Your thoughts on riding gear??

[Chisanga]

And a pair of surgical gloves under normal gloves keeps your hands warm and dry.

And leaves you prepared for the occasional "Roadside Inspection"

[alexthekidd]

Now realised how vitally important it is that i get some boots as soon as i can

[dman]

Was already planning to get all the stuff, boots etc... but always good to get the point re-enforced! I would like to be able to keep on running....

[Indiana_Jones]

I got my pants for $190 and my boots for $200

Not too expensive, and they paid for themselves after I got knocked over by that drunk driver.

-Indy

[The Pastor]

Gear is a waste of money, I bought dragon jeans that ripped straight away at 30km/r not the claimed 200km/hr.

Next.

[Roj]

Gear is a waste of money, I bought dragon jeans that ripped straight away at 30km/r not the claimed 200km/hr.

Next.

Have to disagree that gear is a waste of money, my lady got knocked of her bike by an unlicensed driver in an unregisterd car(thats another story)

She had good gear on and did not get any gravel rash, still had a lot of injuries but it wasn't until they were cutting her gear off that they discovered just how bad they were, the gear was holding together some very badly broken bones, the scrapes on the helmet were very deep, but not even her glasses were broken...

It is thanks to having good gear on that she is still with me.

[howdamnhard]

Check out Big Dog's link at http://www.ride2die.com if you need any convincing as to why you should wear descent gear.

[FkNAmerican]

Excluding the MSF course I took before getting my license (where I had on a bunch of borrowed gear) I've never been out without my:

full face helmet, alpinestars gloves, kevlar lined jacket with removable plates for the elbows, shoulders, and back, kevlar lined jeans (kevlar in the knees), boots with ankle protection, etc...........

I have low sided in all this kit and been damn glad I had it on. I low sided at about 35-40 miles per hour after coming around a bend too fast and almost running into an unexpected road hazard (pile of wood/logs that had fallen out the back of a truck or something and pretty much covered the entire lane with debris). In a panic I grabbed too much front break too early and just low sided.

Injuries = NONE. Zero road rash. No broken bones. I didnt even really get bruised up. I was right up on my feet in one motion (ounce I stopped) ready to get out of the way of following traffic and rescue my bike. I attribute most of that to my ninja like ability to fall properly however
Damage to my bike was mostly cosmetic. Luckily it didnt tumble and just slid down the road. The rest I fixed myself on the side of the road.

Lesson: NEVER go riding without your gear. In Christchurch the weather was almost always perfect in the summer (to my tastes anyway). I cant see how anybody in that area of NZ would ride without their gear. It never really gets hot enough there in the summer to warrant not wearing gear.. Where I live temps can top 100 degrees fairly often in the summer so it can be a real struggle to wear all that gear.

Im contantly amazed when I see people riding around during the summer in running shoes, a T-shirt, and shorts....no gloves....only a full face helmet. I can understand that it just gets so damn hot but the second they fall......ugh I cant even imagine the road rash....or worse. You just gotta ask yourself : Am I willing to risk permanent scarring and/or injury so I can be nice and cool all the time??

The biggest idiots are the cruiser types on thier Triumphs and Harley's........I cant think of a single one I've ever seen with a full face helmet on over here in the US. Dont know what its like in NZ but the Harley guys over here wouldnt ever dream of wearing a full face helmet. Those are for us crotch rocket guys apparently. Harley guys being style conscious!!! Ha, who'd have ever figured that!! To me, a non full face helmet is just a bucket for your brains to get mopped up into after the accident.

Simply put, suck it up and wear your gear. I've bascially accepted being hot all the time in the summer and arriving everywhere just a little bit sweaty in places. Hey, thats what air con in every building is for right!!!!

[FkNAmerican]

In fact, after reading my own post and doing a little thinking.....I prolly should upgrade from kevlar lined jeans to something with a bit more protection.......and I HATE leather pants. Now Im gonna have to eat my own words hehe.

[90s]

Always (except on scooter in Rarotonga, just shorts and sandals - hey everyone was doing it ... ) wear min. of gloves, jacket and big boots (currently fox pro formas). Boots take care of ankles and shins, but knees still weak point for commuting. Should wear armour for knees really.
Boots must though - my uncle on his BMW remembers falling off his bike at the hospital entrance. An artic wheel had removed his foot in trainers, although he had no recollection of it. Good boots would have saved his foot.
As a teen I once came home from a sports practice in my shorts. A golf GTi wrote me off and I still have some nice marks up my leg to remind me almost 20 yrs on - very nice. (my AGV split in 2 that time, and although I had concussion can you imagine if I hadn't had a decent lid on?)

[TygerTung]

You're an idiot if you don't wear gear

I wouldn't recomend wearing jeans and a jacket, if I could only have one I'd do proper pants and no jacket, because most of your injuries will happen to your legs.

I've had 5 crashes and 4 out of those 5 crashes it was me always sliding down the road on my arse/legs The other time was a highside so I landed on my sholder which, because I could only afford an old style leather jacket which had no armor got a bit hurt, sprained the rotator cuff. Funny thing was it hurt too much to drive a car, but I could still ride a bike sweet as!

Always wear gear, it's just not worth it. Some people think they might look cool or glamorous wearing a singlet or an openface or whatever, but to me and most other bikers, people etc they look like idiots.