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Riding gear when going to work

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I'll be truthful here, even though it makes me look bad. I've never been an ATGATT guy. I've never even owned riding pants or boots, and have only worn gloves or a jacket when the weather necessitated it.

When I've commuted, which I used to do regularly, I just wore whatever I would have normally driven to work wearing (plus a helmet).

Kudos to those who have the discipline and brains to get fully geared up every time they ride, but that's just not for me. If I had to go through all that song and dance every time I threw a leg over I probably wouldn't ride very much.
 
Annhl8rX said:
I'll be truthful here, even though it makes me look bad. I've never been an ATGATT guy. I've never even owned riding pants or boots, and have only worn gloves or a jacket when the weather necessitated it.

When I've commuted, which I used to do regularly, I just wore whatever I would have normally driven to work wearing (plus a helmet).

Kudos to those who have the discipline and brains to get fully geared up every time they ride, but that's just not for me. If I had to go through all that song and dance every time I threw a leg over I probably wouldn't ride very much.
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I have a feeling you aren't alone. I look at every motorcycle rider I pass and I rarely see any atgatt riders.
 
JTS said:
I have a feeling you aren't alone. I look at every motorcycle rider I pass and I rarely see any atgatt riders.
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I'm definitely not alone in the grand scheme of things, but I seem to be in the minority in this site.
 
Newenough.com (cyclegear.com now?) has great closeout deals.

I ride my bike (10-speed) or the m/c 3-4 days a week 11 miles to work. Either way, I hit the locker room to shower and change clothes upon arrival. I am fortunate to have these facilities at work.

On the m/c I like mesh jackets and over-pants in the summer, textile in the fall and winter. If it is cool or not too hot, I will wear work clothes under the riding gear. Otherwise, I keep black and brown dress shoes & belts, toiletries in the office drawer. I will carry (rolled up) slacks and a polo or wrinkle resistant button-up, socks and underwear/t-shirts in the panniers. Once the packing became second nature I was more comfortable riding than driving to work.
 
In Texas, the summer heat can force riders to make compromises regarding their protective gear. At a minimum, I'll wear a helmet, gloves and boots for the commute. It's not optimal protection, but when managing risks, there is a greater likelihood of being a heat casualty than accident victim. Soon as the high temps subside I'll go back to wearing a motorcycle specific over-pant.
 
First Gear mesh over pants, Field sheer armored mesh jacket in warmer weather and First Gear textile jacket in cooler weather, A Stars vented tour boots, and of course gloves and skid lid.

I work in an office environment and wear slacks/dress shirts daily, I just leave shoes in my office. I'm at work by 0615 at the latest so the heat is not so bad coming in.
 
I typically wear jacket, gloves and helmet. About 1/2 the time, I wear Justin work boots.

I haven't found a pair of pants that are comfortable and easy on/off. Best I have come across is a pair of Rev'it Air. Anything over 85-90* and they are just too hot.

Same goes for real riding boots. Tough to fit a 12 EEE. I've got shifter toe on all my decent shoes ...
 
Annhl8rX said:
I'll be truthful here, even though it makes me look bad. I've never been an ATGATT guy. I've never even owned riding pants or boots, and have only worn gloves or a jacket when the weather necessitated it.

When I've commuted, which I used to do regularly, I just wore whatever I would have normally driven to work wearing (plus a helmet).

Kudos to those who have the discipline and brains to get fully geared up every time they ride, but that's just not for me. If I had to go through all that song and dance every time I threw a leg over I probably wouldn't ride very much.
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I had a bad wreck wearing blue jeans. Afterwards I realized I got off VERY lucky. Only busted through the knees and peeled the skin back on my knees. I sat there and tried to imagine that pain all across my legs. Mesh overpants for me.

If you have the right gear, the song and dance isn't so bad. When I get to work, less than 20 seconds of unzipping and undoing velcro and the pants and jacket that are zipped together will fall off with a shrug of my shoulders, then I just step out. Getting back in is no more difficult.

Again though, it's all about having the right gear. I picked up a very nice set of Revit pants and jacket and on my first commute I knew they wouldn't work. Getting in and out was far too much work. My olympia airglydes are super easy to get in and out of during the spring, summer and fall months. In the winter I put up with the difficulty of the gear to get in the heated layer as well as the rest of the winter gear.

It's worth it to me though. But that also is contingent on your commute too. I had a 1.7 mile commute once and sometimes I'd go to work the long way. Then we moved and the commute was about 20 miles but there was no good way to go without sitting in traffic. I gave up the commute then. Now I'm 100 miles round trip and I have lots of options. Sometimes the motorcycle saves time with the use of the HOV and such, so I get a good long ride in and save time as well. Taking two minutes to gear up ATTGATT is worth it.
 
