Noob rider gear questions

[Edgey]

Hey, I'm new to the forum and new to biking, joined the forum to learn a bit more before I do my CBT and get my first bike, have a few gear questions I would like to ask.

Firstly, how should my leather jacket fit me? should it fit nice and tight like it's hugging me? or should it be slightly looser? or are these just personal preference and does not affect protection?

Secondly are leather/protective textile pants required? I will be using my bike mainly for transport to work where I am required to wear my work pants. Is it easy to wear leathers over my work pants and are they easy to whip on and off? Would textile pants be a better option for me? (such as these 'Draggin' jeans i've heard about or something similar), my work doesn't really have a changing room to get changed in.

Sorry if these questions seem hilariously stupid or anything, all help is appreciated.

Warning: I may post more gear questions in the future!

[Guest]

Jacket needs to fit... umm not too tight, but it dont wanna be baggy either... go and try some on, the guys in the shop will tell you. Remember it will be a bit tight at first, but it loosens off over time.

Trousers... ummm if you like your legs as they are trousers are essential I would say textiles would be more suitable for you, and I would match that with textile jacket instead of leather jacket.

Vicki

[Guest]

Hey, ask away!

Technically the leather should be like a second skin so should be quite tight. If it's loose and you come off, you can get burn injuries. This is from the 'chinese burn' affect as it twists on your skin.

As for pants, lots and i mean lots of people wear leathers over nothing but maybe longjohns. Personally i wear my leather trousers over cargo pants with no issues. Same as you, I need to get changed at work and they offer no facilities.

And yes, they are required. Well, i should say recommended

[Guest]

I have to wear a shirt and tie for the office, so leave a fresh shirt at work, l and can get my leathers on with my trousers (less belt) the jacket is a comfy fit, and can fit a t-shirt and fleece under, but its too snug to get a back protector in there... just get to work before the rest of the office...

[Jurgen Da Silva]

Remember it will be a bit tight at first, but it loosens off over time.

 

Just remember that leather does shrink. Over the years I've had a couple of jackets which fit fine to start with then got too tight to zip up. Shrinkage. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it

[MtotheJ]

Id say your best bet is a set of textiles but you could always go to a shop and try both leathers and textiles on over your clothing to see what you feel most comfy in. I personally wear textiles to work as i find the trousers easier to get over my work trousers and the jacket breathes a little bit better so i dont turn up with a soggy back! Also there are no locking facilities where i work and id rather loose my £200 each or so textiles as opposed to my £450 odd leather jacket and trousers!

At the end of the day leathers or textiles is personal preference though! If youre going for leather jacket, like has been said it needs to be quite snug, if you hold your arms out and try and twist your arms, the armour should move with them. Like vicki said though, they should explain in the shop

Good luck

[Edgey]

Thanks all for the information, I probably wont be going to a shop to buy any clothing though so I'll have no one to advise me really. Reason being to keep costs down so I will most definately be buying most of my gear 2nd hand from places/the internet. Only thing I know I will get from a shop is a new, good quality helm!

This probably belongs in a different thread and has probably already been asked many times before but:

For a new rider, what would be better, a 2-stroke or 4-stroke engine? My uncle advised a 4 but I cannot remember why, just wondered what you guys think. I personally don't know the differences they create but am about to look into it a bit deeper through the powers of google!

[Guest]

Yeh just stick it in another thread in bike chat please

Also... nowt wrong with going in shops to try on the gear, then checkin out the same 2nd hand stuff on ebay or elsewhere... different makes offer different sizes... just cos u try it on in the shop dont mean u have to buy

[Edgey]

hmm I didn't think of that, I may be popping into a few shops then in hope to find the same item cheap on eBay or something, thanks for the idea!

p.s. engine question moved to Bike thread here.

[Ratser]

A lot of the shops still have sales on due to ye olde credit le crunch.

J&S have deals on with 20% off, and Hein Gerricke (or 4theride) are also dishing out vouchers this month.

Last year at HG I bought the jacket and got the jeans free.

[Edgey]

yeah I've been browsing J&S after seeing it mentioned a few times on this forum, its rather likely I'll be getting some stuff from there.

Also found topgearsuperstore.com has a few cheap items on, my only worry is that if I get something off these websites it may not fit right, therefore costing me to return it. Chances of me finding the exact same clothing on these websites as in one of the few bike shops around me to try it on first are rather slim.

[techno]

I would suggest you do buy a helmet that you have tried on as the same style and marked size helmet in different shops do vary slightly and you should be able to get a decent helmet for under a £100 just look for quality outgoing styles!

I have never paid more than that yet!

[TC1474]

Little tip regarding your jacket. When you try it on don't wear anything other than a T shirt. If you try it on with a jumper it may fit nice and snug in the winter months, but come the summmer it will be like a balloon and could cause greater injury if you were to come off.

In the winter, wear something like a windcheater (nothing with a hood) or an anorack over the top of your leather as this will create a pocket of warm air between you and the elements so it will actually keep you warmer, and if you do take a tumble you damage a cheap over jacket rather than your leather.

Then come the summer, you still have a jacket that fits properly

[techno]

But if you buy textiles they will have removable layers that you remove in the summer!

[Edgey]

Thread revival with glove question:

Has anyone had any experience with Buffalo gloves?

