I mention Aerostich one freakin time, then they go and come out with the ultimate hipster motorcycle gloves. These gloves combine old-school CHiPs or cafe racer looks, depending on who you ask, with new-school touch screen capability. Don't tell the hipsters, but other people like iPhones too, old white guys that read ADVrider, cops and, well, most anyone who can appreciate modern technology. No longer will you need to awkwardly remove a glove, scramble for your phone, try to read that text message you're pretty sure you got or check your directions, fail and then ride off with the phone halfway shoved back into your pocket and the glove in your teeth.

Electrostatic touch screens only work when they're manipulated with something that conducts electricity like your skin or a stylus. Leather doesn't conduct electricity, so when you try to unlock your phone with a glove on, no matter how delicate and precise your movements, nothing happens.

These gloves fix all of that awkwardness with just a few stitches of electro-conductive thread. And not just on the index finger either, that magic is in the thumbs, index and middle fingers of both gloves. There really isn't even any downside to these: they're real elk-skin ropers, they're cheap at $57, the squeegee on the left thumb might not get you cool points, but at least you'll be able to get that bug off your visor and have I mentioned that they're real elk skin ropers that allow you to use your iPhone? There's a reason some of the more hard-core riders like motor cops and the GS guy who does 11,000 miles before breakfast wear gloves like this. They're comfy, last for zillions of miles and have enough abrasion resistance to save your hands if you do something stupid. I guess the triple clamp saving keychain really is a gateway drug.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g146XLh5pKw

The challenge in being both a hipster and a motorcyclist is that you need to find a balance between functional motorcycle gear — stuff that keeps you warm and safe — and clothing that gets you tattoo models. Thanks to gloves like these, that's a compromise that can happen.

Aerostich

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