Re: what to buy- leather? material?
 

Ermmm soz Lozzo but i majorly disagree here:
in my accident i was smashed into from behind at the speed of about 60mph, i was pinned under the sv and slid a good 50+yds up the dual carrigeway...
Damage to my textile jacket and trousers?-a small burn hole on bottom of leg where the exhaust burnt through them-no seams burst, armour stayed in place and i re-sold the jacket on as it wasnt damaged-v v small scuff on right arm.So not all textile will fail in a crash (A* jacket and berik trousers), also the local police and traffic wardens all buy hg textiles and all say how great it is when theyve come off.

Re: what to buy- leather? material?
 

Oh and when i slid off on black ice in Feb last year i was wearing textiles, again no damage and they did their job (Hg ladies jacket and jts trousers)

Re: what to buy- leather? material?
 

thanks im still confused on what to buy?!! got some sidi boots sorted now so all i have to get now is a jacket and trousers. can anyone put some links up to places where i can get kit from ? thanks :)

Re: what to buy- leather? material?
 

Go to your local bike shops hun!
theres hein gericke in luton and Northampton, rivetts in northampton, infinity and hein gericke in peterborough, midland superbike centre in market harborough & bikers world in daventry.

Re: what to buy- leather? material?
 

The point I'm trying to get across is that textiles shouldn't be relied upon to offer any crash protection - always keep in mind that it can, and sometimes will, tear to shreds, which is something I have seen happen too many times. There's a few stories of good gear standing up to slides, but unfortunately good gear is in short supply - not many bike clothing makers make what I'd call good gear. Most of what I've seen, and most of the textile stuff I've sold in the past, has been purely waterproof (this was sometimes doubtful too) and warm, the crash resistance has been almost forgotten about in the design and manufacture. I will make an exception here and give a round of applause for Hein Gericke textile kit - it's bloody well made and I wore it out of choice for years before I worked for the company.

So far I've been lucky with my own current textile kit, it's stood up to 6 years of hard abuse and doesn't leak, still keeps me warm and in the one low speed off I've had in it everything held together and didn't hole. The jacket is a Shelltex HG Voyager 3 in black and the trousers are Shelltex HG All Seasons ones with the detachable bib and brace (never knew the name because they came off the sale rail at ?30 and weren't marked up). When I bought it I upgraded the armour to Hiprotec Sport because I believe it's better to have a deformable soft armour and it was miles comfier than the hard stuff it came with.

All that's failed has been cuff zips, and that was after 5 years of being done up over Pathan gloves. When this kit dies I'll buy Gericke again, but I'll still only regard it as outdoor kit that offers no protection.

Re: what to buy- leather? material?
 

You should buy something that fits you, that you like the look of and that is comfortable and that has some level of armour in. That fits your budget. IMHO something is better than riding about in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, if you only have money to buy one set then buy textiles as they are more versatile especially if they have a liner you can remove as the weather changes.

You should also buy a seperate back protector IMHO and not rely on the bit of sponge that comes in some jackets as its useless.

Just my opinion and what I did when I got started, I've got leathers and textiles now so I can choose what I want depending on what I'm doing and what I think the weather is going to do. I prefer riding in my leathers as I feel rightly or wrongly that I am more protected with them on.

Re: what to buy- leather? material?
 

Full of Frank Thomas, Lewis and Bikezone gear (all the same company ultimately), which is absolute rubbish. I would go there purely to find out what size you are and to take a look at what you should be looking to avoid in bike clothing.

One of my best mates was a rep for them, and he left the company because the reputation the company had was beginning to affect his own reputation as being a good honest salesman.

Re: what to buy- leather? material?
 

I know huni, i used to work for motrax ;) but it'll give him a better idea of prices/fit and quality ;)

Re: what to buy- leather? material?
 

Plus one for the "get something that fits". .. & if you're going to get a back protector make sure it'll still fit....

Thassall except Ebay might be your also be your friend...

Re: what to buy- leather? material?
 

And stuff you'll wear, too. No point in buying some super-protective bit of kit that hands in the wardrobe because you can never be bothered to wear it, or it's too hot, or too cold.

Re: what to buy- leather? material?
 

I have a pair of RST Forza boots, only worn them a few times and they are falling apart already plus they dont answer there emails, I wouldnt touch RST again

Re: what to buy- leather? material?
 

Riko,

As you say that you're riding for pleasure I'd definitley go for a decent, fitting set of 2 piece zip together leathers first, with a waterproof oversuit for extremely cold/wet days. As others say you can keep warm in extreme winter with the use of a set of thermals, a fleece over the top and your waterproofs on top of that. This combination worked for me for my first 1 1/2 years of riding (mainly for pleasure), including when there was snow on the ground. Having the leathers meant I could soon do trackdays, which for me was one of the reasons for getting into biking. If you're riding for pleasure I'd imagine you'll be less likely to ride in extreme cold/wet conditions, but the waterproofs under the seat keep you covered for all eventualities.

If you find yourself doing more commuting or winter riding over time then you could add a decent textile jacket and use in conjunction with your leather trousers, or textile trouser to use in conjunction with your jacket, or both, with all the usual textile caveats as above. A proper back protector is also a must.

Just my 2p worth, hope it helps.

Re: what to buy- leather? material?
 

To be honest, if you are on a tight budget, I would keep an open mind about both types and simply go for the best fit you can get for the price.

As long as CE armour is included and you keep your eyes open for the quality of materials and manufacturing, then for the kind of use it will be getting either is good on a budget.

Textiles may be more flexible in their usage, but leather is the best for meeting the tarmac... that said though it's all 6 of one and half a dozen of the other in the low/mid range of the market.

I wouldn't mess you head up worrying about it and go for what fits well and is comfortable from a reputable manufacturer.