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Review: Factory Road Glove 2.0

Ventruck

I am Jim Jannard...
8,406
3,243
Oakley Factory Road Gloves 2.0 in JET BLACK | Oakley

I believe these are relatively new as they're not stocked in my local O-Store. Had a hard time figuring out how I'd use my F&F (without knowing about the R2 date yet), until I saw these. I've always been a bare-handed rider, but lately with cold seasons, I just don't want to take that gamble of combining dry knuckles with wind burn. Gloves therefore have been a recent foray. I have experience with Giro's LX LF and Shimano's Advanced gloves going into this review.

Comparing pics, these are largely the same design as the original Factory Road Glove. Prominent differences are branding, finger accents, red accents, and perforations on the palm side.

Original version:
41SRGwc%2BV7L.jpg

(via Amazon)

Current version
main_94275-01k_factory-road-glove-2-0_jet-black_001_92672_png_heroxlsq.jpg

(via Oakley)

So it's a little underwhelming given we were to expect an upsurge/overhaul in the clothing department. This is essentially the same glove; but whatever, I have it. Normally priced at $50, this is on the high end of the pricing scale for short finger cycling gloves. Hopefully this review serves useful for any cyclist looking to add more Oakley gear in their kit.

*gonna note that I'm experimenting with a different review format with the goal to make these posts look cleaner. Would appreciate input for future reference

Materials, Construction and Finish:
20160322_163827.jpg 20160322_164114.jpg
Setup breaks down as follows, with my understanding of where it's used:
  • 50% Goatskin Leather —palm pads, thumb (as suede) closure, cuff liner
  • 27% Spandex —throughout the knuckle and finger areas
  • 16% Nylon — throughout the knuckle and finger areas
  • 5% Polyester — palm
  • 1% Chloroprene Rubber — padding
  • 1% Polyurethane — also padding
Out of the package, the gloves have a nice weight to them. They don't feel thin and the Goatskin Leather smells nice. The stitching seems very robust. There's no dreaded stretch sounds, and there's double stitching in some areas. The Velcro closure is pretty strong, too.

Of the downsides in this department, first off is the logo. It's just printed on, and I expect that to come off with wear and washes. Otherwise, it looks better than the previous "OAKLEY" branding of the previous iteration of this glove.

Another thing to mention is that none of the padded texture (since it's a given that the palm is plain polyester/mesh) has a tacky feel to it, so there wasn't much in the grip department. Not a big deal to me because like I said, I've been riding bare-handed....but that is one of the main reasons to use gloves.

Last thing to address here is that the suede thumb area runs. Somewhat expected, so it's really just a note to never wash these with something else.

Overall it's nice. Can't say my mind is blown, and that it lives up to the premium despite the decent use of leather. If you hate the flimsy paper feel of some gloves, this solves that problem. Kinda wish I got the white versions instead. I feel like those would've rocked a "worn" look pretty nicely.


Fit and Comfort
20160322_163835.jpg20160322_163943.jpg20160322_163925.jpg

I find the Factory Road Glove 2.0 runs true-to-size. Nice snug in the knuckle area and expected to shape to the hand over time. I have a skinny build so I don't need much break-in myself, but it could accommodate most hands under consistent sizing.

One reason I avoided gloves before was because of the bunching. These are made with a 3-panel construction but since the overlays are thick and stiffer compared to the central mesh palm, they kinda bunch funny in freehand. On the bars, there is no issue. No slipping of any sort within the gloves which attests to the properly snug fit to start.

Padding is pretty "whatever". The product description on Oakley's site seems contradictory as it mentions gel and EVA foam. The polyurethane in the material makeup has to be one or the other; I personally think it's foam. Under hard impacts....it's something over nothing. Same goes for road buzz. I didn't think the setup in these gloves did anything remarkable. I felt the damping had too little progression and bottomed out fast. Can't say this took away from comfort, especially since I'm used to going bare-handed, but it's nothing to write home about. I guess an upside here is that it therefore had minimal intrusion on feel.

The complaint I had for comfort was the collar lining and closure as I experienced chafing at the (Radio)ulnar joint. It's a stiff lining, albeit robust. I know a lot of makers do top-side closure, but they have it continuous with the collar line or acknowledge some form of relief area. A simple remedy is to loosen the gloves. Makes for a minor compromise in snugness, but the glove otherwise is decent in this department.

Other aspects of functionality
20160322_163952.jpg20160322_163851.jpg
The removal loops are pretty long to the eye and definitely not for the aero crowd. Nonetheless they are functional, the stitching feels solid, and I didn't have any issues of intrusion when handling controls.

Ventilation is decent, and mostly happening through the main opening and leather perforations. I personally like how tightly-wound the nylon knuckle area is to act as wind protection. Also a fan of the mesh palm which would I'd expect to be easy to clean if it collected sweat. It's surely a heavier glove than most in my opinion.

Comparing this to the original Factory Road glove, I'm a fan of the removed perforations at the palm. I personally feel like those would be weak points with wear. I already see that being the case with my Giro LX LF.

Overall Opinion
The Factory Road Glove 2.0 is....nice. Materials and feel are there. They feel like they were designed to last without seeming too overbuilt, and created with the focus of cycling. Padding is forgettable, but the fit and articulation are pretty good. Grip is nonexistent, and the collar and closure area are what I found to be the real low points of this pair.

For $50 MSRP, I'd recommend trying on other gloves to be honest — though these do feel like a decent buy at F&F pricing.

These would have the edge in the interest of having some more Oakley in your kit, but I can't say they'd be the best for the money because of their downsides. These don't feel all that premium, but they do feel well-constructed.

