gear after 12 months.
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 2:35 pm
Just a quick overview of my riding gear after 12 months.
I bought all my gear before I bought my bike - textiles first and leathers second.
Textiles -
RJays TourX Jacket - has a thermal liner and a waterproof liner. It's warm in winter and cool in summer and definitely waterproof. Has armour in the back, shoulders and elbows. It's a perfect fit for me and very comfortable to wear. Has big pockets one the outside and a waterproof pocket in the inside. Bought it for $299 and found it excellent.
RJays All Season pants (Stout version) - these are made for short people with a central expansion problem. Removable armour in the knees which unfortunately sits around shin level on me. Has a removable waterproof liner. I've ridden in the rain with these on and not got wet. They don't have a thermal liner - I wear thermal underwear under them during winter. With the waterproof liner in as well they are reasonably warm. Good pockets and very comfortable with velcro adjusters around the waistline. Fly button is covered in rubber so it won't scratch the tank. Has an 8" zipper to connect to your jacket.
Leathers -
Bikers Gear leather jacket. It's 12 months old and I've ridden less than 20 rides with it on. The cuff zippers are both broken. I've recently discovered that the 8" zipper on the back of the jacket is around the wrong way to connect it to the Bikers Gear leather pants or my RJays pants. Last week I found the stitching holding the velcro on the cuff is coming undone. I'm disappointed with the quality control and certainly expected it to be in better condition at this stage. On contacting Bikers Gear I was advised to get repairs done locally as the postage would be expensive.
The jacket has back, shoulder and elbow armour. There is a thermal liner vest. It's cool enough on warm days but there are no vents in it at all so hot days are got.
Bikers Gear touring pants. These pants are long (the problem isn't with the pants as such - I'm just not my correct height to weight ration where I would be 7' tall) and have a mesh liner. They have padded knees and removable knee armour which I have removed as it protected my ankles. There is also hip armour. While I'm disappointed with the jacket these pants are quite good. No stitching is coming undone and they feel better made than the jacket (which really shouldn't be hard). They are comfortable even with my knee armour underneath. There are no knee sliders or provision to fit them but they are for touring rather than sport riding.
Helmet - RJays Tourtech flip-face. I love this - easy to have a drink at the side of the road without having to take it off. Great to put on without taking my glasses off. It's vents work great in summer and is what I'd consider breezy. I have clear, dark tint and iridiem visors for it. Visor change is toolless but fiddly for the tinted ones because you can't see the locating tabs. Liner is removable. Fastens with "D" rings and the straps are long enough for thick necked people like me. It's weight is pretty average but I have never had a headache after riding with it. I always wear earplugs and a cotton balaclava and the helmet is comfortable.
Boots - Falco Axis. Probably best described as touring boots. Simple zip with velcro fastener. Shin and ankle protection seems to be very good. Boots are made in Italy. Tight when I first bought them but can wear them all day now. Has a gear change pad on the left boot. For $199 I think they are great value and am considering purchasing another pair.
Gloves -
RJays Summer gloves. Short (not gauntlet style) and perforated leather. Cool in summer. Has padding above the knuckles but not plastic or carbon fibre. Comfortable and easy to put on and use. Velcro fastener is good. Not waterproof but they dry fast. $49 at MCAS
Rivet winter gloves. Thinsulate and Hipora used in construction. Again just padding across the knuckles. These gloves are warm and not so thick that they interfere with bike controls. Gauntlet style with velcro fastener around the wrist. Have not tried them in the rain yet. Leather construction in the palm, fingers and finger tips. Can't remember the price but they are a good fit for me and very comfortable.
Knee armour - Thor Quadrant knee armour. I bought these as the removable armour in pants is never in the right place for me. Fastens with 2 velcro / elastic straps below the knee. These are comfortable, easy to put on and easy to wear. They fit under my textiles and leathers. They extend from above the knee down to my boots so the front of my legs are completely covered. These are designed for MX riding rather than road and I can find nothing to indicate CE approved or rated. Having said that I won't ride without them. I'd prefer to protect my knees anyway I can and these are better than nothing in my opinion.
I've only owned a bike for 12 months and been riding really for the past 6-7 months so I wanted the best gear I could afford. I'm happy with the textiles, helmet, boots. Gloves and leathers I'd like to upgrade.
