It is the result of several years of research and development in close collaboration with FIVE’s official riders in the MotoGP and Superbike World Championships.
With the RFX RaceTM, FIVE is raising standards by introducing Thermoset Carbon Composite back-of-hand protection – a first for a production glove.
Hitherto used in aeronautics and on the highest-level competition vehicles (Formula 1, MotoGP, etc.), Thermoset Carbon Composite is obtained by fusing carbon fibres with epoxy resin in a high-pressure oven, making this ultra-light material almost indestructible by abrasion. But the high manufacturing costs mean it is used only for the most demanding applications, explaining why it is so rare in the field of accessories.
Compared to thermoformed carbon fibre, used for its relative elasticity in areas that need a certain flexibility (like the slider included in the palm), the Thermoset Carbon Composite used on the back of the FIVE RFX RaceTM glove offers substantially superior characteristics in terms of rigidity and abrasion resistance. In order to fulfil its function completely, including under the most extreme conditions of use (see graph).
For the hands, the most dangerous, and also very frequent, fall is one where the hand is trapped beneath the bike while machine and rider skid across the asphalt over a long distance. Only Thermoset Carbon Composite, incredibly light and with its high degree of abrasion resistance, allows the integrity of the rider’s hand to be preserved, considerably delaying the destruction of the glove enduring such treatment.
The Thermoset Carbon Composite structure employed in the RFX RaceTM glove associated with the numerous thermoformed carbon-fibre reinforcements, with the full-grain leather outer and Kevlar inner lining, offers an unrivalled level of safety.
Though rider protection was the major priority in developing the RFX RaceTM, the greatest attention was naturally also paid to the fit and lightness of the glove, ease of hand movement, sensitivity, and precise riding control.
The RFX RaceTM glove leaves no room for compromise: it offers simply the best of both worlds, safety AND fit!
By incorporating this technology and innovative materials, the RFX RaceTM is the most effective protection currently available… and is without doubt the most advanced of all the FIVE Advanced Gloves products.
