I'm not sure what the pro's and con's of the following are for touring laminated textile trousers leather jeans + waterproof overtrousers denim jeans + waterproof overtrousers I normally do rideouts in a textile jacket and leather trousers. I will wear my textile jacket on tour as it's comfy. I bought the matching textile trousers to wear on the tour because I thought this is what everyone does but now I've found out others are wearing all manner of combo! Any advice on the subject would be appreciated. Riding 2 days through France and then spending 4 days riding around the Picos mountains.
I have toured in leathers, textiles and jeans. It really depends upon the weather you expect to encounter. When riding to southern Spain in the summer it’s jeans and a very ventilated textile jacket. For the colder parts of the trip or if it rains I put a waterproof jacket and overtrousers on. If I’m riding in the U.K. or northern France in the summer then I often ride in textiles. One downside is that the outer layer is designed to get waterlogged when it rains. The waterproof breathable membrane beneath it keeps you dry. Unfortunately it can often take longer than overnight for the outer layer to dry out meaning you put on a damp jacket the next morning, although the inside will be dry. Also I have never had textiles that keep me 100% dry. Water always gets in somewhere if I am riding all day in the rain. I have found that I always get a wet arse because the heat from the exhaust warms the seat enough that the water evaporates through the gortex of my textile trousers and condenses on the other side. If I know that the weather is unlikely to involve too much rain and not be too hot I’ll ride in leathers and put on waterproof jacket and trousers if it rains. The advantage of my waterproofs is that by not being breathable they do keep 100% of the rain out. The disadvantage is that on a hot summers day I’ll get wet from the condensation inside the waterproofs, so if it’s just gentle showers I’ll tend to ride through them without putting waterproofs on. One year when crossing the Pyrenees from Spain it started raining on our descent into France. We though it would be a brief shower so we didn’t put our waterproofs on. By the time we got to Pau an hour later we were quite wet so we just carried on and it stayed raining until Toulouse two hours later. By the time we got to Limoges (a further three hours) we were dry.
I only ever wear leather with edz bin bag liners underneath if looking wet & /or a halversons overjacket Wear what you feel most comfortable riding in & take spare gloves If your in the Picos and it looks like rain you can normally find a drier ride & change route accordingly !!
Depends on the weather. Two years ago I went to Italy in leathers, which is fine whilst riding. As soon as you stop it’s was like being in a “boil in the bag”. Last year I wore a textile jacket and Kevlar jeans. Much more comfortable. I’m doing the same this year.
Textile only nowadays. I have a Wolf Ti Outlast jacket and Wolf armoured jeans with a Ducati branded Revitt fully vented summer jacket. Last year I rode to the Ardeche getting caught in the worst weather I’ve ridden in in 36 years of riding. I took lightweight IXON w/proofs which worked brilliantly. I got wet due to helmet leaking through the vents and water running down the inside of my neck! Going away in ten days for a week in Europe. Same set up again but different helmet. We shall see. Hope to fcuk it’s dry this year! Might treat myself to laminates for next year though.
Leathers only for me. Even in 30°+ and sitting on a bonfire (1299). Ive fallen off enough times to know it can happen at any time and always when you dont expect it. I 'push on' though. So am likely to be nipping along at a rate of knots. If I was having a nice cruise on a suitable bike, then I may textile. But I wont. I'll wring its neck and thrash the bollocks off it. If youre not a moron like me, and are sedate and steady, then textiles are fine. But if you are a fuckwit like me, then leathers are the safe bet.
Rukka jacket, it’s a waterproof shell. This means the water beads off and it doesn’t get heavy. It’s vented, with high abrasion resistance material etc. Couple it with vented leather trousers, race fit. I have tried textile trousers but over a long day they move about too much and become uncomfortable. If rain gets really too heavy then overtrousers that pack up v small. Would say this depends though, if your going to have stop start, towns etc this will get a bit hot at times esp in Spain! Would consider the Rokker jeans (talked to Bumpkin) about these recently.. Air flow is key though, good helmet vents, remove hand guards, shorty gloves will allow air up the sleeve. These little things add up to a big difference.
