Lush Longboards has over a decade of experience in designing, testing and providing commercial slide gloves to skaters all over the world. Their first model, the V1 slide gloves, were an answer to the DIY slide gloves we all once made at home and just knew they won’t last long.
Since then the guys at Lush dedicated their energy in perfecting the art of choosing the right materials, design, construction and fit. With the drive for improvement came the fact, that every model was better than the previous.
The GT Race Gloves are their proudest achievement and are described to be one of the most comfortable and durable gloves on the market – The creme de la creme!
What makes these gloves even better is the input from most the Lush Longboards team riders from all over the globe, skating them to total destruction in all weather conditions for over a two year period. Vigorous testing and combining different materials with the OG ones, make one hell of a strong product.
Now lets get down to the neat and greet with the technical details to get to know what you get for your buck.
Comfort
As we all know the one of the most important things of a good pair of slide gloves is the fit. A loose fit simply isn’t desirable as it results in rips and dragging your fingers on the pavement even though you point them up while sliding.
The first thing I noticed when I tried the GT Race longboard gloves is the nice soft feel of the interior consisting of the brushed genuine leather back side of the smooth exterior.
Normally when I got new leather gloves from different brands the one thing that bothered me was the inside stitching that chafed my hands almost immediately. In this case, I must say the seams of the different leather components are almost flat.
The next feature I noticed is the padding on the palms which feels super comfy with the pucks on and flexible without them. The padded palm insert between your hand and the puck results in reducing puck vibration while sliding which is perfect for high speeds on rough pavement and minimising hard impacts.
Moving on to the outside of the glove, you will notice the low profile wrist tab that was designed for the perfect fit with your race leathers. The low profile is also nice if you are used to skating with a watch on and are looking for something comfortable with a good amount of protection.
If you choose to only have one pair of slide gloves for freeride and downhill, you will appreciate the perforations on the top side of the glove. The breathable back and fingers are stretchy and made from the same leather as their previous model. If you ever owned a pair of the Deluxe Race Gloves, then you know the leather is really tough, light, yet super comfy.
Protection
The second main consideration while designing the glove was protection. As the GT is are true race gloves they have loads of added features to keep your precious hands nice and safe.
As a new material in their collection, the fingertips, thumbs, grip and wrist are all made from Buffalo Hide. Known also as Buffalo leather this material absorbs and releases moisture a lot like our skin. It provides temperature adaptation and will conform to your hands, but will not stretch out of shape.
The next thing I want to mention is the newly designed hidden knuckle armour. This one-piece added feature is a bit bigger than in their previous model and will take some getting used to, but the inside is padded and provides extra protection you need especially while racing.
As for the stitching goes, the GT longboard slide gloves are sewn together using a high quality Coats thread. The critical areas are triple stitched while the rest is double or single stitched. The last thing on the feature list it the OG, legit Velcro that holds the pucks way better than any other knockoff.
Price & Where To Buy
The Lush Longboards GT Race Gloves are among the most expensive ones on the market, but their price is justified by all these cool features which should make them last much longer then the low or mid-priced gloves. The beginners might want to start off with some cheaper gloves, while the GT Race gloves make a good choice for those who take racing a bit more serious.
| Online Store | Price * |
| Longboardshop.de | 84.95 Euro |
| Skatedeluxe.com | 85.99 Euro |
| Blue-Tomato.com | 95.11 Euro |
| Lushlongboards.com (UK) | 86.00 Euro |
* Please note that the retailers may change the price or availability
www.lushlongboards.com
A team of longboard lovers that seek to bring the word of longboarding to the world.
“Just skate for fun, don’t pick up a skateboard because you want to be a pro one day. Don’t forget why you started skating in the first place.” Steve Caballero