Gah... Seam split on my gloves. Recommended thread to repair them?

Zoodles95

Zoodles95

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So...

I stop into a Shoppers Drug Mart after work to pick up a couple of things (top case is handy for that) and when I put my gloves back on this happened:



Luckily I have a back up pair of gloves. I would rather not have a seam split at all but at least it did not occur with an off.

There are a couple of places in Cambridge that do seamstress or hem work. Any type of thread I should specify to have the repair done?
 
should really be done with a kevlar thread, if that seam opened up I'd wonder about the other seams and probably retire those gloves.
 
Easy fix. Only use upholstery thread, which won't rot with sweat and water, or at least prolong rot. You can get upholstery thread at Fabricland. There are limited colours, but you only need black. $3.50 for a small roll of Gutermann, 100m, expensive compared to cotton/poly threads.. Made in Germany. You cannot break this thread with your hands.

The seam is on the outside and easily accessed. With a needle and upholstery thread, whipstitch it shut, ensuring you get enough "meat" on the leather so it won't rip. If after the stitching it rips in a new spot the leather is too weak and you'll need new gloves, or a larger patch of leather. The issue with fingers is the tight space. The more leather you use the tighter the fit, to the point where you might not be able to get your finger in, or you force your finger in and stretch/stress the leather. For a slight bit more stretch soak the glove finger in water , then wear the glove until the leather dries..

I've never seen kevlar thread for sale. I would not know how much kevlar they used. I doubt that any shoe maker or leather worker would have kevlar thread.
 
If your *finger* managed that, imagine what an unscheduled meeting with the asphalt will do. There's almost no leather there for the thread to hold. What Would Bickle Do? He knows his stuff. Had a pair of brand new Nexo gloves that did that. Straight to the bin they went. I like typing and other hand-related activities.
 
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Try emailing the manufacturer and see what, if anything they offer to do.
 
Is that velocity ones from Jimmy? I've been using mine for almost 3 (4?) years and hope mine don't do that

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John Bickle from Bickle racing or Drew from Trackside cuts can stitch that up for you
 
mbroyda said:
John Bickle from Bickle racing or Drew from Trackside cuts can stitch that up for you
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I second this. Get it repaired right or get new gloves. Also, going to take a long hard look at my own VR Pros
 
TorontoBoy said:
Velocity glove in need of repair. I thought this happened before. Different spot.
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Unfortunately this is my second bout with this sort of thing. My earlier pair had the same thing happen within a week so Jimmy swapped them out for a new pair. This is season 3 I think with these gloves with just regular street use.

Not sure if I will go back to the VR Pros for my next pair or look at one of the mainstream brands like Dainese or Alpinestars or consider trying some from Bickle.
 
I buy kevlar thread from THETHREADEXCHANGE, and have ordered through Aklands Grainger. The problem I see with upholstery thread is it doesnt take abrasion well, you fall off and the thread holding the glove together is abraded away in seconds.
Firemans suits and gear are put together with a kevlar/nomex thread. And upholstery thread is not UV stable, it just rots in the sun.

I did a brief stint in harness repair, one side of the family is Mennonite (dont ask) , we used a waxed polyester thread, it held up average. When i started doing sail repair I learned how fast UV will eat thread. Your gloves sort of sit in the sun all the time your riding.
 
Thanks for the tip. I think I will source out some kevlar thread and go from there. Ideally it would be nice to get another season or two out of the gloves. Great design let down by poor QC.

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Zoodles95 said:
...Great design let down by poor QC.
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Is it really QC's fault? Possibly the leather was too weak or thin in the first place. QC only tests for specific criteria. If they are asked to test for thin leather then they will. Maybe the gloves should have been made from thicker cow hide.
 
The reason I mention QC is because I had another pair that was like that from the get go. They were replaced but I wonder if a different factory or facility would help. I do think they are awesome gloves. I had some fired up gloves that lasted a season and then needed replacement. Just curious if it is a factory issue.

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I don't think it has anything to do with QC, or the thread, or the leather. The problem is the trade off. Gloves that have the seam on the outside like the VR's do are done so for comfort, that way you don't have excess leather rubbing on the inside of the glove. The trade off is the seams are more likely to open up as you have experienced. For the price I don't think you can beat the VR's in terms of features and crashability (tested that one twice myself), unfortunately you have to check the seams every once in a while and spend $10 to maintain them. I have yet to find a pair I like better than the VR's without having to remortgage just to buy gloves. This is just my experience and opinion, ymmv.
 
So... maybe this is a design decision which has its own set of trade offs. I think I just need to check my gear more often like I already check my bike.

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ive always relied on dental floss for leather and denim. if you take the time to space the sewing stitches it actually has a pretty cool look. if thats not your thing then a black marker works well .
 
crankcall said:
I buy kevlar thread from THETHREADEXCHANGE, and have ordered through Aklands Grainger. The problem I see with upholstery thread is it doesnt take abrasion well, you fall off and the thread holding the glove together is abraded away in seconds.
Firemans suits and gear are put together with a kevlar/nomex thread. And upholstery thread is not UV stable, it just rots in the sun.

I did a brief stint in harness repair, one side of the family is Mennonite (dont ask) , we used a waxed polyester thread, it held up average. When i started doing sail repair I learned how fast UV will eat thread. Your gloves sort of sit in the sun all the time your riding.
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Any thoughts which size of Kevlar thread is best for the repair?

http://www.thethreadexchange.com/mi...GY&Store_Code=TTE&Category_Code=kevlar-thread
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