Best gear for beginners?

Captain

Captain

Captain

Soldato
Joined
1 Dec 2011
Posts
21,324
Location
SW3
Looking for some answers from experienced bikers about what brands are good and which to stay away from?

Don't have a budget for any items, but i don't want to be wasting money on cheap brands or cheap items.

Have visited a few online websites and been reading the reviews, but i want some personal experiences please. :)

Going over to my local bike shop in Birmingham Saturday so would be ideal to know some good brands to pick out. :)

Thanks in advance for any help. :)
 
for me alpinestars,weise,sidi,spada,all of those have lasted well and kept me warm/dry

only tried rst boots once and they fell apart in months,the sole wore a big hole in within two months,currently have sidi black rain evo boots

for jackets you want one with the armour in and a removable liner for summer/winter,a warm balaclava or neck tube is a good idea aswell,keeps all the cold air and flies hitting your neck

cheap aldi/lidl clothing doesn't last either,its best to spend the extra
 
I've found Richa and RST to both be very good.
No issues with my RST boots although I have Richa ones also which are a lot more comfortable.
 
Weise are a good make, I have a great winter jacket I got over half price. I'll recommend to you what I say to everyone starting out who's not got more money than sense and not a clobber snob. Buy last years stuff when this years is out at reduced prices.
 
I forget which model rst boots I had now but they were poor

and yeah you don't have to buy new,end of season sales are good and used off ebay,bought a cracking like new alpinestars jacket off there for £70

the last sidi black rain boots I had lasted a good 3 to 4 years
 
Last edited:
I wear RST boots, the second pair I've had and they both let water in. Going to try a different make next time. The gloves and leather jacket are decent though.
 
I had a pair of SIDI boots. They're at least 10 years old as they were given to me by a friend, but still going strong, no issue with water and they aren't the water-proof edition either.
 
If I had the money I'd go for all weather goretex kit like Rukka or Dainese, it's insanely expensive but it's what all my instructors were wearing and they swore by it.
I'm a beginner and bought the cheapest stuff on ebay and while warm I've suffered in the rain plus my jacket seems to be unraveling after just a few months.
I've got Richa gloves and having a look at their kit it seems reasonably priced & well regarded so I'll get that for Spring and waterproof coveralls too.
 
Cheers for all the info so far :) Looking at SIDI clothing, while the price isn't what i expected, the variety is quite something.

Can i get measured for a helmet?
 
yeah,if you have a material tape measure measure the circumference of your head just above your eyebrows (or they should measure you in the shop if you ask) or just some helmets on

then its a case of how many cm and small/medium/large

you want it a slight tight fit as it will loosen up with time
 
wazza300 said:
yeah,if you have a material tape measure measure the circumference of your head just above your eyebrows (or they should measure you in the shop if you ask) or just some helmets on

then its a case of how many cm and small/medium/large

you want it a slight tight fit as it will loosen up with time
Click to expand...

Thanks :) As you are Birmingham too, have you been to bikers world over in coleshill?
 
wazza300 said:
Is that the one near the city centre by Chinatown? I've been to that one
Click to expand...

It's on lichfield road if that's any more accurate lol

xd183ve.jpg.png
 
You'll have a fair few places offering insane discounts soon, even on top brands, as the season changes over.

The Mayday Hastings run is a good example, where local shops flog off last season's stock - I picked up a pair of £180 Frank Thomas jackets, brand new, for £30 each!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom