I've posted my Veloce Achillia gloves review for all the ladies out there looking for a strong, aggressive street glove that's actually going to protect your hands/wrists, the you've come to the right place: http://www.gearchic.com/achillia.html
With kangaroo palms and a strong reinforced gauntlet, Veloce has submitted a real race glove just for women. These are not men's gloves with women's sizing. They were designed and engineered just for us! Back in August, I was fortunate to sit down with Michael O, the founder of Veloce Gear USA, to find out what his company was offering its female riders in terms of real protective motorcycle gear. I had no doubt that the company had options for men, all I wanted to know was what they had in store for those of us looking for more than just 'pretty' gear.
When we started talking, I immediately realized that he wasn't a typical apparel manufacturer, trying to utilize flashy marketing in order to sell the product. His priority is making a safe, protective gear that will work the way it's intended for the serious rider. Michael knew that spending thousands of dollars on marketing Veloce's products wasn't how he wanted to represent Veloce. Instead, he's going the non traditional route of finding local dealers/retailers who will provide exclusive representation and knowledge of Veloce's products. As an amateur racer in the 90s, Michael realized the need for thoughtful, functional and quality leathers for riders wasn't being met by his standards. Today that need is being met by the work he's doing at Veloce. Trying to serve the rider's need wasn't enough, so he decided to take on one of the most ambitious, difficult design choices. Women.
Designing women's fashions is one thing, but then think of making it protective and functional on a motorcycle! Michael found out very quickly that the shape and form of a woman is entirely different than a man. Everything from how our hands and fingers articulate, to why our hips can be wider than our chests, or vice versa to how to accommodate a woman's chest in a 1 piece leather suit.
The Achillia 1 Piece women's race suit on the left is scheduled to be released sometime in October. Michael gave me a sneak peak of the suit after his female test racer sent it back to him after a high speed crash on the track. Which she subsequently walked away from. Just as the Achillia gloves, this suit was so soft and supple, I didn't believe him when he told me it was only worn once. Aside from some road rash and minor discoloration from sliding, this suit looked like it had simply been worn over and over again. I was particularly intrigued by the back of the suit, in which the way Veloce applied their (proprietary) inverted "V" accordion to the back and hips, where many women need a little more give when bending over.
When it's released, I'll be able to get some more thorough photos, but in the meantime, these will give you an idea of how well the suit is made and how it'll hold up in a crash. I hope to try this suit on when it comes out to get a better idea of how it fits.
