Held Phantom 1 Gloves
Kenneth Moonitz
Gloves. One of those things you don’t think much about… until you really need them.
Comfort is nice. Feel is important. But when it comes down to it, they have one job—protect your hands when things go wrong.
That’s where the Held Phantom Gloves come in. There are newer ones nowadays, but the older ones are solid. These are full-on race gloves. Kangaroo leather, hard knuckle protection, external stitching—the whole deal. No shortcuts, no pretending to be something they’re not.
One of the standout features is the stingray (yes, actual manta/stingray leather) palm sliders. It sounds over the top, but there’s a reason for it—these things are insanely abrasion resistant and designed to slide rather than grab.
And I can personally vouch for that. I’ve gone down once in these, and they did exactly what they were supposed to do. No blown seams, no catastrophic failure—just a glove that took the hit and kept my hands out of it.
That alone pretty much sold me for life.
Like most high-end race gloves, they start off a bit stiff, but once they break in, they mold to your hands incredibly well. Controls feel precise, grip is solid, and you do get a slight “oven mitt” feeling.
Are they overkill for casual riding? Probably.
Are they the easiest gloves to live with every day? Not really.
But if I’m sliding across pavement again, I know exactly which brand of gloves I want on my hands. And that’s really all that matters. 🤙
