Royal 2015 Victory Gloves

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Review by Johan Hjord // Photos by Tal Rozow and Johan Hjord

Royal has had a Victory glove in its line-up for quite some time, but 2015 saw a complete overhaul of the model that resulted in a lighter, thinner glove, in keeping with the overall product line direction we’ve seen from Royal of late. Based on good experiences with previous generations of Royal gloves, we were eager to put this latest offering to the test, which is exactly what we did. Read on to find out how we got on.

Main Features

• Sublimated Cool-span back of hand fabric
• Pre-curved ride friendly “crease free” tailored shape
• All over raised TPR protective design
• Vented neoprene embossed cuff
• Hook and loop closure cuff tab
• Micro-Fiber “Wipe” thumb panel
• Perforated “Stretch” AX palm with extended cuff tab
• Available in BLACK/YELLOW/WHITE, BLUE/YELLOW/WHITE or RED/BLUE/WHITE
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL
• MSRP: $34.95

Initial Impressions

Royal has simplified its glove range for 2015, leaving the Victory as the top of the line offering intended for every kind of riding from trail to DH. Royal’s stated focus with its entire glove line up is on dexterity, weight, and comfort, and this is obvious in the Victory glove. Despite its aggressive intentions, it remains a thin and well-ventilated glove, devoid of the heavier fabrics and extra reinforcements often found on gloves in this category.

Don’t mistake thin and comfortable for minimalistic however, as this is far from the case with the Victory. The design is elaborate, with a pre-curved shape made for biking. It is not as curved as the Quantum glove we tested last year, but it is nevertheless first and foremost designed to conform to the shape of the grip. Additionally, the glove features a snot/sweat wipe, a padded neoprene wrist area that helps keep the glove snug on the hand, a small hook-and-loop closure to facilitate getting into and out of the glove, as well as a perforated palm area to help with ventilation. All in all, a comprehensive design worthy of a glove in this price bracket.

The back of the glove features a lightweight mesh fabric for extra breathability. The graphics on the back of the hand are of the raised TPR variety, intended to add a degree of protection from wayward branches and other close encounters of the painful kind. The “fourchettes” (the area on the side of and between each finger) are made of Lycra, which extends forwards around the fingertip. Time to figure out what all this translates to on the trail then!

On The Trail

The Victory is easy to put on thanks to the hook-and-loop cuff closure. Right off the bat, the glove was comfortable, and offered a great fit on the hand. The fingers are just the right length, and the rest of the glove is snug without being too tight. The pre-curved shape helps avoid any bunching up of excess material in the palm area, a sure-fire way to ruin your riding experience.

A good way to check how well your gloves work on the bike is whether or not they end up riding up on the hand throughout the ride, specifically from the wrist towards the palm area. The Victory remains in place no matter how hard you tug on your bars, mainly thanks to the small but solid cuff closure, as well as that neoprene upper cuff area.

In terms of protection, the Victory’s palm area is a notch above the thinnest glove from Royal. We’ve done our best to torture it, but it’s kept on coming back for more with nary a scratch to show for all our riding, digging, and dirt sampling. The rest of the glove offers fairly minimal protection, especially the back of the hand which won’t really keep you out of harm’s way if you enjoy the occasional bout of bushwhacking.

As has been the case with several gloves from Royal recently, there are no silicone grippers on the brake fingers. No need for concern though, as we never found ourselves wanting in this department, including during the wet rides. A final point concerning the all-important sweat-wiper – it’s a feature we never want to be without, and the Victory’s faux-suede pad does a great job. Comfortable and effective, but not too thick so as to resemble a huge sponge stuck to your thumb.

Things That Could Be Improved

Our only gripe with the Victory glove is the relatively exposed fingertip area. Royal’s Quantum glove offers a wraparound design where the palm material extends right along each finger and up around the fingertip, which adds durability in this exposed area. On the Victory, the Lycra fourchettes continue around the fingertip, which is a solution that is notably less resistant to abrasion of course. We’d welcome the wraparound design on the Victory as well.

Long Term Durability

Overall, the Victory has stood up very well to about 2.5 months of solid abuse. We’ve worn the glove non-stop for week-long riding adventures, trail rides, park days, and the occasional spot of digging. Rain or shine, the Victory has been our go-to glove for the duration of this test, and it has come through with flying colors. The palm area looks great still, and the rest of the glove is also holding up fine so far, despite being ridden hard and put away wet (and muddy!) on more than one occasion.

We’ve noticed the first signs of stretching on the top of the thumb area, and we suspect this is where the glove will eventually fail, but this is not all that uncommon in many glove designs.

There is always a trade-off between comfort and resilience, and let’s face it – buying new gloves mid-season isn’t unheard of. So far however, we’ve been impressed with the Victory glove, and it likely has months of life in it still. Which is convenient, because we certainly plan to keep using it.

What’s The Bottom Line?

The Victory glove was designed to cater to most kinds of riding with particular focus on dexterity, comfort and light weight. It ticks all those boxes in a feature-rich package that comes in at a competitive price, and the MTB-specific cut makes it a stand-out performer in our books. If you’re willing to trade ultimate protection for a little more comfort and breathability in a glove that is still ready for DH abuse, put the Victory on your short list.

More information at www.royalracing.com.

About The Reviewer

Johan Hjord loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.