Two-Minute Review
Leatt DBX 4.0 Lite Gloves
Usable Features
I'm all kitted up for a short ride minus a set of gloves. On my workbench, there's a small pile of freshly washed favorites. On my floor, these Leatt DBX 4.0 Lite gloves.
The Leatts have just experienced two big days of nasty riding. They smell bad. They look disgusting as the sweated-in-stiffness combines with a pre-curved cut to give them a rigid shape. They smell awful. I think for a moment that I should really get them into a rotation or I'm going to wear them out. They smell disgusting.
I pull on the DBX gloves and head out the door pedaling my bike.
I Love These Gloves - Photo: AM
Even if they are a bit cold on days like this...
...traction is fantastic even in pissing rain
The DBX 4.0 gloves are a prime example of ride-improving features in an otherwise simple pair of gloves. There are no features for features' sake.
The Leatt NanoGrip palm is stretchy, thin, flexible and it feels great against my grips in wet or dry. That's without the addition of any stupid little rubber grippers that will wear off the first ride or wash. The molded finger protection goes completely unnoticed while riding but is a nice surprise any time I accidentally punch a tree or rock.
The fit is slightly tight for a size large, which works perfectly for me, and I love that there's no velcro closure to wreck my merino gear when I throw these gloves in the wash. Speaking of, they've been through the machine over thirty times without issue.
The palms as thin, comfy, and grippy as any glove I've tried - Photo: AM
The armouring goes amazingly unnoticed until I punch something harder than my hand - Photo: AM
Complaints? The gloves are pre-curved with a snug fit so they totally suck when trying to take a photo of your own hand. The grey palm is perma-dirty the first time you grab a grip. The 50 USD price tag might have turned me off a bit if I knew the cost before I put the gloves on but they're worth every penny compared to most every mitt I've worn. I'd like to try the Windblock version for the winter since these breathe well, even for someone who runs hot.
Leatt sells the DBX 4.0 Lite under the tagline "try these bicycle gloves – you will like them!" and I completely concur. I'm genuinely considering buying a couple pairs and ditching all the other spring/summer weight gloves I own.
There's more information here, but suffice it to say that if you don't have a glove you love these are quite possibly the one thing missing in your life. Yep, they're that awesome.
Comments
kekoa
5 years, 9 months ago
My internet Kung Fu has failed me, I cannot find these gloves. Are these the wind blocker version?
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Andrew Major
5 years, 9 months ago
Howdy,
There’s a quick link in the last paragraph that goes here: https://www.leatt.com/shop/bike/riding-apparel/gloves/dbx-4-0-lite.html
As noted, these are the Lite model not the Wind Block.
Cheers.
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OldManBike
5 years, 9 months ago
I think kekoa's point was that the black/gray color scheme is only available in the wind block version, at least on their website.
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kekoa
5 years, 9 months ago
Yup, exactly that.
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Andrew Major
5 years, 9 months ago
Ah, sorry!
If you’re based in Canada the distributor (NRG) will have the Lite version back in stock around the start of May.
Your preferred local shop can put them on order if you’re looking for a really nice little gift for future-you!
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kekoa
5 years, 9 months ago
Ahhhh....once again discriminated against because I live on a little island in the middle of the ocean! Thanks for the follow up.
Andrew Major
5 years, 9 months ago
Ha! That sounds awful!
Leatt is known to run tight on inventory so I suspect you’ll see these gloves for sale online again soon.
kekoa
5 years, 9 months ago
Thanks. (I have a thing for gloves so I was somewhat glad I couldn't find these).
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David Max
5 years, 9 months ago
I couldn't agree with you more on this review. These are unequivocally the the best gloves I have ever owned. They are light, cool, and comfortable, but offer a surprising amount of protection. Essentially unnoticeable until the point where you really need them.
I'm pretty sure they saved my riding season last summer. I was travelling along a good pace, I'd guess 18-20 something km/h, when I slightly misjudged my line and clipped a boulder that protruded out into the trail with my right pinky. The impact was solid enough that it hurt a fair bit and I let out some sort of expletive, but I kept on with my run. When I got to the bottom of the trail I took a moment to take off the gloves and check out my finger. It turned out that the impact had split the skin on my knuckle through the armour on the glove. There is no way to know definitively, but I'm fairly sure that without the protection on the gloves that impact would have resulted in a broken finger. All I can say for sure is that it was a very solid impact and that for such light weight and comfortable pair of gloves they offered a truly surprising amount of protection. Yes they cost a bit more than some other gloves out there, but given the extra margin of safety they seem to offer I'd be hard pressed to find a reason to ride in anything else anytime soon.
As a side note, it's interesting to hear you say that you find the large to fit snugly for a large. I pretty much always wear an XL glove and found that the Leatt XL is a little loose compared to what I would normally expect. I ordered mine off the web because none of the local shops were carrying them. When its time to replace them I'd like to try a large to see if that might be a better fit for me.
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Andrew Major
5 years, 9 months ago
Really appreciate your comment David. I haven’t had that kind of save from the armoring yet but I totally believe it’ll make a difference at zero penalty the rest of the time.
Goes to show fit is a funny thing. I’m a snug medium in a 100% glove but in these I’m a comfy large.
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