Riding Gear, Leather vs Textile

[Dirtrideroader]

When I got back in to the sport a couple of years ago, a friend convinced my Spousal Unit that she wanted an Aerostitch Roadcrafter for her Anniversary Gift. In my size. I love my two piece RC.

I am considering buying another set of riding apparel. Should I buy something like Darien jacket and pants or a Vanson leather jacket and pants?

[kurt]

Textile- equal crash protection in the better garments, lighter, better ventilated, can use it in the rain. In the winter I prefer leather under certian conditions, but I may soon change my mind on this as well.

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab I think textile is good for convenience when doing the daily riding thing like commuting. It goes over clothes well, you don't usually have to worry about weather changes. Leather on the other hand is great for racing and for the weekend warriors. It tends to fit much tighter (at least it should) to keep the armor from moving around. They are about equivalent in costs for the good stuff. Expect to pay around $800 for just above the middle of the pack quality. You can do both for around $500 but you tend to get what you pay for ;-) I have had my eye on the Rukka gear from Europe. It looks to be like an Aerostich but more serious and better thought out, but also more $$ :-(

Adios,

[scratch]

I sense that I'm better protected when I wear my leather jacket and pants, but that's not to say that the high-end textile gear won't get the job done too. All factors have to be balanced, but when it comes to ultimate protection, leather still has a slight (but significant) edge, IMHO.

[mlinkibikr]

Whatever you do get, don't buy something just because it looks hot and is half the price of everything else. There's good stuff out there and there's a lot of crap too, so whatever you choose, research it well. And if you buy well and ride for many years, you too will have a closet full of leather and textile so you can pick your gear for the riding you plan to do that day!

Bottom line is that there is no single universal do it all everyday kind of gear. Leather is fantastic, but here in Texas you're going to have a lot of textile days too. Best to have both.

[AggieVFR]

While I prefer the textile route for its versatility, I have to agree with Scratch that I feel better protected when wearing leather. I'd hate to wear it in the rain though. Something tells me that perforated leather would smell pretty bad after riding in the rain. :shrug: I usually save the leather for sporting rides when the weather forecast is good. Otherwise, I just use the textile gear.

[Dirtrideroader]

I definitely think the Textile suits are best all around thing to wear. I can ride with my Aerostitch in all kinds of weather, and most of the time be comfortable. To the point that I feel naked without it.

But, I think there are definitely times when leather would be better. Like on a day like today. Cool, crisp, not a chance of rain. My experience with leather is it blocks the wind and cold better. Add some insulation under it and the cold seems to stay out better.

But I would have to agree about the rain. I think I will have to invest in a compact rainsuit to carry along. Here in Texas, if you don't like the weather, just wait a minute, it is liable to change.

I assume people are riding with armor in both kinds of suits?

[mlinkibikr]

Yes - if you already have textile (it gets no finer than Aerostich) then by all means grab some leather. Make sure it has armor - i would suggest looking at Hein Gerike where some models even have zip in liners for cold weather and zipper vents for cold weather. Gates sells good stuff too.

Check out Cycle Gear down on the Gulf freeway and see what they have to try on. I think they carry Fieldsheer. Some bike dealers carry stuff too. Why we don't rate a motorcycle show here in Houston I'll never fathom, but with leather you really need to try the stuff on to get the right fit. It's not as forgiving as textile. If you really want to go to the motherlode you need to get your leathers in Europe - they live in the stuff and have a huge variety. Hey - wouldn't that be a trip !

You also mentioned your Roadcrafter - you might want to look at a spine protector that you can switch from jacket to jacket. Help me out guys - is it "Bone" or Bohn" or "Bohm" that is the hot setup?

One other thing to keep in mind with a leather jacket - even if you don't want them now some good leather pants that match will be nice to have. So go with a manufacturer that sells both halves that you like so that you can zip them together some day.

Good luck!

Dave.

[buck000]

After some experimentation with venting on my Roadcrafter this summer, I'm happy to say that that suit is good for me from about 30 degrees to over 100 degrees. :-D

If I ever get clearance from She Who Must Be Obeyed to get more into track days, I'll likely get a decent set of leathers (does anyone make a set that has expando-panels, for those of us developing our spare tires?).

[Dirtrideroader]

Vanson makes jackets with expandable waste(no pun intended) bands. Supposedly have several inches of range. Of course they advertise it is for different amounts of under clothing. Not for the obvious.

