Virginia, it was hovering in the mid-30s, and the Freezer gloves kept me on the road. I did have to stop about every 75 miles due to my feet being cold, but my hands remained remarkably warm, although I don’t know how they’d perform under sustained miles, especially since my Honda VFR doesn’t have heated grips or anything covering the hands. And just an FYI, the wind chill factor is 10-degrees Fahrenheit for a motorcyclist doing 70 mph on a 40-degree day.
But they do take some time to get used to; when I initially wore the gloves, they felt bulky and working my motorcycle’s controls was awkward. But after a few miles, I adapted…I actually had to pull off the road the first time I wore these to get used to the controls.
They feature Velcro adjustments at the wrist and cuffs, and there’s a zipper on the gauntlet part of the gloves that cover the wrist. These adjustments allow the glove to open up, covering the sleeves of even the thickest of jackets. The left glove also features a very useful strip of plastic along the index finger to wipe your helmet’s visor during rainy weather. This was very useful during rainy weather, especially when it’s just that annoying fine mist that clouds the vision more than streaming rain. And it’s obviously built into the non-throttle hand, so it can be used at any time.
As for the gloves keeping your hands dry, during my trip home from North Carolina it also rained for five of the almost 10 hours I was on the road. My hands remained bone-dry.
They work very well for cold weather riding, but if the temps reach above 60, don’t use them as your only gloves. I’d pack them away for the night-time temps, but they’re just too warm for above 60 temps. I wore them for a short ride on a 62-degree day, and my hands actually began sweating after about an hour, though this was at slower speeds.
And regarding sizing, I would have normally worn a Large (9), but an official at Held recommended an XL (10). Maybe that extra sizing created the bulkiness, but as I’ve said, the benefits outweigh this minor detail that I got used to anyway.
The Held Freezer gloves retail for around $150, and are available in sizes 6 – 13.
