De Marchi Revo Gloves review

De Marchi’s Revo Gloves certainly stand at the more premium end of the market, but then they do incorporate some pretty new and interesting tech. The padding comes courtesy of Elastic Interface – an Italian brand with a reputation for quality chamois – while the palm’s grippers resemble the leg grippers of Castelli’s recently released and tech-packed Premio short.

De Marchi Revo Gloves: the construction

The party piece of these gloves is the super high density foam (200 kg/m3) manufactured by Elastic Interface. Given the limited surface area provided by the palms, previously it had been difficult to provide this level of cushioning in an acceptable package.

Specific inserts have been placed over the areas which are subject to the greatest impacts when riding. This includes the base of the palm, across the inside of the knuckles, and around the thumb and the transition to the index finger.

The entirety of the palm is treated to a special woven fabric which doesn’t feel clammy or sticky to the touch, but does provide a large degree of grip on certain surfaces. Bar tape that already has a bit of tackiness to it makes for a rock solid interface – as does more basic foam bar tape. But the gloves do struggle to grip the shiny, glossy kind – which is worth bearing in mind.

The Revo gloves rely on the stretchiness of their fit to stay in place, there’s no Velcro strap to cinch down – which saves on weight and potential snags as well as simply increasing the simplicity. There’s a soft towel-y fabric on the back of the thumb, while the back of the hand is treated to a highly breathable mesh fabric.

The ride

The cushioning around the heel of the palm was truly excellent. Generally, I find this is the area I suffer with most when riding on rough terrain, but although the padding is a lot lower profile here than on other gloves I’ve used, the degrees to which it dampens to impacts is much superior. In this way, it very much delivers the best of both worlds.

The flipside to this is the bulkiness of the cushioning around the thumb and base of the index finger. This is an area which definitely needs protection, being such a common place to get blisters, but the level of cushioning there left me feeling rather isolated from the hoods as well as being rather cumbersome.

Provided I paired these gloves with bar tape of sufficient quality, the grip that the woven fabric of the palm provided was excellent. I really felt locked into place. On hot rides, the perforations in the palms stopped the inside of my hands from getting too clammy, while the mesh backing barely felt like it was there. 

Value

At €90, De Marchi’s Revo Gloves are an expensive proposition. All gloves that feature Elastic Interface’s new tech come at a premium, but Giro’s Supernatural gloves cost a little less at £64.99 and dhb’s Aeron Mitts are cheaper still at £40.00. 

But each uses their own permutation of Elastic Interfaces padding. If you have very specific requirements about where you need the protection, these could be the gloves for you.

Verdict

The Revo Gloves utilise Elastic Interface’s latest foam technology to provide greater impact protection for your hands. For the most part, De Marchi has executed this tech well, with great cushioning for the heel of your hands, a grippy palm and good ventilation. The gloves are let down a little by the bulkiness of the padding around the thumb and index finger, which creates a feeling of isolation from the handlebars.

Specs

• Weight: 38g (pair, size large)
• Colours: Black
• Contact: www.demarchi.com