I too love my Roadcrafter. This last summer I found if I carried my camel back inside the suit, filled with ice, it was almost like A/C inside the suit. To add to the effect I would wet my shirt with the cold water while riding. It helped a lot. I rode across the deserts in NW Colorado, Utah and Oregon in the great heat wave of 2003. Temps well into the 100's.
Don't get me wrong, it was hot. But the camel back and wet shirt made it tolerable. I also drank a bottle of gatorade everytime I filled up.

[Tourmeister]

I also drank a bottle of gatorade everytime I filled up.


:tab I'd be willing to bet you did not have to wiz very often either! When we were touring out there, I drank at least a half liter or more at each stop (about every hour and half to two hours) and seldom had to relieve myself until the end of the day. It was nice to be able to sweat and actually enjoy the benefits of evaporative cooling, something that does not work so well here in the balmy woods of East Texas :|

Adios,

[Dirtrideroader]

You are absolutely right about the dehydraytion. One thing I learned from cycling is if you don't have to go behind the bushes occaisionally, you aren't keeping up with the fluids. Last summer, I drank either a 20 oz or quart bottle of gatorade, depending on whether or not I needed to use the facilities.

I KNOW, TOO MUCH INFORMATION....

[Dirtrideroader]

I ended up buying two sets of Vanson Leathers on E-bay. Mine fit great. The women's leathers I bought for my kids didn't fit. That is why they are for sale.

I rode this weekend up to Fayetteville. I let my brother wear my Aerostitch and I wore my new Vanson leathers. They are very comfortable. Seem to be warmer than the 'Stitch too.

With them tucked into my Daytona Trans Open GTX boots with the steel toe caps, I looked like I should have been heading to the local neoNazi meeting. Or so I felt anyway.

It will be interesting to see how long I can stand them once the weather warms up next spring.

[Chirpy]

Ah.

Something I'm actually qualified to speak on!

Textile stuff is fine for street riding, to be brutal, that's because the speeds are relatively low. Most of the time there is at least some braking, so the actual impact is sub 30 mph, most of the time. In this envirnoment textiles are fine, and the 'stich in particular has a well deserved reputation.

The reason textiles are forbidden by racing organizations is simple. While many crashes are the typical low side, there is the possibility of a high speed get off with a long slide, ala Ben Spies. Since we're talking about Ben, it's obvious that on a long enough slide, you can abraid leather all the way though, but the norm is to pavement surf down the straightaway at a 100 or so and then curse 'cause you trashed your bike.

Textiles have a nasty habit of starting to melt in a prolonged slide. You think road rash is bad? How about road rash with melted nylon in it?

:shock:

Sorry for the imagery, but that's why textiles aren't allowed in racing.

Most track days will allow you to use a 'stich or other top quality gear in the classroom group, and maybe even in the "B" group, but A group (usually racer practice) will require leathers.

That said, if I were ever lucky enough to have a job where I could commute on the bike, I'd have a 'stich or similar for daily wear.

As to the expando panels, well, they'd have to go right where you want leather, so not a good idea. At the risk of pimping myself, while I have done trade ins for folks going down a size due to diet, I've never traded one up :wink: Guess that might be a new market!

Daryl

[John Bennett]

I prefer a leather jacket because of the way it feels.

I use mine as a pillow when camping. During rest stops I like to throw it on the ground and lounge on it. I keep mine conditioned with mink oil so it is somewhat water repellant and sheds dirt and leaves easily. Once per season I give it a good scrubbing, re-blacking, and reconditioning.

I am however in the ebay market for a First Gear Kilimanjaro just to have some thing different on occasion.

[Shortline]

I bought a textile Suzuki jacket, when I bought the Bandit. It has some reflective stuff on it, and armor in the shoulders, back, and elbows. I feel funny without armour now! (and to think, when I had the Harley, a T-shirt was normal gear?? :eek: ) For the seriously hot weather (I just got here from the California Low desert, easily 120 in the summer) I have a Joe Rocket Phoenix jacket. I know, not the BEST protection, but, a reasonable trade off, for the type of riding I do. I'm pretty conservative, not into setting land speed records, and ride within my neophyte abilities. It also has armour, in the back, shoulders, and elbows. Haven't gotten around to getting a real set of riding pants just yet. Thats next on the agenda! So, usually I wear textilel. Having said that, my favorite jacket in the whole world, is my old Harley jacket. Leather, no armour, but it is extremely comforatable, and, like an old friend. I break it out, from time to time, and wear it on the Bandit, but, not as often as I used to, as I am coming to feel I NEED the armour....but, it makes a great pillow, like John said, and I don't look like a power ranger, when I stop at DQ!

TR
Brady TX