Biker's Cafe Chatroom
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Soldato
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I'd be a summer rider. £250 for the set is acceptable.
Would replacing the knee and elbow sliders to titanium so on the CBT I leave sparks like this?
And less manoeuvrable
And heavier
And harder to get into
And harder to clean
And harder to maintain
And more expensive
And have less ventilation
But they are better if you come off and need the protection they offer.
The closest compromise is kangaroo leather which is still all of the above, just a bit less than traditional cow leather. It also costs a **** tonne more.
@deviation, just to do a CBT and get a leg over, what you need is a textile jacket with lots of pockets, shoulder, forearm and back armour. A back insert is fine.
A pair of gloves that provide good feel for your fingers and palm.
A good pair of kevlar jeans with leg and hip armour.
A decent pair of riding boots that look more like high top trainers than full on race boots.
Some good earplugs if you don't want to develop hearing problems after years of riding without them.
Do your CBT/DAS, get familiar with riding and then look at more serious gear. If you try to do a CBT geared up to your eyeballs, you are going to struggle as you don't have the muscle memory to compensate for the numbness and stiffness of leathers.
And heavier
And harder to get into
And harder to clean
And harder to maintain
And more expensive
And have less ventilation
But they are better if you come off and need the protection they offer.
The closest compromise is kangaroo leather which is still all of the above, just a bit less than traditional cow leather. It also costs a **** tonne more.
@deviation, just to do a CBT and get a leg over, what you need is a textile jacket with lots of pockets, shoulder, forearm and back armour. A back insert is fine.
A pair of gloves that provide good feel for your fingers and palm.
A good pair of kevlar jeans with leg and hip armour.
A decent pair of riding boots that look more like high top trainers than full on race boots.
Some good earplugs if you don't want to develop hearing problems after years of riding without them.
Do your CBT/DAS, get familiar with riding and then look at more serious gear. If you try to do a CBT geared up to your eyeballs, you are going to struggle as you don't have the muscle memory to compensate for the numbness and stiffness of leathers.
I couldn't imagine wearing leathers on the road apart from a cool looking retro leather jacket. There is so much more comfortable protective clothing to wear nowadays. You can prise my single layer riding jeans from my cold dead hands 
Arguably, if you need the additional slide time that leather gives you, then you'll have already hit a wall, street furniture, barrier, etc, and a couple of seconds extra slide time won't be much use. Full leathers now are really aimed at the track when you could come off at excessive speeds with plenty of clear areas around you. But that's just my opinion. As others have said, if that's what you want then you do you. It will certainly be a little safer in some cases. Good luck in the rain though, they will soak up water like a sponge.
Arguably, if you need the additional slide time that leather gives you, then you'll have already hit a wall, street furniture, barrier, etc, and a couple of seconds extra slide time won't be much use. Full leathers now are really aimed at the track when you could come off at excessive speeds with plenty of clear areas around you. But that's just my opinion. As others have said, if that's what you want then you do you. It will certainly be a little safer in some cases. Good luck in the rain though, they will soak up water like a sponge.
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I mean, 250 for a new leather jacket is not a lot of money. You might also get something built properly. And get armour everywhere preferably at L2.
Oh and pay 10 quid a month for Claude.ai or another one. It'll never get bored handing out advice.
Ps nice socks
Oh and pay 10 quid a month for Claude.ai or another one. It'll never get bored handing out advice
. Ps nice socks
Agreeo! I've got a fancy Japanese jacket from Motolegends that says even thinking about rain whilst wearing it will ruin it. Doesn't quite match the KTM though so is waiting for me to buy a poser bikeI couldn't imagine wearing leathers on the road apart from a cool looking retro leather jacket. There is so much more comfortable protective clothing to wear nowadays. You can prise my single layer riding jeans from my cold dead hands
Arguably, if you need the additional slide time that leather gives you, then you'll have already hit a wall, street furniture, barrier, etc, and a couple of seconds extra slide time won't be much use. Full leathers now are really aimed at the track when you could come off at excessive speeds with plenty of clear areas around you. But that's just my opinion. As others have said, if that's what you want then you do you. It will certainly be a little safer in some cases. Good luck in the rain though, they will soak up water like a sponge.
