Many (new) riders ask themselves how they can stretch new motorcycle gloves. I’ll give you options on stretching them in this article. However, I want to make something clear first.
Leather gloves get wider over time! Do you have a pair of new leather motorcycle gloves? Do they fit, but do they feel a little bit too tight? In that case, you shouldn’t try to stretch them. Just make sure you wear them at least 10 hours first. You can wear them off your bike as well, and you’ll see that the gloves will fit your hands. They will feel more natural after wearing them for a couple of hours.
Are your gloves extremely tight and do you want to stretch them anyway? Keep reading, because I’ll give you a few methods that work.
You can stretch leather motorcycle gloves by wearing them at home, spraying them with rubbing alcohol, or applying heat with a hairdryer.
The following methods only apply to leather gloves
The methods that I’m going to tell you will only work on leather gloves. Check if your gloves are made out of genuine leather, before trying any of these methods. Some gloves are made of artificial leather, making it almost impossible to stretch them.
A real leather glove will have a label saying “Genuine leather”, or something in that sense.
Stretching your gloves isn’t ideal
Stretching gloves is possible, but it isn’t ideal. Did you just order your gloves and are you still able to return or switch them? In that case, I would advise you to switch your gloves for a bigger pair. Only use the methods below if you cannot return or switch your gloves anymore.
You should also look into the specific sizing of the glove you are wearing. Buying a bigger size isn’t any guarantee that the bigger size will fit your hand better.
Some gloves are wide and short, whiles others are narrow and long. There are loads of different shapes. The best thing you could do is trying all these different types of gloves on yourself.
As said before, they can be a little tight when wearing them for the first time, and that is no problem. However, they shouldn’t be that tight that it feels like they are squeezing the blood out of your hands.
Method 1: Wearing a thin pair of gloves underneath
The first option to stretch your gloves is a pretty common solution. It’s quite similar to stretching a pair of shoes actually. To stretch a pair of shoes, you just have to wear some thick socks for a while.
The same goes for motorcycle gloves. You can wear very thin gloves underneath, adding some extra width to your hands. I have a pair of these running gloves for when I go running in the winter. They are perfect for this solution!
You don’t have to use them on your motorcycle and maybe you shouldn’t try that at all. You can just wear them at home or in the car for a couple of hours to stretch them out.
Method 2: Bring the gloves to a cobbler
If you think of a cobbler, you probably think of shoes. However, some cobblers will also help you with your gloves or even bags, as long as it is leather.
Going to a cobbler might actually be your best pick. Stretching your gloves won’t cost that much. For shoes, they usually charge anywhere between five and fifteen dollars, so I expect gloves to be around that same price level.
Cobblers usually ask you how much you want your shoes to be stretched. This goes in shoe sizes. For gloves, this is a little bit harder, since people aren’t familiar with glove sizing.
Method 3: Stretching your gloves with rubbing alcohol
You might have heard from this one before. You can stretch leather by using rubbing alcohol spray. Fill a spray bottle with 1/3 rubbing alcohol and 2/3 water, and spray the inside of your glove with the mixture. The glove should be moist, but not soaking wet.
Wear your gloves whiles moving around. Don’t just sit still, but go and work with your hands so that the rubbing alcohol can do its work. When needed, you can reapply the spray after twenty minutes.
Method 4: Shoe stretcher spray
This is an option if you don’t have any rubbing alcohol at home. You can buy specific shoe stretching spray to do the job. It’s widely available in shops like Amazon or Walmart.
It works the same as the method above but is specially produced to stretch shoes. Gloves are, like shoes, made from leather, so the spray will work on gloves as well.
Pay close attention to the amount of spray you have to apply to your gloves since this can be different for each brand.
Method 5: Using a hairdryer
Another way to stretch your motorcycle gloves is by using a hairdryer. You simply soak your gloves in water and squeeze them to get rid of any excess water. (You can also use the rubbing alcohol mix for this).
Next, wear your gloves and grab a hairdryer. Start heating up the parts that seem too tight. This should make the leather softer, which stretches the glove.
Just make sure you don’t burn yourself. This option is originally meant for boots. You can do this by wearing wet socks to prevent your feet from burning. For gloves this isn’t an option, so keep in mind that you might burn your hands. Something you want to stay away from!
Make sure you wiggle your fingers around and wear your gloves for a while around the house after heating them up. This will add extra pressure to the leather, which improves the process of stretching.
Conclusion; What works best?
These were five methods to stretch your gloves. I personally think that your best pick would be method two, brining them to a professional cobbler. However, not every cobbler will work with gloves. In that case, you have to consider one of the alternatives.
I’m curious what your results are. Let me know if you ever tried one of these techniques by leaving a comment below. Together we help fellow riders with the same problem. Thanks!