Have used practically all variations and still these taking space in the wardrobe to be called on as required. It depends on time of year and where you're going. Check forecasts but don't rely on them. Last year did Dolomites in late June, heatwave in the UK but it pissed it down for 8 days solid there. Was wearing decent perforated leather jacket zipped to Rokkertech single layer denim/kevlar jeans (in fact don't think they're kevlar, something better). This outfit is obviously far from waterproof. Thankfully, and not being stupid, I'd packed my Held breathable over-jacket and trousers which are brilliant. These kept me nice and dry until I left them at a returant one lunchtime having hung them to dry on their veranda and it wasn't raining for the afternoon... Didn't realise until we reached the hotel that evening some 120 miles away... so maybe a little stupid. Found a local bike dealer the next morning a bought some not-so-cheap cheap replacements. Was a bit soggy and sweaty for the rest of the trip. Thankfully the restaurant, after an email exchange and a transfer of some euros for postage, sent the Held kit back to me. 2 days across France, you're going to be doing big daily mileage. It's going to be getting hotter in the South especially at this time of year, not sure when you're leaving. Picos can be wet as, generally, they're the first big lump weather from the Atlantic hits. Though if its fine can be baking too. Did Picos in 2016 and wore a Dainese textile perforated jacket that has zip in wind-cheater and thermal lining and shoulder, elbow and back protection along with Dainese leather jeans, these zip together at the waist. I also took the Held Waterproof ensemble above. This outfit was perfect with only my legs getting a bit sweaty on the hot days (late June again).IIf going now I'd be wearing the Rokkertech jeans which I didn't have then. Take more than one pair of gloves, I prefer decent shorties for when it's hot as you get the benefit of a draft up your sleeves. I have longer Goretex gloves without a thermal lining for wet weather. My choices may not be the ultimate in protection but it's definately a trade off between comfort and safety. However, the two are also linked IMHO in so much thst if you are comfortable you are more focused on your riding rather than frustrated by being too hot, cold, sweaty etc. You also arrive more refreshed and able to enjoy stops and the daily destinations. If going the oversuit route then for places like the Picos where it can be warm and wet something breathable, which will cost more, is a worthwhile investment. Use a cheapie oversuit and you'll be slathered in sweat to the extent you might have been more comfortable just getting soaked by the rain. I've toured in Spain in full leathers and regretted it... Granted, I've invested quite a bit in my biking wardrobe to have a choice of what to wear. Even when buying hot weather kit I will still have a stern eye on the safety aspects. Good luck with your choices and enjoy your trip, sounds fantastic. Just seen Andy's post before mine
These things work when its fucking hot. You stay cool and much less fatigued. I simply soak it in sink for 2 mins, let drip and put in a water tight bag for when I need it. On a journey nr Le Puy when it was 36°C, I was nice n dandy whilst my mates were keeling over. They hated me for that. Still do. Suckers.
Some BRILLIANT replies on this thread. Will bookmark it for future use. For this trip the weather report isn't looking too special, to be honest. Weather will be mild (I'd been hoping for hot - I'm a sucker for hot weather) ranging from 10-17c with cloudy days and some rain forecast in the town we are staying in. I bet the mountains themselves will be pissing down with rain.
Just ended up buying every option like a fool lol. I've decided I'm going to go in demin jeans with overtrousers in my bum bag Can you the textiles as over trousers when commuting to work so they won't be completely wasted.
Just come back from a trip to Germany. Was wearing Rokker Revolution jeans with waterproof overtrousers and a Dianese gore tex coat. And I can tell you that I got absolutely bloody soaked to the skin. Horrible. So good luck mate.
I wear whatever the temperature dictates but I carry waterprooof over trousers and a Berghaus waterproof jacket, not designed for bikes but slips over nicely, the hood goes under my helmet so the heaviest of rain can't get in. Big velcro cuffs seal onto the gloves, best bit of kit I've got, no compromise on safety and as dry as the proverbial bone.