I can't say this should leave an impression on Oakley's increasing focus on clothing just yet as they essentially re-hashed the original. It's possible that this "2.0" is a placeholder for something in the works next year.
 
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Thanks for the write up. Please give a follow up review after you have worn them for a while to see how they hold up and/or if any of your above observations change.
 
Thanks for the write up. Please give a follow up review after you have worn them for a while to see how they hold up and/or if any of your above observations change.

Yeah I plan to do so, and it will be edited in the original post (with a thread bump to note it). Believe that's what happened with the Jawbreaker review as I got a better handle of the swap setup. In this case, I am looking for the best closure manipulation. Part of the issue is that the velcro hook ends are chafing the wrist, so I'm finding some angles working.
 
Been sleeping on an update because there's really little to say. Just a few things:

  • Took quite a while for the color bleeding to stop. Probably had two weeks of Illuminati prints on my hands after rides.
  • Only real sign of wear is on the fingers where you see minor fray in the picture below. Seems like a break-in at most. Doesn't seem to get noticeably worse with time.
  • Never got my way with the wrist irritation. It's just a case of the hook side of the Velcro closure that's applied a bit sloppily. Still running these a but loose+angled. Fit predictably got looser with wear, but eh.
Right now these are still the main gloves in my rotation. I just like the heavy feel of them, and the mesh palm does wonders with articulation despite the perceived bulk. Also seems to not wear down easily.
20160418_135950.jpg 20160418_140009.jpg

I still would say, though, that these aren't that great for the money.
 
Been sleeping on an update because there's really little to say. Just a few things:

  • Took quite a while for the color bleeding to stop. Probably had two weeks of Illuminati prints on my hands after rides.
  • Only real sign of wear is on the fingers where you see minor fray in the picture below. Seems like a break-in at most. Doesn't seem to get noticeably worse with time.
  • Never got my way with the wrist irritation. It's just a case of the hook side of the Velcro closure that's applied a bit sloppily. Still running these a but loose+angled. Fit predictably got looser with wear, but eh.
Right now these are still the main gloves in my rotation. I just like the heavy feel of them, and the mesh palm does wonders with articulation despite the perceived bulk. Also seems to not wear down easily.
View attachment 247778 View attachment 247779

I still would say, though, that these aren't that great for the money.
So for 30$ what is your thought on good value and quality compared to other gloves?
 
So for 30$ what is your thought on good value and quality compared to other gloves?

You'd be getting a nicely-finished glove for less money, but arguably not a better functioning one. If you want some form of functional benefit, you're better off with some dedicated cycling brands in general, even if they have lower starting price points.

If you mean high end like the top race gloves, the price gap from your example $30 to their retail is so minimal to really say there's much in the Oakley FR2.0's favor. When you mix it up with stuff like Assos and POC....the price gap starts to widen and maybe those aren't worth it in comparison.

But if you mean high end like other leather "luxury" offerings, it's pair-by-pair. The Giro LX LF I have is so much better of a glove in terms of fit, material usage, closure, and padding. Another one in the mix is the Specialized 74, which has gotten decent reception and I may try myself sometime. On the other hand, I've read Capo's leather set has poor construction, and DeMarchi's price point was too far up there ($150). In this area you just have to determine which brands have a substantial R&D behind them, and which ones made gloves just to round out their selection.

So basically:
  • Fit is a prevailing factor. If you can try all your options at pricepoint on, and the FR2.0 is that much better on your hand, I guess the $30 is most ideally spent there
  • If not, you're just buying a logo and nice materials/construction
  • I'd rather spend more money on a premium glove if I know it fits and has generally decent reception.
 
You'd be getting a nicely-finished glove for less money, but arguably not a better functioning one. If you want some form of functional benefit, you're better off with some dedicated cycling brands in general, even if they have lower starting price points.

If you mean high end like the top race gloves, the price gap from your example $30 to their retail is so minimal to really say there's much in the Oakley FR2.0's favor. When you mix it up with stuff like Assos and POC....the price gap starts to widen and maybe those aren't worth it in comparison.

But if you mean high end like other leather "luxury" offerings, it's pair-by-pair. The Giro LX LF I have is so much better of a glove in terms of fit, material usage, closure, and padding. Another one in the mix is the Specialized 74, which has gotten decent reception and I may try myself sometime. On the other hand, I've read Capo's leather set has poor construction, and DeMarchi's price point was too far up there ($150). In this area you just have to determine which brands have a substantial R&D behind them, and which ones made gloves just to round out their selection.

So basically:
  • Fit is a prevailing factor. If you can try all your options at pricepoint on, and the FR2.0 is that much better on your hand, I guess the $30 is most ideally spent there
  • If not, you're just buying a logo and nice materials/construction
  • I'd rather spend more money on a premium glove if I know it fits and has generally decent reception.
Thank you very much. I'll stick with dedicated cycling gloves, even though I want Oakley. I'm sure you're right.

I saw that winner from stage 7 and thought I needed some Oakley gloves. He had some. Quite sure they're different.
 
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@Ventruck Once again a stellar review my friend. But after reading your initial post and holding off until your follow up I will stick with my initial impression. No thanks.

I will stick to Giro. I wear gloves on every ride, every time, and I rotate my gloves like the rest of my kit to keep everything clean and lasting longer. My current Giro glove inventory is at 12 pair, 8 short and 4 long finger. And I didn't pay $30 for any of them, and I have 3 of their models. I buy 2 or 3 new pair a year and toss the oldest or most worn. To drop that much or more just for the Oakley gear doesn't wash with me, even as the brand-whore I am.

I also like your new review format!

;)
 
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