Well it is preview day at the NEC Motorcycle Show and of course my first port of call is the shining white stand of Planet-Knox, already there are a fair few people milling around looking at the range and trying on the gloves so I take the opportunity to join them, I make a bee-line for the Handroid model and am greeted by one of the sales staff who informs me that they only have a size large on display - normally I take between a large and an extra large so this will give you an idea of their fitting, like a glove!

Pardon the pun but that literally is the case here, I asked how fresh the display gloves are (trying to work out how much they have been bedded in and stretched) and am told that only perhaps 5 or so people have had them on so far - pretty nice then as the leather is softer and more supple than any I have tried on and kind of similar to those soft suede driving gloves your dad used to have. The main features of the Handroid glove that are going to whet the appetite of general buying type folks are of course the exo-skeleton which is a kind of rubberised gel, soft and pliable and not actually fixed into one section of the knuckle. This answers question one for me and is nice to know that Knox have actually thought about the eventuality that the external armour might have potential to catch in the event of an off, if this happens the exo skeleton simply pops out (see photo)

Expanding on this the fancy wire fastening on the wrist is another great idea and one that does away with the excessive velcro you find elsewhere, what this does in real terms is allows Knox to fit an armoured section either side of the wrist that feels secure and yet unrestrictive, the wrist is easily adjusted by popping the dial out to release the tension, in goes your hand and then pop the dial back in - then simply twist to tighten to exactly your size, perfect!

Again on the safety front Knox does away with a more traditional carbon fibre knuckle area, most of the time the carbon knuckles are really just for show and a little bit of armour so what Knox have done is encased the knuckle in yet more rebberised gel and covered with their nice impact plastic, this feature along with their innovative BOA lacing system is also on other models within the Knox Hand Armour range. One thing I did not have the opportunity to try out is the ventilation side of things, with the weather cold it is not an important feature right now but certainly when we have warmer days (remember them?) it will be. Keep an eye out on the site for our full review as soon as they become available.

Not wanting to just stick to race gloves Knox of course have released a model to suit all purposes, the all year round glove - the Knox Zero looks to be a mighty fine product that would have been very nice for my ride back which was freezing in my usual summer gloves, the main reason for this is the soft and lightweight feel that is unusual in a glove designed to be suitable in winter. Knox tell me that this is down to their Thinsulate layer being fitted at an optimal size to keep us warm but still offer great feeling.

The Biomech by Knox is another market again, aimed at sporty riders that do not need a full fledged race glove it offers a great compromise between the Handroid and the Recon which is their all purpose touring glove, one thing is for sure though - with Knox' reputation for protection these gloves have been built to keep you safe, comfortable and offer fantastic peace of mind. Get yourself down to the NEC show and try them for yourself or visit the link below for more info.