For the northern hemisphere, spring is in the air—a time to wrap up those winter projects and get out there. Here’s some new kit to make your ride that much better—from vintage-style short cuff gloves, to a waterproof leather case for your GPS.
Get those wish lists ready.
Hedon Epicurist English helmet manufacturer Hedon produces some of most elegant open face helmets on the market. This is the Epicurist—a similar design to the popular Hedonist, but with the addition of a flip-up face shield.
£349 gets you a ECE 22.05 certified fiberglass and carbon fiber composite shell—with a 2mm, hand thermoformed shield. The hinges are machined from either copper or brass, depending on which color you pick. It’s a level of finishing that we’ve come to expect from Hedon—echoed in details like the leather trim and anti-bacterial lining.
Pictured here is the ‘Shortlist’—a glossy teal finish, produced as a collaboration with Shortlist, the upmarket British men’s magazine. If it doesn’t tickle your fancy, there are another twenty, equally exquisite colorways to choose from. [Buy]
Icon 1000 Retrograde Jacket By now, every major gear manufacturer has at least a few retro items in their range. But Icon 1000 does it a little differently.
The $650 Retrograde jacket is a prime example. It has enough throwback styling to keep it relevant, with all the burliness we’ve come to expect from the Portlandian brand. The 1.1-1.3mm leather chassis features what Icon call an “attack fit”—so it’s articulated for comfort when riding. Perforated sections are a clear indication that spring’s in the air, but there’s a removable thermal vest too.
Neat little touches abound—like YKK zips, alloy shoulder sliders and accordion panels in all the right places. It ships with a full complement of D30 armour, and it’s available in brown and black (our pick). [Buy]
Velomacchi Speedway Gloves Based in Hood River, Oregon, Velomacchi hit the scene a while ago with a portfolio of highly functional motorcycle luggage. Now they’re expanding their range—and they’re doing so in style.
Their new Speedway glove is a delightfully vintage affair, and pairs a deerskin palm with a goatskin upper for maximum feel and protection. The look is somewhere between retro motocross and street, with an elasticated cuff, TPU guards on the knuckles and fingers and brass rivets in the hypothenar (little finger) impact zone. The thumb and forefinger tips are designed to work with your smartphone’s touchscreen, and an extra TPU strip on the thumb acts as a goggle wiper.
Velomacchi will be shipping the Speedway soon, at $99 a pair. [Buy]
Pagnol M3 Leather Pant We’ve never really been into leather pants, but even we would give Pagnol’s latest offering a bash. The Californian outfit’s taken the same neo-classic styling as their smash hit M1 and M2 jackets, and applied it to their new M3 pant.
And it looks great, thanks to the 1.2mm tumble-aged cowhide and retro racer-inspired layout, shown alongside the Walt Siegl MV Augusta pictured above. Features include a ventilated mesh lining and antique brass hardware, and the fit is designed to be snug.
Protection’s high on the agenda too: seams have been placed away from high impact areas, and there are pockets for hip, knee and even tailbone pads. The M3 is expected to land in July, but you can pre-order it online for $450. [Buy]
Malle London Navigator Series Let’s face it, a traditional GPS mount is going to ruin that clean cockpit on your custom or classic motorcycle. Enter Malle’s new Navigator range. The London-based luggage maker’s added two new items to their classy catalogue of goods, both designed to hold a phone, GPS or written directions.
First up is the more compact James (£85)—designed to mount to your handlebars or your arm via two velcro straps. Then there’s the Scott (£129): a more traditional map sleeve, with a removable cover, that attaches to your tank via straps. Both are made from waterproof leather with a touchscreen-compatible window.
We had the opportunity to test out the James for a bit. It’s a perfect fit for an iPhone 5s (with a case), looks great and feels even better. If you ride with a GPS, have a map app on your phone or want to use your phone as a speedo, it’s probably the best-looking solution out there. [Buy]