I'm not sure how I feel about this. One of the big expenses of being a biker (particularly if you commute by bike) is replacing your gear what seems like fairly regularly. I currently have about $3k 'invested' in bike gear, and with my Spidi Gran Turismo pants seemingly on their last legs (har har!), am thinking once again about Going Shopping. The vifferbabe kindly gave me Motomail vouchers for my birthday and Xmas, but unfortunately, their online catalogue doesn't show anything that would be a suitable replacement, and even if it did, $200 won't go far. The GTs were around $540 6 or so years ago. Plus I have doubts about my Spidi H2-Out gloves ($250, IIRC) - have they lost their waterproofness (waterprooficity?), or was it just water from my jacket sleeves?
Some things last a reasonable length of time - the StylMartin StylSafe boots are five-and-a-half years old, and still goodish, although some of the less important stitching's coming unravelled, and the ubiquitous velcro (which is used on almost all bike gear) seems to have a practical lifetime of less than 3 years. (It's bugger, that - velcro is so useful and easy, but longevity is seemingly not among its attributes...)
Some stuff offers not quite infinite repair options, but close to it - like the 50 year old axe, that has had 11 new handles and three heads.
Leather's usually pretty good in this regard - zips can be replaced, torn bits can be patched or replaced if necessary, new linings fitted. The modern textiles - while quite versatile, are less robust. My last jacket (Teknic Hurricane), was a great all-round jacket, lasting over seven years, and I probably spent more than it originally cost having holes repaired, leather overlays added, zips replaced, new armour, etc. But in the end, although it still fulfilled its purpose, the jacket was SO faded and poxy looking, I didn't want to wear it any more.
Things have changed for me over the years, too. In the '70s, apart from a helmet (open face - fullface ones were in their infancy, and either too expensive, or were car ones which were too heavy), I wore gear only for protection from the elements, If it was cold, I wore gloves, otherwise not. I had a leather jacket, but if it was hot, I didn't bother. I could afford boots, so only bought some (workboots) when I got a dirt bike. I did have wet-weather gear, but only because I hated getting cold'n'wet.
As time's gone on (and I've gathered more scars), I've added more (and better) gear. I still didn't get my first pair of 'proper' bike boots (and decent fullface helmet) until 1994, and my first leather pants until about 1998. After finding out how crap it was wearing cheap waterproofs over leathers, and how much of a pain D'Auckland's changeable weather can be, I switched to wearing "four season" jackets, and then to matching pants. If I was really wealthy, I'd own summer and winter gear, but this stuff's the next best thing...
So what do you think? On the one hand, getting new gear is good, especially when gear is getting tatty or failing basic needs, but on the other hand, it's often ferkin expensive, particularly if (like me) there's several items which are nearing the end of their practical lifetime. It's almost enough to make me quit commuting, and save riding for the weekend, like many of you Weekend Warriors. (Problem is, my weekends are usually earmarked for exciting things like battling with the landscaping, rather than gliding over parts of the landscape, so I have to get my kicks from commutering).
Then there's those favourite items, like a helmet you really like, or really comfy gloves, and you don't really want to bin them, but ... there's safety to consider.
Do you factor the cost of gear replacement into bike ownership? Do you skimp on gear, buy the best, close your eyes when handing over the credit card? What are your criteria when choosing and buying gear?
I thought I'd found the ideal compromise with four seasons gear, but it's still a compromise. The pants have some leather patches, but are still textile, so not the best in (god forbid) a long asphalt slide. The jacket's leather, but has fiddly zips for the fragile liner, which if they bust (as they inevitably will), render the jacket useless. I'm thinking I'm going to have to either return to textile gear, or buy leather and an overjacket to match the Motoline overpants I still have.
I dunno... sometimes I think it's all too hard, and I should just give up.
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If I want something, I'll save and buy it. By the time I have the money I've either decided I don't really need it or that it's a bloody good idea and it's come down in price 
Originally Posted by skippa1
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