p.dath
15th August 2009, 11:44
My existing cordura jacket and pants are around 10 years old. And although the fabric itself is still fine the stitching is showing signs of starting to give way. So rather than wait till I need the protection to really work and then have it fail I decided to replace the gear.
I ride on the road 3 or 4 times a week, and like to attend AMCC ART track days maybe 3 to 6 times a year.
Being based on Auckland I can expect that when it rains it wont rain for more than about 30 mins at a time.
Because I often use my bike at work I need to be able to accommodate my work clothes as well.
And lastly, I wanted to spend less than $1000. I initially went around the bike stores, and rapidly concluded I would be struggling to by anything more than a decent jacket. So I turned to the online stores, and found the value for money was much better.
After much reading (on here) I eventually decided on buying my gear from 1tonne.
http://www.1tonne.co.nz/
The next tough question was weather to get leather or cordura. What a difficult subject. Eventually after much reading on here I decided to settle on leather as a preference. Although leather isn't water proof, it can easily repel water for 30 minutes at a time.
I selected the "Black Hawk Race Suit Jacket" and "Black Hawk Race Suit Pants". However it didn't quite address my needs for work clothes. I can fit my work top under a leather jacket, but not my work pants. So I also got a pair of "Cordura Sports Pants". The pricing is so sharp I was able to get the lot for under $900.
I initially spoke to 1tonne on Kiwibiker, and verified that everything was CE rated. Despite being much cheaper than the retail shops there appears to be no compromise on quality or safety.
I gave them my chest and waist measurements, and they told me what sizes to order online. They also said if the sizes were wrong I could swap the garments (I would have to pay for the courier fees though to return and get replacement garments - which seemed fair).
So eventually I got around to placing my order. I selected courier delivery. I prefer couriers for more expensive items. I like having track and trace. You get the $1500 carrier liability cover by law. And you can ring up and ask where the hell it is if something doesn't turn up.
Anyway, the next day the box full of my goodies arrived. I tried the gear on and the leather gear fitted snugly like a glove. Perfect sizing.
The cordura pants were also well sized, being able to slip over my work pants nicely.
The leather jacket has an inner removable lining, and even though it is winter and I tend to do a bit of riding at night and early morning has proved to be warm enough (would need additional clothing if in South Island though).
After you put the jacket on you do up the zips on the end of the sleeves, which pulls the leather sleeves in tight around your arms.
At the top of each sleeve is another zip which is used for ventilation to allow cool air into the jacket and cool the rider.
The jacket has a lined pocket on each side. I found the pockets tight when wearing the jacket, so you probably wouldn't want to put too much into them (house and motorcycle keys would be fine).
Below each pocket is a large Velcro pull tie which you can use to tighten up the waist.
On the rear of the jacket is two more ventilation zips located roughly where your shoulder blades are. I imagine when combined with the sleeve vents it would cause air to flow in and around your body and back out the rear.
Apart from the armour in the elbows and shoulders there is also a "modest" back protector. I think I'll stick to my proper back protector.
The interior of the jacket also has four interior pockets for storing things. Once again, because the jacket is tight fitting, you wouldn't want to have anything too bulky.
The jacket features both an 8 inch and and full zip for attaching to pants.
The "Black Hawk Race Suit Pants" has both a full and an 8 inch zip around the top to attach to the jacket. There are two front pockets. The pants were snug fitting, so once again, you wouldn't want to put anything to bulky into the the pockets.
The pants have an internal non-removable liner.
The pants have armour around the knees and shins.
There is also Velcro patch below the knee area on each side, which I'm guessing is for knee sliders. Not sure.
The bottom of the pants has a zip down each leg which when done up pulls the pants in tight to your legs (can't put them on with zips done up - holes too small to put feet through).
The "Cordura Sports Pants" have a removable internal lining for warmth. There are two external front pockets which have zips and then a waterproof lining that secures down over the top. There is an 8 inch zip for attachment to a jacket. Just above the knees are two zips for ventilation.
The bottom of the pants have zips so you can put them over your boots and then zip up.
