Why you need gloves…
May 25th, 2010 by Leo
There’s a clumsy acronym, ATGATT, for people who wear “all the gear, all the time”: Not just a helmet, but protective pants, boots, fully armored jacket, etc. Now if that’s you, good for you (seriously, not sarcastically)! The difference between going down and getting back up, and getting an ambulance ride depends on your protective gear. BUT… even I think ATGATT isn’t quite practical for the city. There’s a Staples fifteen blocks away from me…and it doesn’t make sense to go ATGATT for little errands like that. Especially since there’s a stop light every couple of blocks, and especially since NY summers can reach temperatures close to the surface of the sun. But no matter how close you’re commuting, there is one piece of gear (other than a helmet) that you ABSOLUTELY need all the time…gloves.
Unless you work in a hospital or a funeral home, you probably don’t realize just how soft human skin is. It’s weaker than two sheets of copy paper… Slide a dull kitchen knife over copy paper – then slide the same knife over your hand (on second thought don’t!) and one will be a bloody mess, and the other just fine.
A few years back I was walking home when I slipped and nearly fell (on some wet bird poop – go figure!). But as I fell I managed to reach out and grab a metal fence just in time. I didn’t hit the ground and I wasn’t even walking quickly, but when I looked at my hand the fence had cut through one of my fingers to the bone. The fence wasn’t sharp, it was just a regular fence, and yet the skin on my finger wasn’t able to handle the sudden pressure.
That fall happened going 0.02 mph, what do you suppose a minor accident going 10mph might do to your hands? What’s more, hands are incredibly complicated and difficult to reconstruct surgically. And if you ever do have a minor accident while riding, your hands will be among the first things to hit the ground.
So dude… wear your gloves. Even basic no-frill leather riding gloves can mean the difference between having ten fingers or being called stumpy the rest of your life.
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So about a month ago, I had a minor accident pulling into a turn bay on 4th avenue in Brooklyn – ran over a piece of cardboard I didn’t notice, lost traction, bike low-sided. Thankfully, I was only going 5-10mph (and coming to a stop), and I was wearing my jacket, gloves, and steel-toed boots. With that, I was only wearing jeans, and ended up with a purple hip and a skinned knee. Not a big deal, admittedly.
Fast-forward a week, and I had a slightly more serious accident while on a road-trip, which involved me dumping the bike in a gravel-filled runoff at about 20mph. Full gear this time, including armored pants (with kneepads, but no hip protection). This time, the leather covering the left steel toe-cap on my boot was torn off, and it looks like I may have mildly separated my shoulder.
Think about it for a second. Without those boots, my toes would have been mangled. Without the pants, my leg would have been torn up, badly. And this was at only 20mph.
Even if you’re only riding in your neighborhood, you will be doing more than 20mph. Chances are that you’re doing at least 40-50 on a regular basis, even if you’re on some cute little 125cc scooter. The roads here are terrible, the drivers are crazy, and the margins for error are very thin.
Wear real gear. Don’t kid yourself that your street clothes will protect you one bit.
Unless you’re a believer that distance somehow dictates the chances or degrees of injury with an accident, I’d recommend not taking bets and being consistent with all ATGATT precautions, be it 2 miles or 200. Otherwise, just go full squid and be happy while it lasts. Who knows? You could be the luckiest S.O.B. in the world.
Of course, to each their own, but to quote a famous Jedi, “There’s no such thing as luck”.
Okay, perhaps there is no connection btw the SPEED one travels and the amount of risk involved when on the road (and the types of precautions that would be sensible) – although I think there is…
But isn’t it interesting that out of all the motogp riders who ride on the street, none are ATTGAT. Lousy squids…
Here’s another reason to wear gloves: For better grip. Your hands sweat. Your gloves don’t. How silly to have a crash because your sweaty palm slipped on the clutch or throttle.
With regards to the 15-block trip: Gear may be inconvenient, but don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re not taking a risk. Most accidents happen at those stop signs. You’re taking a bigger risk than getting on the highway and riding up to Bear Mountain.
I gear up (ATGATT) for my 10 mile commute twice a day every day. The riding I do every day is the most dangerous riding I do. Last year I was rear-ended in the midtown tunnel. Bike: Totaled. Me: Nary a scratch. A tiny bruise on my left shin, and my neck was sore for a few days.
Hello,
I’m an ATGATT type of driver. Even on my cruiser motorcycle I still wear my outfit I bought three years ago when I made my licence for motorcylce driving. During practical training lessons I manged to drop the bike at maybe 25 mph or less. Thanks to my full leather combination, I did not have a scar. But it was amazing how far I was sliding over the asphalt.
My daily route to work is only 2 miles if driving directly. Of course I’m going circles in town to drive at least 6 miles or so. But I myself change clothes two times every damn day I use my cycle which is most of the time (except on snowy and icy days).
For me, clothes protection has priority. Maybe I sweat in my leathers but taking a shower in the evening is much easier than growing new skin.
wow — this has a’scared me. i just got a vespa and i have been riding it around wearing skirts and sandals with no gloves and no jacket. just the helmet. this has me thinking. i do believe i need to change my attire. i mean……i broke my collar bone in a bicycle accident with a car. god only knows what would happen with a scooter and a car. thanks for the tips.