Review: 661 Raji gloves

The 661 Raji is a lightweight breathable trail glove.

Features

• Open mesh upper
• Ultra lightweight and breathable construction with open mesh upper
• Increased grip and control with silicone printed palm and finger tips
• Increased durability with embossed palm overlay
• Moisture absorbing sweat wipe
• 45% synthetic leather, 45% nylon, 10% polyester
• Open mesh upper
• Perforated dual-layer palm area
• Silicone graphic palm and finger tips
• Terry cloth sweat wipe
• Embossed palm and pull-on tab detail
• Cuffless design
• Retail price: R485.00

On the trail

My first ride with the Raji’s ended with red, sore hands. While the Raji fit my finger length perfectly, there was some room in the palm area which led to bunching. I often struggle to find the ideal palm to finger length ratio with gloves, so I can’t point to a fault in the Raji’s design. Had I not been tasked with reviewing the Raji, I probably would have left it at that, but I persisted. A handful of rides later, and a couple of washes, the gloves became more supple and a joy to ride.

Once comfortable in the gloves, I started to appreciate their design. I generally favour the feel of unpadded gloves and the Raji were no exception. The gloves feature an additional protective leather-like overlay at certain contact points, like underneath the knuckles and between the thumb and forefinger, but this does little to dampen the direct feel. The silicone grip strips do well in maintaining contact with brake levers and handlebar grips.

The mesh upper impressed me, keeping my hands cool even on hot midday rides. My hands never felt sweaty while wearing these gloves but when my face did, the cloth on the outside of the thumb area was pretty useful for wiping it away.

Having previously worn gloves with some kind of closure or cuff restraint, I was not convinced by the loose feel of the cuffless design. But like many things new, I quickly forgot about my previous comforts and began to appreciate the easy and simplicity of slipping on the gloves. It also means that there are no velcro straps to start fraying and losing grip over time.

Durability has been excellent. There are no signs of unreasonable wear or degeneration of materials during the 6 months of testing. The gloves have been machine washed on a number of occasions. They dried quickly, even in winter. The only noticeable blemish was due to my own clumsiness in which I managed to cut off the tip of the left thumb with a pair of scissors. To the Raji’s credit, I’ve been riding these gloves with the hole for over two months and it has yet to get any larger.

Although an older design, the blue 661 Raji’s below have been ridden by Iwan Kemp for around 4 years and show very little sign of it. Although, considering the condition of these gloves, I have my doubts that he rides at all.

Final take

After my initial doubts, the 661 Raji became a fit and forget part of my ride, which is good thing when it comes to gloves. I enjoyed the direct feel between my hands and the bars as well as the excellent cooling provided by the upper mesh. On top of this, the Raji show every sign of being built to last.