I would highly recommend the 1tonne people and there gear. The whole experience dealing with them and their product has been great.
I ride on the road 3 or 4 times a week, and like to attend AMCC ART track days maybe 3 to 6 times a year.
Being based on Auckland I can expect that when it rains it wont rain for more than about 30 mins at a time.
Because I often use my bike at work I need to be able to accommodate my work clothes as well.
And lastly, I wanted to spend less than $1000. I initially went around the bike stores, and rapidly concluded I would be struggling to by anything more than a decent jacket. So I turned to the online stores, and found the value for money was much better.
After much reading (on here) I eventually decided on buying my gear from 1tonne.
http://www.1tonne.co.nz/
The next tough question was weather to get leather or cordura. What a difficult subject. Eventually after much reading on here I decided to settle on leather as a preference. Although leather isn't water proof, it can easily repel water for 30 minutes at a time.
I selected the "Black Hawk Race Suit Jacket" and "Black Hawk Race Suit Pants". However it didn't quite address my needs for work clothes. I can fit my work top under a leather jacket, but not my work pants. So I also got a pair of "Cordura Sports Pants". The pricing is so sharp I was able to get the lot for under $900.
I initially spoke to 1tonne on Kiwibiker, and verified that everything was CE rated. Despite being much cheaper than the retail shops there appears to be no compromise on quality or safety.
I gave them my chest and waist measurements, and they told me what sizes to order online. They also said if the sizes were wrong I could swap the garments (I would have to pay for the courier fees though to return and get replacement garments - which seemed fair).
So eventually I got around to placing my order. I selected courier delivery. I prefer couriers for more expensive items. I like having track and trace. You get the $1500 carrier liability cover by law. And you can ring up and ask where the hell it is if something doesn't turn up.
Anyway, the next day the box full of my goodies arrived. I tried the gear on and the leather gear fitted snugly like a glove. Perfect sizing.
The cordura pants were also well sized, being able to slip over my work pants nicely.
The leather jacket has an inner removable lining, and even though it is winter and I tend to do a bit of riding at night and early morning has proved to be warm enough (would need additional clothing if in South Island though).
After you put the jacket on you do up the zips on the end of the sleeves, which pulls the leather sleeves in tight around your arms.
At the top of each sleeve is another zip which is used for ventilation to allow cool air into the jacket and cool the rider.
The jacket has a lined pocket on each side. I found the pockets tight when wearing the jacket, so you probably wouldn't want to put too much into them (house and motorcycle keys would be fine).
Below each pocket is a large Velcro pull tie which you can use to tighten up the waist.
On the rear of the jacket is two more ventilation zips located roughly where your shoulder blades are. I imagine when combined with the sleeve vents it would cause air to flow in and around your body and back out the rear.
Apart from the armour in the elbows and shoulders there is also a "modest" back protector. I think I'll stick to my proper back protector.
The interior of the jacket also has four interior pockets for storing things. Once again, because the jacket is tight fitting, you wouldn't want to have anything too bulky.
The jacket features both an 8 inch and and full zip for attaching to pants.
The "Black Hawk Race Suit Pants" has both a full and an 8 inch zip around the top to attach to the jacket. There are two front pockets. The pants were snug fitting, so once again, you wouldn't want to put anything to bulky into the the pockets.
The pants have an internal non-removable liner.
The pants have armour around the knees and shins.
There is also Velcro patch below the knee area on each side, which I'm guessing is for knee sliders. Not sure.
The bottom of the pants has a zip down each leg which when done up pulls the pants in tight to your legs (can't put them on with zips done up - holes too small to put feet through).
The "Cordura Sports Pants" have a removable internal lining for warmth. There are two external front pockets which have zips and then a waterproof lining that secures down over the top. There is an 8 inch zip for attachment to a jacket. Just above the knees are two zips for ventilation.
The bottom of the pants have zips so you can put them over your boots and then zip up.
I would highly recommend the 1tonne people and there gear. The whole experience dealing with them and their product has been great.