I’ve got loads of bikewear, 2 piece gore tex, 2 piece leathers, etc, mostly Dainese stuff, but my “go to” most useful combination is Dainese gore tex jacket and the pants off my 2 piece leather suit. Just done 6 days in Scotland where we had everything from 19c and sunny, down to 8c ( yes,..fekkin 8c in June!! ) and pissing rain! The gore tex jacket is one of the pro shell types where the water beads up and rolls off it, I wouldn’t give you 2p for the other ones where the shell wets out, useless , if you don’t get wet you will still certainly be cold and it makes the jacket heavy. I carry a set of lightweight Rev-it waterproof pants to slip on top of the leather pants if it looks like rain, get Velcro leg closures on waterproof pants, cos zips always jam up in my experience. The above combo gives a few advantages:- With the gore tex jacket you have more pockets for, phone, wallet, keys etc, but the biggest advantage in my opinion is that mine has a chest pocket. I keep a damp microfibres cloth in here, and when road conditions allow, I can take it out, clean the visor and stuff it back in the chest pocket without too much bother- bingo! Clean visor at any time without stopping. Also with this jacket you can either stay warm, or take out the thermal lining if it’s getting a bit hot. I prefer the leather pants to the gore ones as , even with the vents open, the gore ones make my “ spuds boil “ if you know what I’m saying!! The other advantage of slipping on waterproofs over them is it keeps you cleaner from all the road muck that tends to hit your legs in the spray, you can end up really filthy if it rains for most of the day. Having said all of the above, most of the guys I ride with use Rukka 2 piece pro shell gore tex 2 pieces, even then, quite a few of them will still put a waterproof suit of top to keep all the road muck off, how dirty you get depends a lot on what type of bike you are riding, my Panigale chucks dirty water spray all over my lower back and arse, I look filthy after a wet ride compared to some of the other guys! Hope you find a combo that works for you.
My own experience/observation if your safety is high on your priorities is this: textiles great keeping you dry; with vents good in hot or cold weather. However the armour moves around a lot due to loose fit of most makes I've checked out. Leathers great for keeping armour in place but hotter and very rarely waterproof. No one plans to get punted off but i've been around long enough to see the aftermath of crap bike gear when it goes down the road with a human in it. We all asses risk differently but i'd rather be a bit sweaty than suffer skin grafts or worse if a dozy moo punts me off. Vented leathers with light weight 2 piece waterproofs for the rainy bits would be my choice if touring abroad in the summer.
All about balancing the risk in my opinion but I'd agree with most of what has been said. Nothing comes close to full one piece leathers, it's a simple fact. If I'm on a race bike then I always try to wear leathers and chest and back protection. They are a pain to stop in and uncomfortable and tiring to wear all day so on the road I often will wear two piece leathers that have full knee and elbow protection as being able to unzip them when you stop makes a big difference in how tired you get. I've crashed in every type of clothing on the road (not a proud claim but still..) and I can 100% say that if you are not wearing full leathers then you are extremely likely to get an injury from a relatively light crash. I have a nice big scar above my knee from having a head on with a car whilst wearing bike jeans. It was actually the knee protection that caused the hole but I'd probably have smashed my knee if I didn't have it I suppose. Thats the biggest problem with all the textile and denim options, they are not tight fitting so the protection moves around and can often come right away from the area its supposed to protect. Leather trousers without padded knees or sliders will protect from a slide better but usually injure your knees from the impact because it's a natural way to fall when taken by surprise. I tested that as well riding a dirtbike on the road and it hurt like hell! Leather jackets without elbow padding are much the same. If I'm on an Adventure bike then I will often do like you say and wear leather trousers with a good quality touring or offroad jacket with the back and chest protection again. You're not going so fast or being such a hooligan so I'm happy to relax the gear a bit. If it's hot weather in the Mediterranean coast then I'll happily cruise around without safety gear if I'm just out and about. Again its balancing the risks and you rarely see locals in any kind of leather gear, it's just the Brits that do that because we have rubbish weather and have to be more careful on bikes. I dont mind being that Brit in all the gear as I'm usually giving it some beans so it makes sense.
