HELD AIR N DRY GLOVES

When on the road you have to have serious hand protection.

The hand is made up of 29 bones; there are 9 dice-sized carpal bones near the wrist, joined closely to each other, 5 tubular metacarpal bones that end at the knuckles and the phalanges of the ngers and thumb (3 in each nger and 2 in the thumb). They can be easily damaged and if damaged badly enough it will change your life – and not for the better.

Lately, I have had to bring a few pair of gloves for the ride. Vented, regularly touring and gloves speci cally created for those inevitable rainy days.

Years back I ran with a pair of Held Air N Dry Gloves and they lasted for many years. Hardly any glove can put up with the abuse I throw at them, but eventually, they gave up the ghost and I went back to carrying multiple pairs on every journey.

It only took one long season to see I needed to return to Held’s Air N Dry Gloves. It was an easy choice.

These gloves are truly innovative as they feature GORE-TEX 2in1 technology with two separate chambers. The rst chamber is unlined and perforated for excellent breathability in warm weather. The second chamber is 100% waterproof, thanks to the GORE-TEX membrane, with molded knuckle guards and SUPERFABRIC for an extremely high level of abrasion resistance.

Most of Held’s Gloves come in a fairly wide selection of sizing and after a few long days on the road, they became like a second skin.

In the heat, the perforations allow ample air in and around my ngers to keep them cool. When the sky turns dark it is easy enough to slide your hands into the second GORE-TEX and keep your digits dry, warm, and working.

The gloves also feature a highly abrasion-resistant kangaroo leather palm, a visor wipe on the left index nger, and 3M Scotchlite piping for nighttime conspicuity.

There are a few nitpicks that stop the Air N Dry Gloves from being perfect and my main complaint is that the gauntlet on these gloves should be wider and longer to allow them to more easily slide over the sleeves and, at times, getting my hands in and out was hindered by the tight wrist strap. Still, the gloves have built-in tabs help you pull the gloves on completely and are a nice touch.

These truly need to be addressed by Held when and if a next-generation Air N Dry comes about.

But for right now, living with the smallish gauntlet the Held Air N Dry Gloves are a superior product and the workmanship that goes into all their products is easily seen, and these gloves will take you many years and many miles down the road. Air N Dry Gloves are not inexpensive, at $299, but with these gloves, you truly get what you pay for.

See the Air N Dry Gloves at your Held dealer or at Held USA website rideheld.com ,

FREE WHEELIN’ Continued from Page 4

VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

AVIATION METAL SNIPS: See hacksaw.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids, opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans, and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws.

AIR COMPRESSOR: A machine that takes energy produced in a coalburning power plant 200 miles away and transforms it into compressed air that travels by hose to a Chicago Pneumatic impact gun that grips rusty bolts which were last over tightened 40 years ago by someone in Japan, and instantly rounds off their heads. Also used to quickly snap off lug nuts.

PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50-cent part.

And of course…

The HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent to the object we are trying to hit.

Maybe we can use it on the guy who said let’s roll back to Standard Time? ,

WHATCHATHINKIN’ Continued from Page 5

The last couple of times I’ve been out on the bike, it was not a good thing. Oh, the weather during the rst week of November was absolutely glorious, with brilliant, warm sunshine and crystal clear blue skies. That was the problem – the uber-bright sun practically blinded me and my vision was so clouded that I should have been wearing those black wrap-around glasses that many older folks sport. I am anxiously waiting for my pre-surgery testing and hope to have this all taken care of by December so that I can nd a warm, sunny spot to go riding when the calendar pages turn to 2023.

Here’s looking at you, kid. ,

ON THE MARK Continued from Page 6 leave “exhaust” and their hooves beat up the right side of the road, so it’s best to stay to the left of the lane and to watch for excreted “road apples,” especially when the roads are wet. Slow down, because you never know when a buggy is over the next rise. Be patient and pick your place(s) to pass because cutting in too close to the horse can be hazardous. Finally, if it isn’t Sunday, please do business with these delightful, friendly, funny people. They work hard and you’ll be glad you did. ,