Review: La Passione Livery Gloves

(2021) It is appropriate to write about La Passione’s Livery Gloves on the weekend of the 24 Hours of Le Mans where Ferraris were competing for the coveted title. La Passione’s Livery line of cycling kits feature nostalgic motorsport colors from the famed GT colors to John Player Special. Though we rarely ride with gloves, we have gravitated toward them for a host of reasons. La Passione’s Livery Gloves have been the simplistic design we have been looking for. How do they hold up?

The old adage of splurging where your body touches the bike brings cycling gloves into the conversation. The problem is that most of the time we have found gloves to be overengineered. Other times the gloves create more havoc than employed to prevent. Finally there’s the removal process where we’re sure cutting them off is the final solution. It is pleasing to say that the Livery Gloves prevent all of that.

With a simple mesh backing, the Livery gloves expand to deliver a simple dressing. There are no velcro straps, no major padding/ gel palms, and no extra seams. These are straightforward gloves that have faded from the market over the past few years. Typically pros are seen shucking these types of gloves off at the end of a stage while we think, “Now how can I get those?” The minimal design of these gloves allows for riding comfort.

Lately we have explored gloves because of the steep addition to indoor riding and the accompanied damage done to handlebar tape/ handlebars. While gloves hardly remove salt buildup or dingy bar tape, they help. With hot and sticky days settling over the office of creakybottombracket.com, gloves maintain a hold on the otherwise slick and sweaty bar tape from humid rides. Yes we replace our tape regularly, but sometimes that is not enough. La Passione’s Livery Gloves slot into the system nicely and without fuss.

Finally there is the concern over price. Rapha used to offer nostalgic mitts that required oily maintenance as well as a three-figure price tag. Here, La Passione’s gloves come in at an easy-to-handle $30 USD. That’s a tag lower than bar tape these days. When did that happen? And should a rider become unhorsed, these gloves are easily replaceable if one had to sacrifice them in a crash.

Before we go back out for a ride, we wanted to comment on the dramatic colorway these gloves feature. The orange is attention-grabbing in direct sunlight. How satisfying it is to see these striking colors holding the hoods. This added to their comfort as our soupy ride was helped along by grippy hands. Too often the thought of a close call has crossed our minds when sweaty hands barely held on after a Pennsylvania pothole. These gloves add comfort everywhere. 

For those looking for simplistic gloves that check every box for riding comfort, take a serious look at La Passione’s line up of gloves. Their chic colorways and straightforward design can let you get on with the business of riding in comfort, all while admiring the nostalgic colors and imagining ourselves flying down the Mulsanne Straight.