- Richa Hypercane Gore-Tex gloves - March 19, 2026
- Remote control and a CPL filter for DJI Osmo Action 5 - March 7, 2026
- New Zealand Te Waipounamu - February 27, 2026
My search is over. I have found the replacement for my favourite touring gloves.
The Richa Hypercane Gore-Tex gloves are a 3 season style laminated glove. Well constructed, comfortable and all day waterproof.
There are a lot of glove reviews on this site which is because I am more discerning about them than most riders might be.
The source of this fussiness originally came from suffering from dermatitis which presented me with the challenge of needing comfortable soft gloves that would not rub or chaff my skin as well as being lined to shield my skin from leather as the tannins in leather irritate my condition.
I had two pairs of excellent quality gloves from Held. These lasted me many years but as I started riding Japan I encountered considerably more rain on tour and became weary of the leather becoming waterlogged and then the lengthy time needed holding hotel hairdryers to get them dry for the next day.
That made me switch to hybrid material gloves from TourMaster and Rough & Road which do not become waterlogged however are not as strong a glove as leather. The Tourmaster Coldtex 3 gloves are still in my collection as my full winter gloves but it was my Rough & Road Gore-Tex gloves I think that turned me into a glove snob because they were incredibly comfortable, worked over a wide temperature range as well as being a good rain glove.
So versatile I’ve used them on almost every tour and while their shell is still intact there comes a point when glove liners get stale and have become soiled. I’ve tried washing them but had no luck. I’m sure if I went back to the Philippines I’d find a laundry shop where mama would meticulously wash out the insides and bring them back to life for just a few dollars but in Australia it’s ‘nah – just buy a new pair mate’.
These new gloves from the Belgium brand Richa impressed me quite a bit on my recent New Zealand ride.
They have a thin liner which works over a wide temperature range. On the R1250RT with grip heaters and hands shielded from full wind blast I was able to wear these gloves in cold rain, high single digit temperatures and not be uncomfortable. On warm days I could wear them up to about 24 degrees.
On an ADV bike without wind protection they would not function as well at the 8 degrees I wore them in but would certainly do low teens, grip heaters would add a little more range while on warmer days probably same around mid 20’s but more wind flow will no doubt add extra comfort in warm weather.
That range makes them really versatile for me. A middle of the road glove like this can be included on every tour and then I can add either a summer or a winter pair of gloves to my bag depending on the season at my destination and have a good chance of having everything covered.
These gloves are laminated or Gore-Grip as the Gore company calls gloves with the liner bonded to the outer layer. This stops the gloves becoming waterlogged or ‘wetting out’ and then becoming clammy inside like my Held Gore-Tex gloves always did. I’ve proven these will keep my hands dry all day and that means if I am going to a destination where I know I will encounter rain days (e.g. Japan) I don’t need to carry two pairs of regular Gore-Tex gloves to get me through wet days.
I guess you might say I’m a card carrying member of Laminated Rider Gear Party now after travelling in considerable rain my last tour in NZ and remaining completely dry in all laminated setup. I don’t have to carry extra layers or stop on side of road to zip in liners or put on rain gear. At the hotel laminated gear shakes off like an umbrella, no dripping huge puddles at the reception, no need to get the hair dryer out to dry waterlogged outer shells of jackets and pants.
Related to rain riding I like how these gloves have cuffs that are a thin material so it is easy to cinch down my jacket sleeve around them firm when in rain. Some gloves I see have these oversized thick cuffs that are too difficult to compress to fit under a jacket sleeve. I think some designers don’t realise that rain runs down the your jacket sleeve into the glove when worn over the sleeve.
Another observation about these gloves is they are constructed with better protection than my Rough and Road gloves were. Multi layer in places, Super Fabric on upper palm, D30 on knuckles and hand heel area. That’s most welcome as hands (and feet) are often said to be the two most under protected body parts of riders.
In conclusion so far they seem the winner and that means you may not be reading any new glove reviews on here for awhile :D.
