Riding Leathers

teslanv

teslanv

1 MW
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
2,680
Location
Bellevue, WA - USA
After having to borrow leathers for the day at Pacific Raceways, I have been looking for something to wear on my soon-to-be emoto build, which will be capable of ~50mph.

I Found what I think is a great deal at a Wilson Leather Outlet near my house.

http://www.wilsonsleather.com/produ...ather+cycle+jacket.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn

It's on sale through the weekend for $214 + tax. "Retail" price of $900!!! :shock:

Only drawback I can see is that it is black, so not good for night riding, at least for high visibility. Perhaps I can get a high-Vis helmet and such for the bike?

Any thoughts? (How much did you spend on your protective jacket?)
 
teslanv said:

Only drawback I can see is that it is black, so not good for night riding, at least for high visibility. Perhaps I can get a high-Vis helmet and such for the bike?
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Visibility is always touted as "must have" but in the real world "target fixation" is a very common problem which deserves consideration IMO. Target/object fixation not only applies to you the rider but other motorists' often tend to fixate on "unusually visible" objects. Depending on many factors this may be good or this may be bad.

I often prefer to be "invisible" and never, ever rely on the judgement, reflexes and/or kindness of "Oscar Grope" behind the wheel of murderous hurlting machinery.

Not to brag but I've had MSF training and ridden over 300k miles on road bikes around some of the most treacherous traffic cities in NA. Although my MSF friends will disagree I find "high visibility" not quite what it's cracked up to be....

$100-$200 is what I've spent on moto leather jackets. Haven't bought one in a long long time but I rarely ride without one, sturdy shoes, helmet. Dropped a few bikes at speed but with the right clothing easy to laugh off....
 
Ykick said:
Visibility is always touted as "must have" but in the real world "target fixation" is a very common problem which deserves consideration IMO. Target/object fixation not only applies to you the rider but other motorists' often tend to fixate on "unusually visible" objects. Depending on many factors his may be good or this may be bad.

I often prefer to be "invisible" and never, ever rely on the judgement, reflexes and/or kindness of "Oscar Grope" behind the wheel of murderous hurlting machinery.

Not to brag but I've had MSF training and ridden over 300k miles on road bikes around some of the most treacherous traffic cities in NA. Although my MSF friends will disagree I find "high visibility" not quite what it's cracked up to be....
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This is a real phenomena. Its the old "Don't look at the pothole" effect. If you look at a pothole while riding, you will run straight over it. If you look at the bit of road just to the side of the pothole, where you really want to go, you will track to the side of the pothole.

It works with video driving games, too. If you focus on the 'wrong line' in your mind's eye, your sub-conscience will 'help you' by taking you there. We all know there are zombie drivers out there who're sloppy about what they're doing and what is ending up in their mind's eye (you).

I'm jealous of your proximity to the outlet store. I used to live across the street from a Nordstrom's outlet store, but never took advantage.
 
Ykick is onto something. It's kind of like the weird statistic that shows bicyclist who wear helmets are more likely to get into accidents. :?
 
wineboyrider said:
It's kind of like the weird statistic that shows bicyclist who wear helmets are more likely to get into accidents. :?
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Could you point us to that statistic? It would be the opposite in the world of powered two wheelers.(motorcycles)
 
tomjasz said:
wineboyrider said:
It's kind of like the weird statistic that shows bicyclist who wear helmets are more likely to get into accidents. :?
Click to expand...
Could you point us to that statistic? It would be the opposite in the world of powered two wheelers.(motorcycles)
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It's a bit nonsensical, to be honest, and a great example of how statistics are often misused and/or misinterpreted.

The theory is this: a greater proportion of cyclists involved in accidents are wearing helmets compared to the full population of cyclists. Therefore wearing a helmet makes you more likely to be involved in an accident.

One possible explanation is that motorists tend to give helmeted cyclists less room than those without helmets.

Here's the problem, though: advanced riders and fast riders tend to wear helmets at a higher rate than the full population, and *also* tend to put themselves in more dangerous situations than the general population. If you're tooling along at 8-10 mph along a trail on a single-speed beach cruiser, you probably don't need a helmet. But if you're riding a road bike at 20 mph in city traffic, you're probably going to want a helmet. It's not the helmet that contributes the accident, but the place and style of riding.

Try this simple thought experiment: if something makes you fly off your bike and smash your head into the ground, would you rather have a helmet on or not?

As someone whose helmet has undoubtedly prevented a much more serious injury, I find this an easy question to answer.
 
OK. Stop hijacking my thread gentlemen. :p

Back to leathers...
So black is OK, even at night?
Is ~$215 a good price?
 
Check out your local Army-Navy Surplus.

Last year I picked up a genuine German cop, black leather motorcycle jacket for about $150. The best bit is that it says 'Polizei' on the back in big, reflective lettering.
 
teslanv said:
OK. Stop hijacking my thread gentlemen. :p

Back to leathers...
So black is OK, even at night?
Is ~$215 a good price?
Click to expand...

Shit, I paid $700 for my Dainese jacket marked down from $900 as well. $215 is a bargain. Mine was black as well, but since I had a white with blue stripes bike and high visibility lights front and back, it made zero difference. Never got any "SMDSY"* events, even though on my eBike, I get one every 3-4 weeks wearing a high vis vest. Probably had more to do with the overly loud exhaust on it though...

Awesome piece of gear. protected me fully during a low side, and by removing the plates, it became a comfortable normal leather jacket, wind proof, and water proof.

* SMDSY "Sorry mate, didnt see you", for the non Aussies.
 
