ATGATT - I know how important it is, but...

**Tink** · 15th December 2010, 18:30

Originally Posted by caseye

Hey Shrub, nice thread.
got 400m's down the road, meet Big ol Bumble bee coming the other way at warp 9.
Straight up shorts leg.
Stop bloody laughing, it hurt.

LOL That scares the bejeebers outer me, even in full ATGATT, I have had the odd bug up my helmet, straight up goes the visor...

Just got some new boots, NO LACES ANYMORE whew, what a hazard doc's are on a bike... laces coming undone.

Boiling in gear is part of biking, do it.... or don't ride I say.

**rwh** · 15th December 2010, 18:34

Originally Posted by miloking

20Km/h is walking pace...

20km/h is a damn fast walk.

I generally wear ordinary jeans, but proper boots/jacket/glove/lid.

Partly because I'm a bit on the wide side for standard fittings, and I haven't got round to doing something better (I've got custom 2-piece leathers, but not practical for going to work)

Richard

**jimbo_on_travels** · 15th December 2010, 22:03

I came off my bike in ordinary jeans last year and skidded down Oriental Bay.. I blame myself - was distracted by 2 girls in hot pants. Needless to say I won't be wearing jeans again.. the grapefruit sized haematoma sticking out of my hip / thigh meant I couldn't walk for a month.

**SMOKEU** · 15th December 2010, 23:47

I ALWAYS ride ATGATT, even if it's only 200m to the petrol station to check the tire pressures. The one time that I didn't go ATGATT was last month. Yup, I binned the bike and phucked myself up.

**pzkpfw** · 16th December 2010, 05:32

Back in 1990 I used to wear TWO pairs of jeans. Man I was safe! Then at pretty much zero speed came off on a newly metalled corner, landed knee first, and both pairs of jeans just ripped right open.

Luckily no permanent damage (to my knee) but quite a bloody mess for a while.

**Genie** · 16th December 2010, 06:21

In the good old days one didn't even think much about what one wore. My body bore the brunt of it one day when I slid full frontal down the ashphalt! Ouch.

Now it's the hot leather stuff all the time.

Went out for a ride yesterday and man it was hot to stop, so I thought, best I find the open road and ride some more, and some more...was a great way to cool down, just a bugga to come home again.

My awesome Revit gear has lovely, well placed little zips that let in the air, goes right down my spine too!!

I'd rather be hot than grated!

**Kermit250** · 16th December 2010, 07:13

Originally Posted by miloking

20Km/h is walking pace..

Damn you're either 8 foot tall or have a very fast walk

**MSTRS:Me** · 16th December 2010, 07:51

I guess wearing the gear is like having insurance. Chances are, you won't need it, but...

**sinfull** · 16th December 2010, 08:06

Ok showin me age here,

but back in the day there was sweet faaark all choice as far as good gear goes, so jeans were it as the price leather was over the top and usually just work gloves if any but

we were hard

Had my share of spills, usually on trail bikes but the odd road rash and usually my own stupid fault
One memory is of smashing my right foot and knee into the side of a car, to the point i couldn't kick the bike over with that leg, so was startin it with the left and it was workin, sure it hurt to stand and start the bike but

We were hard

Next day i came round a blind corner too quick to find an ole lady doing a uturn (slooowwwly) no way under her so had to go round the outside, but ran out of room and climbed the curb etc etc slid sideways backwards round and round till i slid backwards into a car in a carpark, part of riding aye and

we were hard

looked at the bike which was laying there ticking over still in third, then at all the people rushing toward me and thought fuck this i'm off , unlicenced, couple under me belt, i dragged a bloddied left leg and bandaged right over to the bike yanked the clutch in, stood it up, threw the body over the seat and chugged off in third gear cause

We were hard

Now days i still ride and hard, aint had a spill for decades (touch wood), older, wiser maybe (though still do stupid shit)
but if i don't wear full armour over my knees, good boots, etc and if the weather is even slightly cool, i have trouble walking for days afterwards, the cold just gets in to them smashed up knees and ankles from years back and totally fucks me up !

Sorta wish there was more choice in protective gear back then and

We weren't so hard

**Danae** · 16th December 2010, 11:16

Originally Posted by Kermit250

I have ridden mine in barefeet before: moving 5 meters from the garage to driveway to clean it

I managed to fuck even that up, forgot to stick the sidestand up and dragged it over my foot.

**MarkH** · 16th December 2010, 12:29

When the weather gets warm I remove the lining from my leather jacket and swap to my summer gloves. I have a heap of storage under the seat as well as a 35 litre top box so when I get to where I'm going I put the helmet & gloves in the top box and the jacket under the seat. It might feel nice riding without the jacket & helmet & gloves when it is hot, but I am a gambling man and don't like the odds - the risk is too high and the rewards just don't compensate enough for those risks.

I tend to wear the Draggin' Jeans through summer and on short trips in winter, for the longer rides in cooler weather the leather bike pants are very much worth it.

In my youth I used to ride with helmet, gloves & boots - but only jeans and nylon wind-breaker sort of jacket. The only protection I had for my body was wet weather protection. Back in those days the gloves were leather but didn't have the reinforced knuckles. I was lucky, never had an off at any real speed - I had lost more skin riding a pushie than I ever did on a motorcycle. Considering the various speeding tickets and general young person risk taking - I was VERY lucky.

Now days I just wont go back to normal jeans or less than an armoured leather jacket - it's not worth risking months in hospital. I'm 43 and haven't spent a single day in hospital, I'd like to keep up with that record.

**StoneY** · 16th December 2010, 12:39

Originally Posted by HenryDorsetCase

If I wasnt so fashion conscious I'd wear a fullface on the mtb.

I do ever sinc I went face first into a blackberry patch after being flipped over the bars!

Brought me a full face,lightweight plastic off road MTB lid that actually weighed less then the polyshit that it replaced...never looked back and feel 100% safe flying down western hills tracks in Lower Hutt or Karapoti in UH

Fuck fashion bro, im already ugly enough without filing off half my face!

**Timmeh:P** · 16th December 2010, 12:47

Leather jacket and leather pants (zip together), back protector, helmet, boots, gloves...

Overkill for going a couple of km's down the road in the blazing heat of the summer sun... but I do it anyway... I ain't going to risk it.

I'm soft....

**Daffyd** · 16th December 2010, 13:00

Originally Posted by miloking

20Km/h is walking pace...iam pretty sure you were going much much faster down the hill (fastest i managed on mountain bike was just over 70km/h going down hill), but anyway i get your point...

Wish I could walk at 20km/h!