I’ve been using the ViaTerra Grid 2 for the past two years and rate it as the best full-gauntlet sporty glove from an Indian manufacturer. The new Grid 3 builds on the same formula with a number of small tweaks and revisions.
At a glance, it looks very familiar, but study the gloves more closely, and you’ll see that a number of the leather panels and various protectors around the gloves have changed. The finger and knuckle protectors are new, and so is the design of the leather pieces that hold them in place. The company has removed a number of accordion stretch panels from various places at the top of the glove, which has created a sleeker look.
The protective scheme is mostly the same, but again, with some small revisions. Like before, the little finger is bridged to the ring finger, but the connection between the two now looks stronger. Now, there’s also a single patch of leather running down the entire outer side of the little finger; the old gloves had two stitched patches. Fewer stitches always mean more material strength.
In fact, the fewer the perforations in the leather, the stronger it tends to be, which may explain why ViaTerra has moved to less closely packed ventilation holes in the leather. The weather is far too nice at the moment for me to tell you if this hampers the ventilation in any meaningful way, but so far, so good.
What has been reduced slightly in size is the armour around the side of the wrist, though the coverage does not seem to be compromised. There’s a new reflective patch, and old conveniences like touchscreen-sensitive fingertips and a small silicon rain wiper on the left index finger remain. The grippy material on the palm is now larger, and, in general, I find that the fit is slightly more comfortable than the old Grid.
Like the Grid 2, these gloves are also quite stiff, particularly around the knuckle area, but they do seem to be an improvement. They certainly aren’t the most comfy gloves out there, but I’ve also spent plenty of full riding days in them without complaint.
It’s the small price you have to pay for high levels of protection, something the Grid 3 has in spades.
While it is CE Level 1-compliant, the company claims that it exceeds Level 2 requirements in areas like palm abrasion, knuckle-impact protection and wrist-closure strength.
At 6,499, these are among the most expensive gloves in India, but they’re also among the best and are deserving of your money.
Where: www.viaterragear.com
Price: Rs 6,499
Also see: Ixon Dirt Air gloves review
