Leathers when it's cold?

[Copycat73]

21 hours ago, S-Westerly said:

In actual fact unless you are riding on track a lot of more high end textiles give as much protection to road riders as leather. 

thats why track riders wear leather.. because it is better  .. and why would riding on the road diminish their (leathers) protective ability ?

[Capt Sisko]

I always feel more comfortable wearing a two piece leather touring suit and unless I know I'm riding into rain they are my preferred choice of bike wear, however at this time of the year a Gore-Tex suit is just so much more practical. Aside from the obvious weather proofing, my textile suit is a little larger and therefore allows for more layers / room for the heated vest.

Edited January 10 by Capt Sisko

[S-Westerly]

1 hour ago, Copycat73 said:

thats why track riders wear leather.. because it is better  .. and why would riding on the road diminish their (leathers) protective ability ?

Mainly because most road riders don't hit the deck at 200 mph. Imo textiles are more comfortable. I'm not trying to convert anyone, if you prefer leather crack on; I don't but am not trying to convert anyone.

[RideWithStyles]

Westy is correct. none is particularly right or wrong for everyone but knowing what you want and need from the product to buy once "wisely" is the key.

 

To answer the question:

Part of the reason for leather is still preferred on track to this day that its direct heat transfer is less doesn't melt (burn and fuse with skin) with friction which has always been a risk and to a point still is there weak point for textiles even now with linings that help but still very much a risk at very high speeds on smooth mac. temperatures from friction will be vastly higher achieved than on any public asphalt which will be rougher and cutting (like a cheese grater) than heat build up from say a fine sand paper of track mac. 
 

another is that its tighter fit (generally) holds itself together better(stiffer) in a spill so if there are underlying injuries it help hold the body firm into place.

 

one good thing about leather which is just it lasts long at surviving spills and easier to just change a recked panel than text which needs more layers and less companies do this service.

[Gerontious]

I'm old enough to remember the shift from Leather to Textiles... early 1980s it was. Before then there were definitely textiles - mostly cotton based with waterproofing (or water resistance) provided by wax impregnation. The classic example of this was the Belstaff.

But then things changed. obviously there wasn't a huge range of fibres that were suitable, in the early days mistakes were made. You had jackets that were effectively made from heavy duty (plain) nylon - with solid waterproofing layers underneath. so you were effectively riding in a plastic bag. sweat hell. This sort of gear was only worn in the winter when being sweaty wasn't really an issue. But then some bright spark had an idea. Why not use Cordura? To begin with it was a fairly expensive fabric and so only used by the high end brands like Rukka. But it soon caught on and evolved. Dupont saw this huge new market for the fabric and did a bit of rejigging. So.. very quickly the old story about textiles melting and fusing disappeared. it was never really an issue anyway except in those very rare cases where riders in an off would slide a long distance without tumbling. But these stories once they get into the zeitgeist never really go away. Now we are 40 years on. 40 years of research and development. Cordura is decidedly old tech - though its been improved hugely in the time. And is somewhat banal. Everyone uses it or its copies. And nowadays.. just like at any time. You get what you pay for.

 

Cordura today has very little in common with the Cordura of 1929 (when it was invented)

 

You simply cannot compare the leathers that professional riders wear on the track with ANYTHING available to us mere mortals - from our local "off the peg" gear shop. regardless of brand. Its a completely false equivalence. Though modern biker leathers are light years ahead of what was on sale 'back in the day'.  Not because the leather is any different. But how it's sorted. and stitched and everything that goes into its construction is completely different. You might say that quality has suffered. But then (again) back in the day there might only be 3 people involved in making a leather jacket. The person who sorted the leathers, graded and cut the pattern. The seamstress who would make it, from start to finish. and then the 'checker' - who would examine it closely looking for any bad workmanship. Who gets this amount of dedication now? nobody. aside from GP riders or those lucky enough to have access to a small manufacturer with the same work ethos. They do exist. But you won't find anything from them in sportsbikeshop. unless you are willing to pay £3000 or thereabouts. for the best of the best from maybe Alpinestars. or similar. And you can bet these high end suits are not made in the same place, by the same people as their 'affordable' gear.

 

In the same way you cannot compare leather gear produced today with leather gear made in the 1980s. Same goes for textiles. There is no comparison. unless you look at the cheapest of the cheap. And even then you are seeing improvements as cheap cordura copies are still a huge upgrade on what was available back in the day.

 

The fabrics used, however are only as good as the design of the garment allows. And more importantly the skills of the seamstresses in the facilities that produce these items. There is a reason why the high end textiles are so expensive. Even the mid range are expensive - if you have a certain point of view. Why buy a Rukka jacket that costs over a £1000 when you can buy a Rev'it that costs £500 or an Oxford that costs £250 or an Ozone that costs £99.  You get what you pay for. You get the fabrics and protection that you pay for. You get the workmanship that you pay for.

 

The specs for that £99 jacket - seem perfectly fine. (though it lacks any kind of waterproofing)

 

Would I buy it? Nope. Should you buy it? Yes.. its going to be a lot better than wearing a puffa jacket.. and is probably light years better than any affordable textile jacket that was on sale in 1982. And if its all you can afford (at the moment) then who am I to tell you NO.

 

Edited January 11 by Gerontious

[RideWithStyles]

Of course not forgetting that not all leather is the same nor have the blanket same uses.

Cow - which breed of, what part and where from in the world it was living, let alone tannings yada yada. Very little of each goes to any waste as its parts have uses in other trades, even textiles...

kangaroo - again strong but more importantly for racers its lighter and but thesee is less of it to each beast and it takes extra care and attention to process it not including farming the things.

heard even things like sting rays and shark skins have been used too for things like gloves and boots.

[husoi]

As someone already said. Wearing leathers is more a personal choice than anything else.

To protect yourself from the cold you will be better off with several layers, including thermals, regardless of wearing leather or textile.

I only wear textiles for rain with or without the inside layer on if it's cold (98% of time is Scotland).

[Simon Davey]

Have to add, despite being cold, my old FT leathers are shaped to me (like cling film on a sack of spuds) and they're so freakin comfortable. The extra wide shoulder pads look very old fashioned though. 

I'll definitely be wearing them in the warmer weather. 

I expect to be juggling what I wear though, at least until I can afford some genuine all season kit. 

 

Edited January 11 by Simon Davey

[Phil1]

Another point to make, leathers are far more likely to be one piece, which while riding is fine, but we all like to stop now and again for a brew or two at a cafe, unfortunately with a one piece suit on you often have a bit of a "power ranger" look. Textiles are far more break friendly and easy enough just to take your jacket off and throw over the bike. 

 

I agree overall leathers are still probably the gold standard for protection when (if) you fall off. I'd rather be warm, dry and comfortable in winter and adequately ventilated in summer, with the flexibility to remove layers easily when you stop. They're just 90% more practical overall. 

[jedibiker]

I went out last week, and the cold seemed to get through way to easy. leather pants and seperate jacket. base layer etc. Just needed a little extra protection