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Soldato
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I mean, 250 for a new leather jacket is not a lot of money. You might also get something built properly. And get armour everywhere preferably at L2.
Oh and pay 10 quid a month for Claude.ai or another one. It'll never get bored handing out advice
Ps nice socks
That yellow jacket and trousers was £250 for both, not each. On clearance. They had a few others, black/blue and white/black sets
100% agreed. If I'm touring, I wear my Richa textiles jacket and bottoms all day long. It does warm and cold with the removable liner and zip vents; it's got lots of storage, and L2 D3O armour throughout. Then gore-tex for the wet. It's a cracking bit of gear.I couldn't imagine wearing leathers on the road apart from a cool looking retro leather jacket. There is so much more comfortable protective clothing to wear nowadays. You can prise my single layer riding jeans from my cold dead hands
Arguably, if you need the additional slide time that leather gives you, then you'll have already hit a wall, street furniture, barrier, etc, and a couple of seconds extra slide time won't be much use. Full leathers now are really aimed at the track when you could come off at excessive speeds with plenty of clear areas around you. But that's just my opinion. As others have said, if that's what you want then you do you. It will certainly be a little safer in some cases. Good luck in the rain though, they will soak up water like a sponge.
When I'm on a fast ride/track, that's when the 1 pc suit with the airbag comes out (kangaroo leather). Even then, it's hard to keep that thing on for hours on end. I have a 2 hour loop that has me begging to get out of it by the final 15 mins.
I spend far too much money at Motolegends. I now even have a permanent loyalty discount and one of the staff recognised me while I was having lunch at Newlands Corner. I need to stop buying stuffAgreeo! I've got a fancy Japanese jacket from Motolegends that says even thinking about rain whilst wearing it will ruin it. Doesn't quite match the KTM though so is waiting for me to buy a poser bike
I wore full leathers back in the '80's but things have come on a long way since then. I still wear a very nice and very heavy Goldtop leather jacket sometimes, but otherwise textiles are the way forward. My Oxford stuff has armour, detachable waterproof layers, detachable thermal layers...
I also have an armoured shirt for super hot days which is a great bit of kit, if not offering the same level of protection as my other stuff.
I also have an armoured shirt for super hot days which is a great bit of kit, if not offering the same level of protection as my other stuff.
I have a Goldtop leather jacket. I was wearing it when I was knocked off my bike by a careless car driver. The thing is utterly bomb proof. It has one tiny scratch that is barely visible (I didn't slide down the road). It's heavier than a gold bar. If I'm going to slide down the road I would have a high degree of confidence in it. I now have an adventure style bike so it looks a bit odd if I wear it. Highly recommended for protection though.
I've recently embraced the whole layering approach; riding jeans, Klim Marrakesh jacket (sort of a stretchy mesh construction), thin wind proof shirt thing underneath when needed for cold commuting mornings and waterproof over jacket and trousers for rainy days. From spring to autumn it's a fantastic setup. The Marrakesh is so comfortable I struggle to wear any of my other jackets now. But I think I need something a bit more robust for winter riding.
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I've got a set of 2 piece leathers so slightly less of a pain in the arse than 1 piece, got them the year after I passed so they're about 9 years old.
They've probably been worn less than 9 times, high quality Kevlar jeans and a textile jacket wins every time.
Nothing more unpleasant than boiling in the bag, literally having to peel yourself out of them and then waiting days for your sweat to dry out.
And no one looks as cool as they think they do in leathers
They've probably been worn less than 9 times, high quality Kevlar jeans and a textile jacket wins every time.
Nothing more unpleasant than boiling in the bag, literally having to peel yourself out of them and then waiting days for your sweat to dry out.
And no one looks as cool as they think they do in leathers
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Associate
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Dad bod display in leathers.
Soldato
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Dad bod display in leathers.
Don't forget to have a very long flapping around white scarf
Soldato
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I noticed with textiles they lose the waterproofing, even spraying them with waterproofing spray does little to bring back the "as when new" water repelling/beading. I have a textile motorcycle jacket and casual hiking jacket- the latter now is like a sponge when it rains.
