[Closed] To all the motorcyclists who commute....

On my legs: [url= http://www.dragginjeans.com/ ]Draggin Jeans[/url]

Top: A mesh jacket (similar to [url= http://www.security-b2b.com/b2b/security_product/1/motorcycle_mesh_jacket_5.html ]this[/url])

And I bought some summer boots last week. Haven't had a chance to use them yet, they're a bit like [url= http://www.motorcycletoystore.com/sport/shop.php/boots/puma-flat-2-motorcycle-boots-black/blue/p_2626.html ]these[/url]

And summer gloves.

Although you see plenty of people riding in standard jeans etc as the weather warms up I only ever ride in full kit. Yes, this can make it a bit warm particularly when you stop, or if you're working hard in traffic.

There are plenty of leathers around with vents that you can zip/unzip depending on the weather. I also spoke to someone who had a lightweight 'race' suit that was some sort of textile with all the armour/padding in it. He reckoned the protection was as good as leathers, but it was much lighter and more comfortable to ride in when it's warm; however I suspect it was also very expensive!

mogrim: Have you got armour in your Draggin jeans? The idea always looks good from an abrasion resistance point of view, but I'm never quite sure about the initial impact if you land on a boney bit (knees/hip).

If you are paranoid about it dragging jeans. if not cheap and rough jeans will do.
I use some alpinstar 'trainer like' shoes fro summer and just a tshirt under my jacket. If it's really really hot I'll remove the inside layer. Some light gloves

Red Route jeans - similar to draggin - came with knee armour and pockets for hip armour (no hip armour though, had to get that seperately)
Leather jacket, but I also have a Pizza Hut delivery jacket (£10 off fleabay, 1000 denier nylon, armoured shoulder and elbows, no spine protector, but a pocket). An Italian bike helps carry the PH jacket.
PH jacket better in town than heavy leather, leather better for open road.

My bike trousers have a removeable inner liner which comes out for the summer making them far cooler.
Thinner Summer gloves are a must also.
Plenty of the jackets out there also have removeable inners but are not usually that cheap.
I don't commute on mine so i am generally always moving so don't need that much ventilation. It's only when you walk around in the gear that you realise how hot you suddenly are.

-m- I don't have any armour in it, I probably ought to, but in mid-summer here in Madrid armour would be a bit of a nightmare! (The jacket's bad enough...)

I used to use Hein Gerike (sp??) armoured textile trousers (Toureg?) and my leather jacket. Lightweight leather gloves, para boots. A bit hot on a hot day but unzipped cuffs and neck allowed a bit of breeze

I normally wear the same but one less jumper & a dark visor on my Arai 🙂
There are not so many days when you can be confident it won't rain!

If it gets really hot I swap from my Dainese oversuit (with clothes underneath) to my leathers without...

FYI: My commute is 45 miles or so in each direction (all highway) with 20 miles of traffic jam. I think it makes a difference if you are riding in city centre because forward speed is lower and if you do fall it is impact damage rather than the drag / slide damage associated with higher speeds. (and higher speed is less hot)

Never anything less than full leathers for me. I've found over the years that falling off hurts, especially in jeans.

I've got a summer set of leathers that have tiny holes in the front that let air circulate. Still get hot, but I value the protection.

You really couldn't wear full leathers commuting in central Spain in summer - you'd die as soon as you hit a city... Kevlar jeans and a mesh jacket are a pretty good compromise.

cheers all... didn't realise there were that many of us on all weather riders here 😉

just checked my trousers and they actually have a liner inside, just taken them out.. 😳 COUGH!

need to get some thinner gloves as the winter ones are silly.

I'm on a budget at the moment, but I'll have a look around.

thanks

[url= http://www.hoodjeans.co.uk/ ]Hood jeans[/url] are another option for trousers - the H2 polycotton jeans are cooler than denim and smart enough to wear to many workplaces.

On top I have a HG Tuareg jacket. Unfortunately, they seem to have dropped the ventilated model this year.

I can't see the point in specific summer jackets in the UK, you just never get enough use out of them. I've had some vented lether gloves for over 4 years now, and maybe worn them 20-30 times in that time
I tend to have a shorter-style cordura armoured jacket (Frank Thomas currently) as longer ones bunch up on me, and they have removeable linings. They also usually have some form of waist adjustment which, if you loosten it a bit, then open the front zip a few inches, gives a lovely flow of air all round the jacket.
For the legs, it's been a long time since I've worn anything but jeans, usually Hood kevlar ones. I've only ever crashed in jeans.... couple of scrapes... I'm lucky I guess. The other thing is that leathers are a pain to get on and off, and for a 10 minute commute, it's too much.
Having said that, I used to have a lovely Furygan leather jacket, which looked sooooooo good with jeans, but I crashed in it (Had it repaired) and then lost a lot of weight, so it was too big for me. Really top quality, lovely soft leather, and again I could leave the zip open a bit to vent it.
I don't just 'go out for a ride' and leathers are a pain in the arse for walking round in
I've only got one pair of boots, Daytona Road Star GTXs, which are proper leather, with a gortex lining. They are as waterproof as wellies and as breathable as trainers due to being leaher, not plastic! My feet get hot, but never sweaty. £220 boots, mind, but I've had them 4 years and slid them down the road once and they are still virtually perfect.

It depends what you are using it for. I use vented trousers and jacket for commuting in town or leathers for fast/long rides. Vented textiles are cooler than wearing jeans at low speed and far more protective. I've stacked it at 30mph in vented gear and I was dam pleased to not be wearing idiot issue jeans and trainers - not a mark.

