Re: Leather!
 

Cheers. I'm definitely not going to buy anything on ebay!

Re: Leather!
 

Whatever you buy, check the protection it offer on the scale of A-AAA. And check what armour it comes with. D3O ideally is what you want to have as standard, or upgrade to.

Re: Leather!
 

Most of them seem to be AA, which I find a little odd as you can get AAA denim jeans, but maybe it's a higher standard for jackets. I quite like the Knox armour, but the D3O I have is incredibly soft.

Re: Leather!
 

AA is still a good level, and is what most good textile jackets achieve. Usually for AAA (IIRC) it is the 'slide test' which most fail on, as the abrasion resistance at that level is really high.
I'm a big fan of the D3O armour. Got it in my new jackets last year and its much more comfortable to wear, and should offer more protection too.

Re: Leather!
 

Well, for what it's worth.. I've had just about every kind of bike ware over 46 years of biking and tbh ... I'm now a 100% convert to textiles, I now have the Frank Thomas storm outfit, it's a bit on the 'touring' side of style but it's got lots of pockets, removable winter liner, 100% waterproof, full body armour, sleeves, cuffs, waist are all adjustable and above all ... really comfortable. I wouldn't even think about changing back to leather now
Just my opinion but we'll worth a look.
I got all my kit from J&S in Maidstone, really competitive prices too.

Re: Leather!
 

Adding a post into here as a bit of potential food for thought.

On my recent search for a better summer/warm weather jacket which offers a good level of protection, i came across the Klim Marrakesh.
It's a completely mesh jacket (but not in the traditional way), made from 1000D material and is AA rated safety. The material is a 4 way stretch Cordura so it fits to your body (similar to the way a good leather jacket should).

I ended up buying one as it seemed the best offering out there. In a close second was the Rukka Raymond/Raymarine. They're a similar price of £350/£370 a piece.
I've not tested it yet due to the cold season we're currently in, but will update when i eventually do.

Re: Leather!
 

i have a couple of hoodies I wear till it's cold enough to go grab the waterproof leather I picked up a couple of years ago, before that it was textile jacket all year round and leather trousers/kevlar jeans.

the AA rating is a bit fudged compared to the older standards however. The hoodies I have are all on the older EN 13595 standard.

Roadskin do a reasonably priced Hoodie and it's not 'Too Warm' to wear in the summer, even under a cut or similar. Heck, even the Harly 'Riding Shirts' have managed to get the EN17092 certification!

https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocia...fety-standards

Re: Leather!
 

Decent quality motcycle leather jackets are best for abrasion resistance but not really waterproof and sweaty in really hot weather, but I like mine when weather is right. Usually wear 'reasonably waterproof and breathable' RST textile jacket most of the time though. Treat my leather with neatsfoot oil and beeswax cream,forget what it is called, I got from Morrisons.