Wear whatever helmet and jacket you want, but get thee some decent gloves, man! Something made for racing. Street asphalt will eat your hands the same as track asphalt.
Tour Master etc are garbage and will shred and/or flick off in any sort of meaningful crash.Helimot makes excellent gloves, but they're damn ugly. Alpinestars makes some excellent gloves (e.g. GP Tech), but also some el cheapo stuff. Held also makes great gloves. I've never used them, but suspect that most Teknic gloves are great, too.
You want uber-stout leather, kevlar etc stitching, and a really stout gauntlet closure (to keep 'em on your hands while the asphalt is trying to flick 'em 30' into the air). Kangaroo leather is the strongest per weight, but can be tough to find.
And get a wee little pair for your daughter, too.
There's a couple issues at work here, at least for me. There's a little hole-in-the-wall leather shop in the city next door to my town that has been my go-to place for leather goods since, well, ever. The jacket I wear riding was purchased there some 22 years ago; gauntlets more than 15 years ago; and most recently, new chaps (I "ungrew" my first pair). They're pretty old-school in that very few of the offerings have any sort of kevlar reinforcement or anything, and all of their jackets come in leather.
Gloves are generally of the gauntlet type, and of the "extra thick winter weight" gauntlet type at that. There's little in the way of lightweight or summer type gloves for sale there; when I've gotten the hankering for new mitts I've had to check out online. Well, the problem with ordering gloves (or hats, for that matter) online is that it's a real crapshoot whether the item will fit or not. With that in mind, I've been reluctant to order anything online - I've got several pairs that are either too tight or too loose (and they're all size Large!), and I just don't see the point in sending good money after bad.
With that said, I know there's a bunch of bikers on the MArooned blogroll. Anybody got suggestions on where to get gear and/or which gear to get? Along those lines, any thoughts on sizing, etc.? Does brand X run large, while brand Y runs small, along those lines. I really would like to pick up a good pair of gloves (several, actually; I'd love to pick up a strong pair of summer gloves and some decent heavyweight gloves too). While we're at it, what about non-leather gear like kevlar-reinforced jackets and such? JoeRocket is one such manufacturer, but for what they want for a textile jacket, I could buy a couple different leather jackets...
Any thoughts from the other armed bikers out there?
That is all.
10 comments:
http://www.chilhowee.net/menssummerridinggloves.html
I have both the full-finger summer weight glove and the fingerless. (Top left and just below it on that page) Both are deerskin, and fit and feel great.
They are sized in inches circumference at the knuckles (see their sizing page for photo of how to measure), not useless size ranges like 'large.'
The best and most comfortable leathergear I ever had was from Thurlow. They use Deerskin for their gloves and jackets. Strong, tough and butter soft. In the last 20 years of my riding, I used nothing but Thurlow stuff. Expensive to buy, but lasts a long long time. In the end its really not so expensive.
Chris wears Alpinestars mesh and an odd Italian brand he can't remember. i'll ask him to look and comment tomorrow. I've got Alpinestars.
hit a shop that sells sportbikes and try a few different brands on, then go to http://www.motorcyclegear.com/ and buy from them. motorcyclegear is formerly newenough, and all our gear came from them. excellent company.
I understand what Laura says about trying locally and then buying online, but I hate to do that. If everyone does that the local guy will go under and then you're screwed. I'm all for saving my pennies though, so every spring during Bike Week I trek to a local riding gear store and do my shopping. They offer a 10% discount with a rally wristband, and NH has no sales tax. This year I bought a very nice armored denim jacket with lots of zipped air vents and a zip out lining. Looks good, comfortable and it was also on sale. Ended up costing the same as if I bought it online. It's not quite as cool (temp wise) as mesh, but a lot cooler (fonzie-wise!) then mesh. Mesh just doesnt look right on a cruiser to me. I do have a decent mesh jacket as well but it seems to have shrunk over the winter somehow. So did my leather, I don't understand how. :)
I have lots of gloves, don't know what brands, but during the summer I like my kevlar and leather mesh gloves the best. No idea what brand, and I prob need to replace them, but I bought them locally.
Aerostich. riderswearhouse.com
Their elkskin gloves and gauntlets are great and their suits are top-notch.
I ruined a full set of Joe Rocket Phoenix mesh gear the last time I threw a bike down the road. That gear protected me quite well during the experience, except for the gloves, which came apart at the seams and allowed the only real rash I came away with (two small areas on fingers). When I looked for a replacement set, I was very disappointed with their having lowered quality in both materials and construction since when I bought the gear I ruined. "Settled for" TourTech mesh as the best of a poor field and then found what I really wanted on the seconds rack at 'Stich (where their prices are much better, IF you can find something that fits).
Even with all the vents open, the Roadcrafter's hot in warm weather, but I've survived riding all day in the upper 90s/low 100s with the addition of a Joe Rocket Sahara vest (the one piece of their gear surviving my tumble) and lots of hydration.
ThoreMo
Should've written "Tour Master", not TourTech. Memory's the first thing to go...
ThoreMo
Locally, Jay, I get riding gear at MotoMarket in Acton on RT 2A (www.motomkt.com) and at Walter Dyer Is Leather in Framingham. Walter Dyer has an ungodly huge selection of leathers and gloves, and with my short fat fingers buying gloves online is a waste of money. Dyers has good stuff though. MotoMarket has more in the way of riding gear made from artificial fibers (think stuff like First Gear and Joe Rocket) and a good selection of riding boots and helmets. I won't nag you about that beanie but I want to... ;-)
At Motomarket, I got a FirstGear Kilimanjaro Air mesh jacket (with a warm, waterproof lining) for when it gets warm. I have a ProTech heavy vented leather jacket for when it's cooler. They're all comfortable but I can't tell you how they are in a crash as I haven't dropped a bike in 15+ years. (Hope that streak continues!)
Also for super warm weather, you could go to www.brosh.com and get a CoolMax jacket - it's like wearing an armored T-shirt. Kevlar mesh and NO lining - very cool. Not a bad price, either. These guys are in Israel, and I figure that if they can ride in the Negev with that gear, it'll do for a hot New England summer day!
Ride safe, buddy, and if you see a ratty Beemer with a stuffed lobster on the front fender... wave. That's me.
Thanks for the recommendations everyone!
I prefer to buy locally not out of loyalty (although keeping local businesses going is a good thing for specialty niches like bikers) but out of necessity - I prefer to try on things like gloves and boots before I buy them.
Ross (and Laura),
I *talk* a lot more about going lidless than I actually *go* without a helmet - I'd say at least 95% of my riding or more is done with a helmet atop my head.
I don't wear a full face helmet any more because of the fairing/windshield on the Electra Glide - no air flow = fogged up lid = bad visibility. But I do wear a 3/4 face in months that aren't July or August... :)
And Ross, I wave to *everyone* on a bike. It's not *what* you ride, it's *that* you ride.
If ordering, best if from a place that has some actual measure to go by like John said; I'm on a line with gloves, some brands medium, some large, so unless you can try those on...
I tend to shop at Motorcyclegear.com (formerly NewEnough). I tend to like the Joe Rocket GPX and Speedmaster gloves - full gauntlet with armor over the knuckles.
Their return policies are exceptional, which is important for me (short legs, long torso, and small hands). If you are concerned about trying stuff on before purchasing, Motorcyclegear.com is hard to beat for returns of wrong fitting items.
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