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Philip's Ravings

Choosing the right safety gear

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My jacket and pants are about 10 years old now, and in need of replacement. But trying to decide what to replace them with has been challenging as their are so many options.

First I decided what I wanted the gear for. I mostly ride on the streets, and want to go to track days and be safe.
So I decided I wanted a two piece that can be zipped together. Because I do mostly street riding, and New Zealand being what it is, I also want something that will keep be dry for at least 30 minutes in rain.

During the week I work. So I also want something that I can slip over my work clothes.

Oh yeah, the budget. I don't want to spend more than $1,000 on the lot.

First the choice of jacket. Cordura or leather. What a really tough decision. Cordura has superior water resistance, but leather offers superior protection and is repairable - plus leather looks cooler. Now I know some Cordura says it offers similar abrasion resistance to Leather ... but that's only the top end stuff and like I said, I have a budget.

I also found you can get a mix of Cordura and Leather jackets as well. Also, several leather jackets now come with waterproof membranes on the inside.

Oh the decisions. At the moment, I'm leaning towards a leather jacket. This is because I ran across www.1tonne.co.nz after several references on this web site. Their kit looks like good, has all the safety ratings, and is SUBSTANTIALY cheaper.


Now the pants. The problem with leather pants is that they are generally not made to be worn over other clothes. Where as Cordura can easily go over work trousers.
But the gear at 1tonne is so well priced. I think I could afford to get both a pair of leather pants (for weekend cruising and track days) and Cordura (for during the week when I work).


Now the issue of colour. I was tempted to try and get something with a splash of red or yellow in it. But just about all nice bike gear is black. While talking to other people there is very much a mixed opinion about what the colour of your gear does for safety.
So I'll probably be sticking with the run of the mill black.

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Updated 15th June 2009 at 23:09 by p.dath (Changing category.)

Categories
Personal entry , Bike Gear , General Bike Ravings

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