I think it makes a difference if you are riding in city centre because forward speed is lower and if you do fall it is impact damage rather than the drag / slide damage associated with higher speeds.

I'd have to echo these comments about low speed impacts. I got hit by a car whilst travelling at about 5mph and the thing that absorbs the energy is when you hit the ground is... you... hence armour would always be important for me, even in a set of kevlar jeans.

Funniest bit about my accident was that it was a baking hot day in May. After I'd scraped myself off the road I *desperately* needed to get my leather jacket and helmet off before I died of heat exhaustion. Trying to convince someone to help (I'd broke my wrist so couldn't do it myself) was not easy!

cheers all.....

please dont talk about crashes!

Hein Gerricke(?) stuff is really good. I have a Gortex armoured jacket and wear it year-round. It has a zip-out lining and a load of zip open vents for the "Summer". I always wear my HG Tuareg(?)boots and some old Triumph leather trews. When its really hot I zip open the trouser bottoms and bunch the iner bit open to make a wind scoop - fantastic. And I soak the bottom half of my balaclava(in summer? yes in summer) in cold water.

ok then I was going to say unless you race on track no point in a full leather suit but you said no talks about crashes

Hein Gericke summer stuff is goos, as is Wolf. Ask at the local shop if you trust them.

ok then I was going to say unless you race on track no point in a full leather suit

Pardon? Are you stupid or talking out of your ass? If it's practical to wear leathers, they're by far the best choice for comfort and safety. I know someone who lost a limb due to his textiles wearing through in a ~50mph crash. Infact I'd say leathers are far more relevant on the road due to the far higher chance of a fatal accident in some respects - most accidents are not the riders fault.

Don't get me wrong, I mostly use textiles but your statement is just stupid, end of.

Well what protection does a leather offer that a textiel does not when!

you get under a car/lorry?
hit a lamppost/pedestrian fence safetyrail?
get bounced under cars on a motorway?
end up 100 meter lower down the mountain?

I can see how does a leather protects you from being turned into a pizza due to the frictions but I cant see a leather be more protective in the cases above which are saddly what is going to happen to you outside the track.

You could take that line to the extreme and say helmets are a waste of time. Fact is on a motorbike your only safety in the event of a crash is your clothing. Alot of money and design is spend on cars, safety testing and buying cars based on their rating. But somehow saying you should wear the best available as a motorcyclist is questioned?!

Back to the OP, it depends on your commute. I used to commute in central London, where low speeds meant I'd cook without vented gear so it was essential. Now my commute is faster with negligible traffic, leathers make the most sense if the weather permits. Leathers often make more sense for a commuter as it's likey you can store them at the place of work and change clothing.

If your doing proper commuter mileage on a motorbike clothing needs to be a substantial investment, just like cycling, it's alot more enjoyable/safer/warmer/cooler with the correct gear.

But somehow saying you should wear the best available as a motorcyclist is questioned?!

But as for the OP It's easier to convert summer clothes into winter one than converting winter clothes into summer ones.

It's a bit like having a helmet on a cycle

It's somewhat different in that no-one is talking about mandation here.

I dont think a leather trousers is going to offer you more protection that a kevlar jeans when your leg is going to be trapped between a car and the ground.

Your legs, your choice.

Lined textiles in winter, textile jacket and leather trousers in spring/late autumn and full leathers in summer. I do 450 miles a week and for me it's all the gear all the time.

No suit is going to protect me from an impact with an inanimate object, but I like to try ad minimise whatever risks I can.

Best thing I did invest in, though, is extra training, and it's not that expensive. Go and sign up with your local IAM group for £120 and learn how to avoid incidents in the first place. 8)

I had the mid weight hein gerike? leather gloves that retailed about 65 quid last year and the wristwrap tore off at the seam.i upgraded and now pull my gloves on a bit more carefully! if the leather was tougher and stitched better/designed better it probably wouldnt have torn while wrapping it around my wrist.. but it did.

I have 661 kyle straits under my textiles and evo elbows under both my leather jacket and textile jacket no matter what the weather.Ive also just trimmed down some oval pieces of high density kayak padding/foam to fit into my hip pad pouches on my leathers.
on the odd occasion i go out for a careful cruise with no elbow pads for that non restricted feel but only on short rides.i feel naked without them.i`m talking 3 rides this year with no pads.i just dont fancy falling onto bare elbows,knees or hips.

Leathers useless if not on a racetrack? My god!
Don't underestimate the damage you'll do sliding down the motorway once you've rubbed your way through the denim. The other issue is that in leathers you slide due to the lower friction that most fabrics. If you start rolling & tumbling at 60mph or more you will certainly break / dislocate something.

Re: summer gloves. My beautiful 150 quid Dainese gloves have finally worn out after 10 years! I love them. Kevlar lined & fantastic sensitivity. None of the 'racer style' studding or carbon shells on knuckles...

Don't underestimate the damage you'll do sliding down the motorway once you've rubbed your way through the denim

Don't think it's just a nasty carpet burn you get!
Once your through the fabric skin / muscle quickly becomes bone.....
I'm lucky it hasn't happened to me but a mate was not so lucky.

Agree though - that it there are plenty of other parts of road furniture to hit. I was riding with a mate when his RS250 seized at speed and he slid down the road and went between the 2 stanchions of a road sign!

Don't think it's just a nasty carpet burn you get!

Road safety fences have the rather nice nickname of "guillontines" down here...

bloody hell you lot calm down.... 😉

anyway after taking out my winter liners in my trousers... what a difference.....

ive got cheap set of buffalo jacket and trousers, knee pads, back pad and elbow. they will do for now until i pass my test and get a bigger bike.

thanks again, much food for thought