Cortech has a line of street gear under the Boulevard Collective title that focuses on urban riding, rather than apparel for track day or hardcore sport riding. Even when riding at city speeds, one of the key items in any rider’s gear set is quality riding gloves. The Cortech Bully short cuff leather gloves providing-performance features at an attractive price of only $45 a pair.
A good place to start when considering the best features of the Bully glove is on the inside, next to your skin. Several gloves I’ve had over the years have looked impressive from the outside, but didn’t impress on the inside. Some had rough-textured lining materials, incomplete in coverage, poorly attached, loose, shabby, or just plain bad. Such is not the case with the Cortech Bully short cuff leather gloves.
The entire glove is lined with a comfortable polyester Tricot that is smooth and adheres to the inside of the glove. That lining allows your hand to slide in and out of the glove, even when you prefer a very snug fit, as I do. Speaking of fit, the Medium gloves are true to the size I typically wear, though as is often the case for my hands, the fingers are just a tad long for me. That is not a defect in the product’s design; it’s simply a common occurrence for my stubby fingers, regardless of brand.
Construction is precise, with very little pressure exerted along the seam lines down the fingers and thumb. Seams across the palm and back of the hand are imperceptible; only at the tips of the pre-curved fingers is there any evidence of seam ridges, and then only barely.
The entire exterior is 0.7—0.8 mm goat leather that is perforated over the back of the hand, ring finger, pinky, and thumb. Accordion stretch panels deliver flexibility over the back of the hand, and on the index and middle fingers. Reinforced leather panels are placed on the palm, thumb, and over the side of the fourth finger. A molded TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) hard slider panel is mounted at the heel of the palm.
The Cortech product literature says each glove has a “high-density polyurethane memory foam molded knuckle protector.” While that doesn’t sound like it could offer any impact protection, the gloves do have hard knuckle-protection. Unfortunately, there is no indication whether the gloves meet CE EN 13594-2015 or ANSI/ISEA 138 2019 standards. Certification to either of those standards helps riders know the gloves’ degree of protection.
The Cortech Bully gloves include touchscreen-compatible material on the tips of the index finger and thumb. The index fingers require holding the fingertip at a low angle and applying more pressure on the screen than usual for the screen to respond—a ridge formed by the seam at the fingertip can keep the touchscreen-compatible material from making contact. The seam is different on the thumb, with the touchscreen-compatible material riding up onto the tip, making contact with the screen much easier.
There is a substantial hook-and-loop closure at the inside of the cuff at the wrist, and the gloves include a pull-on tab next to the heel slider to make donning the gloves easier.
Overall appearance, comfort, and fit of the Cortech Bully short cuff leather gloves are excellent, dexterity is good, and the pre-curve of the fingers reduces hand fatigue. Confirmation of performance on impact and abrasion protection via certification by one of the applicable performance standards would be a major plus. Still, considering the visible construction quality and features, the Bully gloves appear to be a remarkable value for the price.
Cortech Bully Gloves Fast Facts
- Sizes: X-Small – 3X-Large
- Color: Brown
- Certifications: None
Cortech Bully Gloves Price: $45 MSRP