I'm 3 for 3 on surviving accidents in jeans with minor road rash on my knees. But I've since made a point of wearing real riding pants.
 
In terms of non riding pants for abrasion, I have added a pair of the Duluth trading co. Fire-hose Logger pants to the kit. I like them for the extreme summer because the wind blows right through them and are otherwise bullet proof. Based on a cousin's slide with these pants and a mesh jacket, the pants performed as well as his coat. The front of the legs are double layered, but otherwise armor free. A middle ground between jeans and riding pants? I don't use these much in town, but once away from the metro-mess on overnights, I will opt for these if it is really hot and not on the interstate. For $65.00, it seems a fair price for the protection. (link below) I guess if you will absolutely not wear riding gear this is a LONG shot better than jeans.

http://www.duluthtrading.com/search/searchresults/34200.aspx?kw=logger&processor=content
 
Interested in these pants

TX_northstar said:
In terms of non riding pants for abrasion, I have added a pair of the Duluth trading co. Fire-hose Logger pants to the kit. I like them for the extreme summer because the wind blows right through them and are otherwise bullet proof. Based on a cousin's slide with these pants and a mesh jacket, the pants performed as well as his coat. The front of the legs are double layered, but otherwise armor free. A middle ground between jeans and riding pants? I don't use these much in town, but once away from the metro-mess on overnights, I will opt for these if it is really hot and not on the interstate. For $65.00, it seems a fair price for the protection. (link below) I guess if you will absolutely not wear riding gear this is a LONG shot better than jeans.

http://www.duluthtrading.com/search/searchresults/34200.aspx?kw=logger&processor=content
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I'd like to meet up sometime and check out your pants. :trust:

No, but seriously -- it would be nice to look at these in person. (If nothing else, I could just roll the dice and order from them, given their generous return policy.)

Got any pics of the crash damage to the pants? How fast was he going?
 
Re: Interested in these pants

DancesWithCurves said:
I'd like to meet up sometime and check out your pants. :trust:

No, but seriously -- it would be nice to look at these in person. (If nothing else, I could just roll the dice and order from them, given their generous return policy.)

Got any pics of the crash damage to the pants? How fast was he going?
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No pics of the crash, but it was low-ish speeds, less than highway. Would have shredded jeans for sure. Pants pretty thrashed but the double knees(front) held up.

If you find yourself riding around Denton county, let me know. I don't go south and east much unless I am seeing the folks at cedar creek lake.

They have have pretty liberal return policy, so taking a flyer on them may only cost you shipping. They do get better looking and feeling after a few washes. Also, just got an e-mail from twisted throttle rating the top kevlar jeans. Those might be an option.
 
When I had my intersection accident 6 years ago, I was wearing jeans & a fleece top - and thankfully a Shoei full face helmet. When I got sideswiped at about 20 mph, I slid across a long intersection, shredded my clothes from top to bottom, and had cuts & scrapes from shoulder to ankle. That's when I became an ATGATT believer. I also put engine guards on the bike.

Six months later, I was out for a country ride when I turned through an intersection that had been nicely dieseled a minute earlier. My VStrom went out from under me, and it & I slid separately across the same intersection - some gravel included - and stopped about 5 feet apart. The only harm to the bike was some scratching on the guard. The only harm to me was a bit of damaged pride; not a bruise or scratch or booboo.
 
Delicate and shaply pressed clothes don't do so well under riding gear. If you have to be dressed to the 9s, invest in some cases that allow you to stow your clothes with minimal folding.

If you have to be in business dress, but not your Sunday best, look for business casual wear. Wash and wear stuff. Khakis and polos. Dickies and Red Kap make office wear. Maybe Dockers.

My personal locker at work is full of PPE and work gear. I hang or neatly drape my riding gear in our locker room. We all make an effort to keep the place from looking like a dorm room, so it works for us.

Short of a locker, locker room or office, find a broom closet, HVAC room or some other out of the way room to stash in. Not the electrical room, though. EE may evict you.

And y'all got me wanting proper riding boots now. I wear high top sneakers or work boots now. Proper riding boots really wouldn't be an imposition.
 
Bines said:
And y'all got me wanting proper riding boots now. I wear high top sneakers or work boots now. Proper riding boots really wouldn't be an imposition.
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Me too. I'm going to Cycle Gear in Plano Sunday after my daughters soccer game to get some boots and over pants.
 
If you are coming into town, swing by Moto Liberty too. Higher dollar stuff but still a great selection for you to look over and compare.
 
gixxerjasen said:
If you are coming into town, swing by Moto Liberty too. Higher dollar stuff but still a great selection for you to look over and compare.
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I actually would prefer Moto Liberty, but I don't think they are open on Sunday's and it will be another week or two brfore I'll be back down there on a Saturday. :(
 
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