These are just my observations about gear I wear and use. YMMV.
I bought all my gear before I bought my bike - textiles first and leathers second.
Textiles -
RJays TourX Jacket - has a thermal liner and a waterproof liner. It's warm in winter and cool in summer and definitely waterproof. Has armour in the back, shoulders and elbows. It's a perfect fit for me and very comfortable to wear. Has big pockets one the outside and a waterproof pocket in the inside. Bought it for $299 and found it excellent.
RJays All Season pants (Stout version) - these are made for short people with a central expansion problem. Removable armour in the knees which unfortunately sits around shin level on me. Has a removable waterproof liner. I've ridden in the rain with these on and not got wet. They don't have a thermal liner - I wear thermal underwear under them during winter. With the waterproof liner in as well they are reasonably warm. Good pockets and very comfortable with velcro adjusters around the waistline. Fly button is covered in rubber so it won't scratch the tank. Has an 8" zipper to connect to your jacket.
Leathers -
Bikers Gear leather jacket. It's 12 months old and I've ridden less than 20 rides with it on. The cuff zippers are both broken. I've recently discovered that the 8" zipper on the back of the jacket is around the wrong way to connect it to the Bikers Gear leather pants or my RJays pants. Last week I found the stitching holding the velcro on the cuff is coming undone. I'm disappointed with the quality control and certainly expected it to be in better condition at this stage. On contacting Bikers Gear I was advised to get repairs done locally as the postage would be expensive.
The jacket has back, shoulder and elbow armour. There is a thermal liner vest. It's cool enough on warm days but there are no vents in it at all so hot days are got.
Bikers Gear touring pants. These pants are long (the problem isn't with the pants as such - I'm just not my correct height to weight ration where I would be 7' tall) and have a mesh liner. They have padded knees and removable knee armour which I have removed as it protected my ankles. There is also hip armour. While I'm disappointed with the jacket these pants are quite good. No stitching is coming undone and they feel better made than the jacket (which really shouldn't be hard). They are comfortable even with my knee armour underneath. There are no knee sliders or provision to fit them but they are for touring rather than sport riding.
Helmet - RJays Tourtech flip-face. I love this - easy to have a drink at the side of the road without having to take it off. Great to put on without taking my glasses off. It's vents work great in summer and is what I'd consider breezy. I have clear, dark tint and iridiem visors for it. Visor change is toolless but fiddly for the tinted ones because you can't see the locating tabs. Liner is removable. Fastens with "D" rings and the straps are long enough for thick necked people like me. It's weight is pretty average but I have never had a headache after riding with it. I always wear earplugs and a cotton balaclava and the helmet is comfortable.
Boots - Falco Axis. Probably best described as touring boots. Simple zip with velcro fastener. Shin and ankle protection seems to be very good. Boots are made in Italy. Tight when I first bought them but can wear them all day now. Has a gear change pad on the left boot. For $199 I think they are great value and am considering purchasing another pair.
Gloves -
RJays Summer gloves. Short (not gauntlet style) and perforated leather. Cool in summer. Has padding above the knuckles but not plastic or carbon fibre. Comfortable and easy to put on and use. Velcro fastener is good. Not waterproof but they dry fast. $49 at MCAS
Rivet winter gloves. Thinsulate and Hipora used in construction. Again just padding across the knuckles. These gloves are warm and not so thick that they interfere with bike controls. Gauntlet style with velcro fastener around the wrist. Have not tried them in the rain yet. Leather construction in the palm, fingers and finger tips. Can't remember the price but they are a good fit for me and very comfortable.
Knee armour - Thor Quadrant knee armour. I bought these as the removable armour in pants is never in the right place for me. Fastens with 2 velcro / elastic straps below the knee. These are comfortable, easy to put on and easy to wear. They fit under my textiles and leathers. They extend from above the knee down to my boots so the front of my legs are completely covered. These are designed for MX riding rather than road and I can find nothing to indicate CE approved or rated. Having said that I won't ride without them. I'd prefer to protect my knees anyway I can and these are better than nothing in my opinion.
I've only owned a bike for 12 months and been riding really for the past 6-7 months so I wanted the best gear I could afford. I'm happy with the textiles, helmet, boots. Gloves and leathers I'd like to upgrade.
These are just my observations about gear I wear and use. YMMV.