Compared to a typical waterproof cycling jacket which is waterproof, but has the "boil in the bag" as it only has certain areas which are open/vented etc.
How do people get their textile stuff waterproof again?
As for leathers in the rain, I guess wear waterproof overall /jacket - trousers or something?
Compared to a typical waterproof cycling jacket which is waterproof, but has the "boil in the bag" as it only has certain areas which are open/vented etc.
How do people get their textile stuff waterproof again?
As for leathers in the rain, I guess wear waterproof overall /jacket - trousers or something?
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Aha ditto, and from you know where!
I do love the jacket, and find it so comfortable on and off the bike. I had it taken in a bit by their local place too, so it fits just right (although too just right for an inside airbag now I finally started considering one!). I just need to remember to take the layers with me, and actually bring myself to stop and put the waterproof on when/if it does rain!
We had 38C in the Vosges region the other week, and as long as I kept moving and had the cuffs unzipped I felt pretty good. I even had a chest protector in.
I went out with one of my leather jackets the other day to nip to the shops, and it did feel strange being 'constrained' again.
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Unless you're a delivery rider, buying dedicated waterproof textiles is insanity. Yes you'll be slightly drier than if you weren't wearing them, but for the other 95% of the time when it's not raining, you'll be sweatier and stickier than bonnie blue's coin purse.
Get stuff like this for rainy days:
Oxford Rainseal Over Trousers - Black
Oxford Rainseal Over Trousers - Black from the UK's leading online bike store. Free UK delivery over £25 and easy returns on our range of over 80,000 products.
www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk
Oxford Rainseal All Weather Over Jacket - Black
Oxford Rainseal All Weather Over Jacket - Black from the UK's leading online bike store. Free UK delivery over £25 and easy returns on our range of over 80,000 products.
www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk
Gore-tex textiles have kept me dry, even in torrential downpour. Yes, the gear is wet on the outside, but inside I'm completely dry.Unless you're a delivery rider, buying dedicated waterproof textiles is insanity. Yes you'll be slightly drier than if you weren't wearing them, but for the other 95% of the time when it's not raining, you'll be sweatier and stickier than bonnie blue's coin purse.
Get stuff like this for rainy days:
Oxford Rainseal Over Trousers - Black
Oxford Rainseal Over Trousers - Black from the UK's leading online bike store. Free UK delivery over £25 and easy returns on our range of over 80,000 products.
Oxford Rainseal All Weather Over Jacket - Black
Oxford Rainseal All Weather Over Jacket - Black from the UK's leading online bike store. Free UK delivery over £25 and easy returns on our range of over 80,000 products.
I agree they're probably a bit hotter, but when you're touring, there's always a risk of rain. They have saved my bacon a few times.
Soldato
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- 6 Sep 2016
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Unless you're a delivery rider, buying dedicated waterproof textiles is insanity. Yes you'll be slightly drier than if you weren't wearing them, but for the other 95% of the time when it's not raining, you'll be sweatier and stickier than bonnie blue's coin purse.
Get stuff like this for rainy days:
Oxford Rainseal Over Trousers - Black
Oxford Rainseal Over Trousers - Black from the UK's leading online bike store. Free UK delivery over £25 and easy returns on our range of over 80,000 products.
Oxford Rainseal All Weather Over Jacket - Black
Oxford Rainseal All Weather Over Jacket - Black from the UK's leading online bike store. Free UK delivery over £25 and easy returns on our range of over 80,000 products.
yeah had a feeling use waterproof jacket and trousers. Can use my cycling ones, although one is starting to look a bit tatty and torn in armpit area but still better than nothing.
Noticed the leathers was bit stiff (old stock so probably in shop for a while) until it warmed up a bit, felt bit too much slack around knees but didn't have chance to sit on a motorbike/pushbike for it to "ride back up" into the crotch, and once it warmed up seemed ok fit.
The textile stuff I got years ago was too big, should be ok and for commuting it's ok, but the shop didn't help at all so bit too baggy. I think medium trousers, large jacket