Harley bikers use them all the time, but what about some white reflective stripes to enhance night time visibility without distracting from the cool black look?
 
teslanv said:
Back to leathers...
So black is OK, even at night?
Is ~$215 a good price?
Click to expand...
I wear black. Its just my thing. Call it easy care. When I buy an article of clothing, its black, and of high quality. I want it to last for ever. So when I ride at night, and I do, its in black. My bicycle is black. My helmet is black. What is not black it the high lumens blue Cree light, back mounted, sending iridescent streams of luminosity forward through my pedalling and front wheel, where the hub is mounted. When I ride with my light on, I get favourable comments, for the light, not the bike. :lol: So go ahead, wear black, and if you want visibility at night, doing it with lights. As far as the price is concerned, I wouldn't have a clue. :roll:
 
Leather still offers the best protection and is stylish, but is too hot to use here in Az., maybe not a prob. in Washington.
but I would point out the quality synthetic mesh gear would be enough protection at the speeds you are talking about.
Most mesh gear comes with a liner, so is very versatile. I bet there would be some major discounts this time of the year at the local motorcycle dealerships.
Just a suggestion.
 
Real leather is great, and stylish. But I really fell in love with the riding jacket I found at the flea. I paid about $100 for it but $200-300 for something similar would be well worth it.

Bright yellow and black , which I like, but lets not argue that right now. In summer you take out the lining and its slightly more tolerable to wear.

Ballistic nylon, with good padding and or hard shell protection in the spots you need it. Fastest I crashed wearing it was about 35 mph and the slide was quite comfy.

this is real similar to what I have. Maybe I paid too much!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mens-Yellow-Enduro-Armor-Jacket-Motorcycle-Touring-Dual-Sport-Dirt-Bike-MX-ATV-/120935884259?pt=Apparel_Merchandise&var=&hash=item1c285725e3&vxp=mtr
 
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2013-The-New-KOMINE-JK-700-titanium-mesh-cloth-racing-suits-motorcycle-clothing-distribution-to-eight/1572307651.html

got that mesh protection above :D sweet

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2013-New-R2-Locomotive-jeans-With-knee-protector-Rider-pants-CE-Gear-Motorcycle-Shorts-Leisure-Cultivate/1569832832.html

jeans protection (some reply review said minimum protection but better this stylish and something than nothing, protection is rear bums, knees and side pads.)

leather sure. buy it - is cheap and a good deal. I have white helmet that could do and also yellowish green color is best for visibility + reflexes and or brake lights on the bike.
 
Ykick said:
I often prefer to be "invisible" and never, ever rely on the judgement, reflexes and/or kindness of "Oscar Grope" behind the wheel of murderous hurlting machinery.
Click to expand...

I think this is an incredibly effective statement, and something I apply often in pedestrian situations. During city commuting I'm often forced to share whatever path I'm using with pedestrians. One of the worst things I can do when coming up behind someone is ring my bell to warn them I'm coming. When I do that they react in any number of unwise and unpredictable ways. It's much better to take advantage of the stealthiness of an ebike and just swing around them without them ever knowing I was coming. It's impossible to predict what another person will do to any degree of certainty when you force them to make a decision. But if you pattern what they are doing when they don't know they are being observed then you can predict their actions to a high degree of accuracy. I'm not saying what I did in the army, but that's the same philosophy Israeli snipers use...
 
And to get back on topic, my riding leather is a vintage leather jacket I got at a thrift store for $30. It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to put another animal's skin on top of yours to serve as a sacrificial layer.
 
I'm riding in a buffalo leather jacket - full CE armour, weighs a good 10Kg or so! This is on the Vectrix though, would be overkill for the electric bike.
 
Regular leather jacket, or even jean jacket better than nothing for sure. For many years I rode motorcycles with a thick suede leather coat, or in summer, a light jean jacket.

But' I'm still really impressed with the new style body armor built into my current high speed riding jacket. Same deal inside the cooler mesh gear. hard elbows, and a skid plate on your back helps a lot once you are sliding 40 mph. Motocross chest armor may not really be needed IMO. That's for the rider in front of you flinging rocks at your chest. But you do tend to end up doing your slide on your back.

Boots and good gloves with this stuff of course.
 
Armored cordura jackets will do a fine job. Dianese for $215 id a STEAL!
 
If we are pedaling in any way shape or form, you will probably want synthetic/composite that is weather-resistant for our type of environment => mainly WET with spells of dry interspersed :lol:

For racing, yes – I think it has to be leather, at least – that’s my impression from Pacific Raceways. I get those CycleGear/Motorcycle Superstore rags and look them over; there’s 3 or 4 outfits that could work for you and me (figuring were in the same boat seeking the same goals). Although I’m a little guy so the one-piece won’t do. :|

Did you happen to look at the gear they had at Bent Bike in Lynnwood? Anytime you want to make another road trip there, lemme know. :)

I think the ideal would be to have a composite outfit that has leather in the right parts, body armor at the knees, elbows, and perhaps the back where abrasion hits hardest, yet synthetic at the armpits, behind the knees, places where we sweat and need ventilation. Maybe we ought to make our own! But first – I’d check with Pacific Raceways to discover what the minimum requirements are for track safety.

Hand me a paddle pal; maybe we can get a group discount, KF :wink:
 
The use of real leather on the racetrack may have more to do with fit and aero than anything else. Real leather has that stretch that cordura does not have.

Crashing in my cordura coat provided me a hard shell protection every place I needed it. Hopefully you don't crash so much you wear one out prematurely.

For daily riding, the nice venting system may be well worth the downsides of nylon. Buy you can, and I have, slashed the armpits out of old leather coats for riding.
 
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