Minimum Clothing Specs

[bugjuice]

'something is better than nothing'

exactly.
It's a case of buying what you can afford, for sure, and nothing happens over night. But it's not something to be forgotten about, just cos you don't have the dosh right now. That should then become priority uno.

And I'm not worried about coming off. I don't want to, but I'm not worried. Cos then I just wouldn't ride. The fun is in the bike, for sure. But things can go wrong. It's better to be prepared for that, then not think it's going to happen at all.. Once your gear is set up, and you're comfortable, then all the fun is in the bike

[Waylander]

'something is better than nothing'

exactly.
It's a case of buying what you can afford, for sure, and nothing happens over night. But it's not something to be forgotten about, just cos you don't have the dosh right now. That should then become priority uno.

And I'm not worried about coming off. I don't want to, but I'm not worried. Cos then I just wouldn't ride. The fun is in the bike, for sure. But things can go wrong. It's better to be prepared for that, then not think it's going to happen at all.. Once your gear is set up, and you're comfortable, then all the fun is in the bike

That is what I have been trying to say. Just lacked the abillity to put it into the right words.

[vifferman]

I just think some of you are wrong to push Pathos here into spending more than he can afford on gear right off.

I would argue that if you can't afford decent protective gear, then you can't really afford to own a bike.

Get the best you can afford for now and start saving for better gear down the road. Something is better than nothing.

Good advice.

Falling off a roof is less than that speed, and you can still break bones

True. My worst injuries have been from falling off the bumper bar of the 4WD.
And even if you're in a car you can get badly injured, in a major accident.
But (BUT!) even in a minor 'fender bender' on a bike, you can get seriously injured. It's about reducing risk of injury. Do you have to buy a $1000 helmet, $600 gloves, a $2500 suit? No. But intelligent buying can buy you a lot of protection for a relatively small price, and the difference between cheap gear that offers very little real protection, and affordable gear that offers a lot is actually a small margin. F'rinstance, my bike pants were just over $200. They're full leather, badly designed and made, but made from good quality leather. They have survived several asphalt-surfing incidents with little more required than some restitching and application of shoe polish. I upgraded the 'double leather with thin foam' padding in the knees with the addition of some CE armour for less than $50. I'd say that given that I've had them nearly 10 years, the cost per day is pretty low.

[Waylander]

I would argue that if you can't afford decent protective gear, then you can't really afford to own a bike.

Hmm, unless you spent all the money you had on the bike. I see what you mean though. If the cost of gear was included in the bike price, that would make things easier.

[vifferman]

Hmm, unless you spent all the money you had on the bike. I see what you mean though. If the cost of gear was included in the bike price, that would make things easier. Unless you're buying second hand...

Most shops will give you a good price on gear if you get it at the time you buy the bike. Of course, you're paying an inflated price when you buy the bike anyway...

But yeah, buying/replacing bike gear is an on-going cost that should be figured into the price of bike ownership. It sometimes bugs me that no matter how I look after them, I have to keep replacing boots, helmet, gloves, etc. just because of normal wear. Because I prefer gloves with thin leather on the palm side, they develop holes in the fingers after two or so years of everyday use. I'm on my second pair of boots, which are now about 4 years old and have survived a significant crash. The first pair lasted 7 years, and are still good apart from the soles and velcro wearing out.

The advantage of leather over man-made materials is not just that it is more resilient to wear, but that generally it's more readily repaired, and also worth repairing. My (mostly) textile jacket is suffering from UV damage, and the velcro is tired (but can be replaced). It cost me about $600 when I bought it 5 years ago, and has had probably $350 of repairs over the years. But what can I replace it with? :spudwhat: I've now got it how I want it, but the fabric's just not up to NZ sunlight.

[FROSTY:Me]

Yea guys for once I agree with waylander.The bloke is potentially a lifetime biker but at the moment hasn't got the moolah for good gear--
I'm the first bloke to puush for decent gear to be used
So you guys --what are YOU gonna do to sort this fella out ???
I have a pair of decent gloves and a pair of cudura pants--size largish he can borrow till he gets some decent gear.
Pathos --gimme a shout dude --theyer yours to borrow -ok

[TonyB]

Yea guys for once I agree with waylander.The bloke is potentially a lifetime biker but at the moment hasn't got the moolah for good gear--
I'm the first bloke to puush for decent gear to be used
So you guys --what are YOU gonna do to sort this fella out ???
I have a pair of decent gloves and a pair of cudura pants--size largish he can borrow till he gets some decent gear.
Pathos --gimme a shout dude --theyer yours to borrow -ok

I've got my leather pants on trademe- he can pay extravagant amounts of money for them and make me rich rich rich BUUUHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Lou Girardin]

I always wear a Cordura jacket, gloves and boots. In Summer I wear jeans for the daily commute, riding pants elsewhere. I've binned at 120 k's while wearing normal pants and cotton shirt and got away with one small laceration, but I don't recommend it.
Check the 'for sale' section for cheap gear.