Saw thes on eBay about my price range:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

Im looking for decent protective leather gloves which are waterproof really, just I couldnt find many reviews about Buffalo products/gloves so unsure wether to go for them or not, its the kinda style I like, but I dont want to get them just because they look nice.

In addition I decided to go for a leather jacket, picked up this Hein Gericke leather jacket off eBay for £50, RRP of £150, saved £100

http://www.hein-gericke.co.uk/shop/prod ... ts_id/4983

[Bogof]

Thread revival with glove question:

Has anyone had any experience with Buffalo gloves?

 

 

Yes. Had 3 pairs now.

1st were stolen (along with the bike) but up to that point they were fine.

2nd went back to the shop as the cuff stitching had started to come undone after using them for a couple of months. They exchanged them with no hassle for...

3rd are now a month old and seem fine.

Generally they fit well, seem to keep their shape, and are easy to get on and off. The protection seems to be in all the right places and I have confidence in them, which to me is important. I like to feel that gear will do it's job properly when the time comes!

Only slight niggle is that they seem to like transferring colour from the leather to your hands in warm weather

What I like most about them is the price.

[Edgey]

so in your experience, good budget gloves I take it, which is good because i'm not looking for some pro racing gloves here or something, just a nice pair of standard protective gloves.

I may think of buying a thinner pair of textile/mesh (but still protective) gloves for summer/warm weather then.

Ill assume the leather colours your hands due to it being cheaply coloured leather (got an earful about how people cut costs when colouring leather whilst I was recently sofa shopping).

Thanks for all the help you guys have provided, I will definitely be adding more questions here, probably concerning textile pants/jeans.

[houltmac]

I've just started riding so it's no real recommendation but I got two pairs of gloves.

The first pair I got was a pair of Buffalo winter gloves. They are super thick and warm and have a huge gauntlet. Very comfortable but I felt the thickness may not be suitable for learning with if I needed to feel the movement better and feel slightly less restricted. They are plain black so I don't know about the colour issue.

Then I got a pair of Alpinestars gloves. They are still leather, but thinner and lighter. I wore them today and while my hands were soaked they were neither too warm nor too cold. They are very tight to get on but comfortable as heck. I don't really remember I'm wearing them. I liked the lack of gauntlet which fits with my jacket better, but also is a little cooler.

I think they will compliment each other quite well and both be quite protective in the case of a fall. Still, the Buffalo were half the price of the AStars.

[Edgey]

I changed my mind and thought i'd go the whole hog and get these:

http://www.bikingdirect.com/clothing/sp ... s/11994-p/

Recommended by Ride magazine and I thought id get some to last much longer and not necessarily need replacing for a while and offer more safety as fingers are rather delicate and as it looks like i'll be learning in winter, I'll probably be coming off the bike at least once.

[Edgey]

Thread Revival with new question!

This time its about pants!!

Im looking at some textile pants on eBay, Gozo bike wear, british company just starting out selling on eBay I think, can't find them elsewhere but looks like good kit.

anyway, obviously I wont be able to try any of these on in a store as they only seem to deal over eBay but would like some advice.

Basically, measuring my waist with the tape left a bit loose I am a 33", but with the measuring tape snugle against skin all the way around, but without it digging in, it measures 32". They offer 32"waist 32"leg OR 34"waist 32"leg. The leg is fine as I am a 32" but unsure what to go for in terms of waist, 32 or 34? This would be my first set of textile bike pants so I have nothing previous to go off. I plan to wear them over other clothing (such as work pants) if that makes a difference. Most of my casual jeans are 32" waist but I don't wear pants underneath. Any friends/family I have asked have given conflicting answers but none of them are bikers.

Thanks for your time!

[rennie]

go for the bigger ones! you need room to move about on the bike

and you'll be sat down/leant forward.

[Paul]

Im looking for decent protective leather gloves which are waterproof really, just I couldnt find many reviews about Buffalo products/gloves so unsure wether to go for them or not, its the kinda style I like, but I dont want to get them just because they look nice.

 

I have a pair of Buffalo gloves here. Have had them for about 3 yrs now and they are excellent gloves. The Velcro is starting not to hold properly now on the left hand glove so I will be looking for an identical pair at the NEC next month.

These are what I have http://secure.buffalo.bifax.co.uk/view_ ... y_id=10720

Fantastic in the winter and not too bad in the summer either. I did have a pair of Joe Rocket summer gloves last year and they literally fell apart after a few weeks riding. Quite flimsey too, these Buffalo are rock solid.

I can highly recommend them mate they are superb gloves.

[hurtank]

i like my jacket to be smaller in length becuase i find when they get tight around hips its irritating. i like myne tight about my hips becuase it also serves and my #1 carrying place.

trousers i reccomend tightish but not so tight your legs cant breath. dont wear apple bottom jeans, ive had a few occasions on my 125 where my trouser leg has gone through my front sprocket and almost pulled me off

gloves. i reccomend summer gloves and buy a set of winter undergloves. its abit more expensive but makes a huge diffrence when changing seasons without melting. helmet should be tight to the point where if you grip the chin gaurd and shake it your head moves with the helmet 100% although dont do it so tight it hurts.

if your wearing a one peice undersuit make sure its nice and tight. you will look like a latex cycler so get into kit quickly.

Boots. make sure your boots fit properly. having boots where theres "room to grow into" is not a smart plan in my opinion becuase you cant account for the spacial awareness between your toes and the floor in aggresive positions

some of this is total bullshit to some people its all personall opinion