Always worn textile top and leather trousers, sometimes on the bike too My shape is such that if I wore full leathers I would look like a python who had swallowed a goat. Summer is worse because despite textiles with more zips than a bondage suit, it is still difficult to get a good enough and constant breeze to stop you looking like you are being questioned by the mrs asking, have you spent on bikes again, and the sweating that accompanies such. I'm tempted to try those fishnet tops with armour sewn in but worry I will look like Eddy Izzard
Depends on the sort of pubs you tend to go in. On the subject of Klim, I was in Crescent Verwood one day and I overheard the Klim rep talking to the clothing guy and he was saying that Klim sell more of their textile gear in the UK than in the rest of Europe combined. In which case what are European riders wearing? If overheating is a concern on continental trips, check out how the locals do it.
Tee shirt, shorts and Adidas. Europeans are not as anal about bike clothing as we are........just check out French or Spanish bike plod on the autoroutes or autostradas
Most days I wear textiles although out for fun with mates one-piece or two piece leathers. Never understood the urge for kevlar jeans as the kevlar part is a few small patches' ..unless things have changed now.
If you want textile have a look at Hi-Pro from Hideout Leathers. It is there own in house product whuch can be bought off the peg or made to measure and if it has "Hideout" on it then the quality will be second to none. www.hideout-leather.co.uk
You can imagine it now can't you Knock knock, erm Mrs evo? yes? Hubby's had a slight off on his bike but he's okay as he was wearing one of those airbag jackets Where did the accident happen? about a mile down the road Where is he now? Belgium.
I often had the same concern. I gave up trying to find a textile jacket that can cover winter and summer and just found a nice snug fitting ventilated textile jacket for warm weather. I still prefer my leather jackets though. They seem to catch a lot less wind and I find them much comfier. I rode for a long time with leather jacket combined with textile armoured trousers that fit over my normal clothes. I was commuting and textile's were much lower maintenance in all the road grime and rain and could be easily removed at work. leather kept out light showers and a plastic over jacket/trousers kept out the cold and heavier rain. I've only recently got some leather trousers and I love them! Once broken in, just like my jackets, they are so comfy. The tighter fit means they don't move or ever flap around. For touring, I'd probably revert to textile trousers, just for the ease of walking around off the bike and not looking like a power ranger so much. I'd choose to stick with the leather jacket though. I've never found textiles that are actually waterproof for more than an hour. I'm sure they exist but even expensive Dainese/A* stuff hasn't proved to actually be waterproof. Maybe if you spend thousands on Rukka gear but I just take a thin over jacket and trousers on longer rides, which keeps out rain better than anything else I've tried. A revelation for touring for me has been super lightweight high quality down jackets. Fold up tiny into a bag but the extra layer under a jacket adds tons of warmth when needed, better than any liners that come with bike jackets.
Very true but quality always costs and I've got fed up with crap letting me down over the years and firmly believe it pays to buy the best you can get.
i did the Pyrenees last summer on the monster and tossed about with this decision for weeks before ... i went for safety over comfort so wore my 2 piece RST leathers in the end , and though uncomfortable at time due to heat ..i made the right decision due to fast ..perfect ..new...open roads ...felt more confident at speed .....but its a personal thing
Not many riders on the roads in black leathers down in this part of France, apart from visiting Brits. I ride in what I want to ride in but put short boots on with my jeans and blow through jacket when I am doing longer journeys, as in 800 kms to the channel port. I have done around 16,000 kms on my Supersport in the last year or so, and do not even possess any proper bike trousers. The law says that we must wear a helmet and bike gloves here in France, the gloves look a little silly with the tee shirt, but I am not a slave to fashion.
Really? Where did you get that figure from? Having spent my life riding mostly in the UK, a bit in Germany and 14 years in France, I find the roads here much safer.
