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Perf Leather

Joined
Jun 3, 2006
Messages
51
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Location
Friendswood
First Name
Anthoney
Last Name
Pennington
Hi guys,

First off does anyone know of a good perf leather riding jacket for the hot summer heat? I think I know the answer to this one but will it be as cool as a mesh jacket?

If not does anyone have any suggestions for a cortech vs. Fieldsheer mesh jackets? Particularly I am looking at the johnny cool mesh from fieldsheer and the GX Air Jacket With Leather from cortech.

Final question, I promise, can someone recommend a super ventalleted and cool pair of riding pants. It is hard to tell which ones are really perferated from pictures on the web and I can't find many in shops that I look in.

I have done some research but need a little help.

Thanks Guys.
 
Can't help you with the jacket since I have JR mesh but I like that for Houston summers, soon to be in full force. I have coming from newenough the First Gear Ht 2.0 air overpants and will let you know about them in a week or so.
 
I have a Tourmaster perf'd leather jacket. It's what I wear all summer and most of the spring and fall too. I'd say I wear it from about 60 up. It's held up well, is comfortable and I really like it.
 
It doesn't get too hot setting at lights? I know I will sweat with or without a jacket on but the current mesh jacket I have doesn't seem to help attract the heat which is what I am interested in. Which Tourmaster model jacket do you have?
 
I have been wearing a Fox Creek perforated leather jacket for the last couple of years (San Antonio)...During the high heat of summer, not moving it does get a little hot, but once moving I find it ok. If heat was really a problem then I would sometimes wear a water soaked cooling vest underneath.

I wear the perforated jacket all year round. In the cooler weather I wear a cheap nylon jacket underneath which is also rain proof, and if its really cold, then I can wear a thermal jacket over the top.
 
Leather will never be as cool as meshes because it is a natural fiber/skin that absorbs heat and cold energy exactly the same way your skin does. Take a leather jacket in from the hot parking lot ,and even up to half an hour later indoors, it can still be radiating heat. It actually absorbs and holds that heat energy. Most of the synthetic fibers that the meshes are made of do not hold or transfer heat. So, the outside of the fabric can get a bit warm, but it doesn't hold it or even really transfer it all the way through the fiber to the inside of the material. This is especially true of some of the better synthetic fiber blends on the market where they can build in almost a sheath of one type of material around a fiber of another kind. The material manufacturers mix and match fiber types and coat and spin fibers in ways that either trap air, don't trap air, conduct heat/cold or don't conduct heat/cold, offer superior tear resistance or abrasion resistance or elasticity. The engineering that goes into a single piece of performance fabric is remarkable. So, when you find a dynax or hitena or cordura mesh, you can expect significantly different performance than you would get from an untreated/uncoated, all polyester mesh - both in protection and extreme temperature wearability.

Now, while there are some outstanding meshes on the market, there is no doubt that almost any decent leather is more protective than mesh. So, of the perf leathers, I have found Vanson to offer some of the best airflow. And some of the leather/mesh hybrids like the original Alpinestars SMX Airflo are probably the best of both worlds. Those are pretty pricey items, but there are some great mid-price options too. You mention the Fieldsheer Johnny Cool. It's not bad, but I would recommend upping to the Fieldsheer Hi-Temp if you like Fieldsheer. Much better fabric choice in the main impact areas compared to the Johnny Cool. The GX Air isn't a bad choice either, but make sure you buy from somewhere you can try it on (the sizing is less than consistent compared to other lines, and expect a big variation in fit with liner in/out).

:thumb:
 
I've got an old Joe Rocket Sonic that is great in the summer (with the liner out) as long as the sun is down...
 
I just picked up a rs taichi and have been very happpy with it so far. The perferation and stone type panels on the arms make it feel like i am only wearing a t-shirt. The price was a little hi but from what i can tell so far it has been worth it.

Jeff
 
Thanks guys for all the suggestions. I think I will try to get a good perf leather jacket, I plan on spending around $300 I guess. Keep the suggestions coming for them.

Does anyone have any experience with the Impulse II Leather Jacket by Tourmaster Cortech?
 
I've got an older model Joe Rocket Rio that had leather on the top of the arms and shoulders, mesh and ballistic fabric on the rest of the jacket. Decent combination of two materials but I do run into a problem when the leather gets soaked in the rain, the dye comes off on my t-shirt.

You guys run into that problem with other brand perf leather?

Aloha,
Huladog
 
Look into CylePort's kevlar mesh. A little pricey, but not that different from high-end jackets, plus more airflow and much, much more protection.
 
I bought an RS-Tachi GMX-Motion recently from Nathan @ Moto Liberty and am incredibly happy.

It's got excellent ventilation, I'd say it's at least 85% as good as my textile/mesh Alpinestars and probabaly 10x more protective.

The ventilation is good enough that I keep thinking it isn't zipped up!

I commute every day 60 miles each way in Texas heat and it's absolutely no worse than any mesh/textile I've owned to date. :)
 
For sport riding, I wear a Joe Rocket perforated leather jacket and zip to attach perforated pants I bought from Alamo Cycle Plex. They are a good value. I try to take the jacket, gloves and helmet off immediately upon stopping for a break and bring them into the air conditioning instead of leaving them draped across the bike. Also park in the shade to keep the metal and seat of the bike cooler.
 
I have to agree with Janner about Fox Creek Leathers. They are more expensive but the quality is very high. I have a non perforated cruiser jacket that with the four zippered vents open keeps me cool on all but the hottest days. (Above 90-95) Close the vents and put the liner back in and I can use it into the upper 40s.
 
I've been wearing a Vanson Ventilator mesh jacket for several years and am considering getting a leather jacket. How low in temperature is a perforated leather jacket good to? Is it really a spring/fall jacket or can it be used for winter (in Texas) riding?

I'm thinking to use the Ventilator for warm weather riding and a leather jacket for cold/winter riding. Should I consider a perforated leather jacket or would non-perforated be the better fit?
 
I'm thinking to use the Ventilator for warm weather riding and a leather jacket for cold/winter riding. Should I consider a perforated leather jacket or would non-perforated be the better fit?

I think it depends tremendously upon your cold tolerance, what part of TX you intend to be riding in during the winter months, etc. While a perf will not flow as much as a mesh, you are still going to have airflow through the jacket pulling your body heat out into the atmosphere.

From a personal standpoint, I'd be looking at a solid leather or a solid textile for winter.
 
Thanks T,
That was the kind of advice I was hoping to receive. I didn't know how much air a perf'd jacket would allow through. I'm after more of a winter jacket so will look to a solid.
 
Greg, if you look at a lot of my other posts, I'm a LD Comfort and Full Textile kind of guy year round. When I leave in a couple of hours that's what I'll be wearing. It will probably be 80 when I leave at 4 am, it will be 70-75 on the coast, and it will be 100+ in the afternoon on the ride back.
 
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