Even with a smorgasbord of products (hundreds or thousands), DaKine still focuses on their core sports. Luckily, mountain biking continues to be one of those core sports as they sponsor some of the top riders of our day.
Within the bike world, DaKine does elect to focus primarily on the freeride scene and the sponsored riders reflect that. The likes of Ben Boyko, Matt Hunter, Darren Berrecloth and Andrew Shandro show that the progressive freeriders and those who aspire to be like them latch onto the DaKine brand and product line. With a wide array of gloves for downhill and all-mountain performance for men and women, their glove line continues to meet the demands of riders worldwide. The Covert glove is a unique one in the line in a few ways and has now been given the beat-down on my favorite Utah singletrack.
About the DaKine Covert Bike Gloves
Made for moderate-duty trails and riding, the Covert glove isn’t quite as thick as a downhill glove, but is a little too thick for mid-summer days, so lets call it a temperate weather glove. One unique feature of the Covert is the neoprene cuff. While most gloves utilize a Velcro closure, the Covert ditches that for simplicity and the potential of a comfortable fit under all conditions.
More features:
- Performance articulation
- Light palm padding
- Clarino synthetic suede palm
- Terry cloth thumb
- Silicone gripper index and middle fingertips
- Nylon mesh back panel
- Colors: Black, Brown Shotgun, Purple Mint & Rasta
- MSRP: $24.95
DaKine Covert Gloves Review
For me, gloves are a necessity and I get pretty picky about my choice in handwear. While I’ve seen a few folks riding bare-handed, I can’t even fathom doing so. I can’t count the number of times my gloves have saved my hands from certain puncture, bleeding and/or digit removal upon sudden and severe rock/dirt contact (e.g. crashing).
The safety side of the equation is always an important consideration, but the other aspects are equally important and include overall riding comfort, bar and hand connection, braking performance and wind protection (on cold Spring or Fall rides).
The protection offered by the Covert gloves is solid and much more so than my current pair of summertime gloves (Pearl Izumi Select Full-finger Gloves).
The glove/grip connection is solid due to the tacky nature of the synthetic Clarino suede materials used. Where it’s lacking is in extra palm padding. It does feature lightweight padding, but it could use a thin layer of gel or something to combat vibration and discomfort on long rides. The terry cloth thumb panel is a nice feature to wipe the sweat from your brow.
The tips of the index and middle fingers has a rubbery material to aid in braking feel. This material is extra-tacky and grips the levers well. However, these grippy areas are wearing off rather quickly and have lost much of their once-fierce grip.
While the neoprene cuff does allow for easy on/off and sufficient tightness, I found myself wanting to cinch them down just a tad–maybe that’s just because it’s all I’ve known. That said, I’m not so stoked on the non-Velcro closure–it’s just nice being able to cinch them down a little more when needed.
When these gloves got wet, they tended to stretch out and feel sloppy, so be aware of that if you ride in the rain or put a hand down in a creek (I suppose stranger things have happened).
Good Covert
- Excellent hand protection
- Great braking feel, but the grippies began to wear off
- Comfortable fit out of the box… no errant seams and such
- Great for cool to mild weather
- Very durable… show little signs of wear
Bad Covert
- Could use a little more palm padding for longer rides
- A bit hot on Summer afternoon rides
- I miss having a Velcro closure
- Sloppy fit when wet
The Bottom Line: DaKine Covert Bike Gloves
DaKine makes some great gloves… I’ve really liked the Ventilators. These gloves are great cold to mild-weather glove options for those looking for extra protection and the simplicity of a no-Velcro cuff.
