How old is too old for textile gear

**nerrrd** · 26th February 2017, 17:52

I have a Revit Textile and mesh summer jacket which is fading nicely in the coloured areas.

Got me thinking, it must be about 6 years old now. Probably going to replace it anyway, but would it be as protective in a crash at this age? Does exposure to UV do anything to the stitching etc? And in general, how old is too old for textile gear? Does age even matter at all so long as its still in one piece?

**nzspokes** · 26th February 2017, 18:42

If you are thinking its too old, it probably was 2 years ago.

**Akzle** · 26th February 2017, 19:13

depends how highly you value your skin...

protip: it's fucken handy where it is, and fucken sore when it comes off

**AllanB** · 26th February 2017, 19:41

I'm about to replace some 31 year old leather pants .......

**mossy1200** · 26th February 2017, 20:20

Originally Posted by AllanB

I'm about to replace some 31 year old leather pants .......

Over the last 31 years your legs have become leathery enough to go bareback.

**Motu** · 26th February 2017, 21:50

My Spidi jacket is about 17 years old, still in good condition, and I doubt it would fall apart in a fall. But it is no longer waterproof, or windproof so replaced it a few years ago. Maybe I should use it as a summer jacket.

**Michael Moore** · 27th February 2017, 06:12

I thought this thread was going to be how after a certain rider age they were too old to wear textile gear.

I think I'd be more concerned with old leathers than old textiles. A friend had a bad RR crash and when he was mobile again he visited a local race leather manufacturer to discuss new leathers. He took his crashed suit with him for an examination. He was pretty surprised when the owner of the firm showed him how easy it was to rip by hand dried-out racing leathers. Loss of the oils and infiltration with salt crystals with sharpish edges can do a lot of invisible damage to leather. Cordura/kevlar and similar modern fabrics might not have as many issues with that kind of thing.

cheers,
Michael

**george formby** · 27th February 2017, 14:19

Yup, textiles do weaken with age. The cheaper the quicker. I've found it's normally the stitching goes, seams coming apart.

The armour has a finite life span, too. The armour in my (old) Fieldsheer leather crumbled. Literally.

This thread is reminding how old my textile jacket is. And how many k's it's done.

**kiwi-on-wheels** · 27th February 2017, 22:34

My starting gear (cnell) lasted 6 months before it fell apart. My current gear (rjays) has done a lot of milage over the last 2 years but is getting pretty tired now. You pay for quality...