[FROSTY:Me]

I must say sometimes it seems to be a case of --god was smiling at me that day--if ya know what I mean.
As a courier a few (ok a lot) years ago i used to wear a paddock jacket thin gloves jeans and bike boots.-When you're hoppin off and on a bike 10 times an hour full leather gear gets friggin hot.
My theory was I was better being comfortable therefore better able to concentrate on avoiding a crash than fully protected and blinded by my own sweat---You try running up 3 flights iof stiars in full bike gear --then do it 20 times a day.

[Ixion]

Hey I understand and agree with getting true biker gear and all dont get me wrong, part of the reason I asked for your boots BJ. I just think some of you are wrong to push Pathos here into spending more than he can afford on gear right off. Get the best you can afford for now and start saving for better gear down the road. Something is better than nothing.

The way some of y'all talk here makes me thing that perhaps your better off in a cage becouse you're worried about every little thing that might get dammaged.

I agree with Mr waylander, for what it's worth.

If you have unlimited funds it's dead easy. Go into Experience BMW, tell them you want the best of everything and give them a honking big cheque.

If like some of us, you have to count the pennies, then you have to spend more wisely.

And I also think it depends on how and where you will be riding.

Mr Pathos is not going to be blatting along at 250kph . If you are not a sports bike rider (ie you aren't going to be coming off at 200+ kph) you can get adequate protective gear for affordable prices by avoiding bike shops and their very high "brand name" markups. Mr Jackrat pointed out that good leather gloves can be got from Protector Safety for $15. Yeah , sure, they don't have all the kevlar this and that, but they'll protect your hands.

Work boots can cost a fraction what brand name bike boots do, and will give adequate protection.

You need a jacket anyway for warmth/rain protection. And a helmet of course. I don't believe that expensive helmets give much extra protection.

Leggings is the big question mark one, there's not much alternative to bike stuff and it's flipping expensive.

Try to have something of everything (lid, jacket, gloves, boots, pants), even if it's secondhand or not a fancy brand. Main thing is to have something on.

And, if you want the maximum safety for dollar value, then the first thing to buy is the cheapest . And the most unfashionable. Go get a $10 fluoro vest. That will cut the odds of you having to put any of the other gear to the test by about 35%. Best safety dollar around.

Just depends on whether being safe is what you're focused on or whether it's pretending to be Mr Rossi.

And remember , if you crash, even the fanciest most expensive gear in the world won't necessarily save you. Crash and you may die, gear or no gear. So, don't crash.

[Wolf]

"Dririder" Cordura leggings and jacket cost me bugger-all from Road and Sport, my Sidi boots were relatively cheap (and apparently the Spider boots are cheaper), gloves also were not too dear. Am I in a one-piece race suit? Do I look like Rossi? No on both counts. Am I warm, dry and protected? Yes. Did it cost an arm and a leg? No. I also bought a cheapish HJC helmet and invested $35 in a back protector.

I could have saved money here and there but I was aiming for protection and weather-proofing combined. What I got affords me protection from rain and cold and is padded and tear resistant should I fall off.

[bugjuice]

Just check TradeMe and see what sort of combos you can put together for the money you've got. Fuk, there's leather jackets on there for 20 bucks!! Anyone can afford that. It's a tank and a bit of gas

[Marmoot]

Minimum clothing specs?

For guys, I suggest boots, gloves, leather suit, good helmet
For girls, I suggest boots, gloves, bra, thong

[bugjuice]

Minimum clothing specs?

For guys, I suggest boots, gloves, leather suit, good helmet
For girls, I suggest boots, gloves, bra, thong

not always
NWS

[Wolf]

Just check TradeMe and see what sort of combos you can put together for the money you've got. Fuk, there's leather jackets on there for 20 bucks!! Anyone can afford that. It's a tank and a bit of gas

Cash converters usually sell second hand riding gear - I'd steer clear of the helmets (who knows what internal damage has been done), but boots, gloves, jackets and leggings would be fine. If they look in good condition, they probably are.