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Olympia Gear ?'s

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hizzo3

hizzo3

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Feagins
So after the pie run and taking a few naps, I think its time for some better pajamas:sleep:.

I am looking at the Olympia Moab mesh jacket and Olympia Airglide 3 mesh over pants. Anyone have any experience with Olympia, their mesh gear or these specific items? I am looking for something that would be 4 season wearable here in Dallas, reasonably priced and does not mind layering. Light rain resistance is needed, but for stormy days I usually wear my Nelson Rigg AX-1 (This thing has never leaked a drop, knocks on fake wood)
 
I'd call it three season, but it is excellent gear. For really cold weather, I add a Gerbing electric liner to the jacket or go to my Darien jacket. For 40 degrees and above, its GTG. We issue the Airglide stuff to our staff, but I think Randy is wearing Icon pants in this photo.

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I have some Olympia stuff, 2 jackets(GT air + the airglide) and the airglide pants. I like it a lot. That being said...

If your looking for waterproof gear, I can't recommend the ones I have. I don't know about the AST and other jackets. I think the First Gear items are much better at wet/cold protection. My Olympia Jackets have left me wet more than once. The liners are waterproof, but in rain the jacket will begin to absorb water at some point. It is not waterproofed from the factory.

The air glide pants are summer only for me. Even with the liner the cold air comes through and makes cold spots where the liner is exposed to direct airflow. I have purchased other pants that I use for colder riding.

I like my Olympia gear. It fits me well and is forgiving of my oversized tummy (to some degree anyway:lol2:). The air glide jacket is almost as much mesh as textile and only gives moderate cold weather protection.

IMHO, if your looking for water and cold protection you'd be hard pressed to beat the First Gear items.
 
I love my Olympia Airglide pants. They can be 4-season if you wear enough under them. Of course, I freeze with the greatest of ease. :lol2: They've definitely been torture tested. Wash easily, have great full-length zippers so you don't have to take your boots off to get the pants off, and they take a beating. My favorite gloves (so far) are Olympias, too. I don't think you can go wrong with their stuff!
 
I like my mesh Olympia gear. I will admit that I carry a separate rain jacket because the liner for the Olympia jacket and pants are insulated for the ones I one. In a warm rain I don't really want insulated liners. Oh, and the liner is the waterproof part. I think the newer jackets have a two part inner, one waterproof and one insulated.

Anyway, they have held up well so far. Very good quality for the price.
 
Newer Airglide gear has a separate rain and thermal liner. Mine is the older one piece liner.
 
Awesome. I've read good things about the company's product, but you never know who is paid to say so. Its nice to hear about product in use. Its good to see that they improve their product from feedback. I'll be placing an order this weekend. Too bad they aren't in the mx boot business, yet.

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Ditto what everybody else said. I like mine and have several or their products. I've never crashed tested them but they survived two recent naps (yours :trust:) without a scratch.

You should go over to Moto Liberty at Royal and I-35 and try them on. They carry a large selection (I think I was told that Olympia is their #1 seller) or you may find another brand you like better. I've always had good service there.
 
Yes, do come see us at Moto Liberty. Like Steve said, we do TONS of Olympia (I say we, I'm techincally at the SA store, but...). We were just named one of their three top dealers of the decade at the dealer expo a couple of weeks ago, and stock plenty of their models.

The Olympia stuff is very good bang for the buck. And I'm not just saying that. I use Airglide pants on a regular basis. And I've personally witnessed it slide off the road at 70mph+ and the rider get up, dust himself off, and it still be serviceable. For as much Olympia as we do, we get very VERY few complaints or warranty issues or other negatives, as in statistically almost none. Vast majority of our customer reviews on Airglides and Moabs and all their other Mesh Tech gear items are outstanding. With the Moab in particular, it might fall just slightly short in the scorching heat compared to a purely lightweight mesh jacket, and just slightly short in the very cold or all day wet compared to a waterproof exterior/winter jacket. But it does 95%+ of Texas riding conditions well. And unless you just insist on sitting in August afternoon traffic, or riding in January wintery mix storms just to prove your manhood, you'll find the Moab does the business. And personally I find the Airglide pants to be just about the most practical riding pant going.

Hope that helps.
 
NathanH said:
...or riding in January wintery mix storms just to prove your manhood...
Click to expand...

That is why I have man thongs. Nothing says 'I am man' like riding around in a nice itty bitty man thong in winter storms. :eek:

On a serious note, I hit up moto liberty on the way home, got the air glide pants and ordered the moab top. Thanks for the plug Steve & Nathan. I try to support local business where I can and since prices were in line with everyone else, I was happy to oblige. I will admit finding the place needed a phone call. Google maps needs to be updated. Service was awesome though, even after hours :thumbup::thumbup:
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Gald to hear you had success at Moto Liberty. I didn't find the store the first time I tried.
 
You will love this purchase. I ride them all summer long and love the fact that I can arrive somewhere, unzip them, and have shorts on. I worked all last summer in 100+ conditions and they were great.

I also wore them in December and February. Both times were less than 30 degrees and I was comfortable with just silk long johns, the liners, and mesh pants. BUT, I was on an RT and it has great wind protection for your legs.

You can certainly spend 2x the price and get 100% waterproof but I think Olympia and Firstgear are the best bang for the buck.
 
Just picked up the jacket the other day. Quality is good, have a few small issues with pocket size and zippers that are kinda sticky, but we'll see how it works out with riding.

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Its getting some of them seated that I am having issue with. Maybe just takes some practice. Once seated they zip up great.

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MotoLiberty in San Antonio is my favorite store. I ride all the way from Fort Hood to visit Nathan when I need/want gear. My Olympia pants and jacket are 5 and 4 years respectively and still going strong. Since I am working on a Military post, Hi-Vis is required, and Olympia was one of the first to offer a decent selection with that requirement in mind. I prefer leather, but when it's summer in Texas, mesh is the way to go. That said, I ride in my Olympia gear all year round. The leather jacket comes out when it's formal attire or Sunday morning blast before it gets too warm.
 
Interesting comments.

I need an overpant and was seriously considering the Olympia Air Glide. However, I took note of the observations of some that, with the waterproof liner on the inside, the outside of the pant gets wet and the cold tranfers through the liner even though the water doesn't. Furthermore, if riding without the liner and it is needed, one would have to remove the pant, install the liner, and re-dress. I was nearly resigned to just buying the Air Glide and not using the liner. However, a call to an Olympia customer service representative introduced me to the Olympia Renegade Mesh Tech Pant. It seems to have the same protection and breathability of the Air Glide, but without the inner liner and for a lower cost. If I need protection from the wet, I can throw on a rain pant/jacket, removing it when done and remaining dry in my pants.

Am I missing anything in my analysis?
 
Renegade Classics in the Woodlands has jackets and pants.
 
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I enjoyed living in my 1st gen AST for 3 years before it developed leaks around the vent zippers. It was a great jacket for the money.

I still enjoy my summer commutes in my Stealth onesy. It's minimalist design has no waterproof or thermal liners and is easy-on / easy-off over street clothes or not. :eek2: I have carried a Tourmaster rainsuit but it's like a sauna so this summer I will try the more breathable Gore Tex Paclite backpacking gear under the Stealth.

After grappling with leaky jacket vents, seeping pant seats, inferior liner material, steamy vinyl rainsuits still with leaky plaquets and wet boots & gloves, I have come to the conclusion that bona fide Gore Tex is the best defense against precipitation and I have slowly converted most of my riding ensemble. Sometimes ya just have to throw money at a problem. :trust:
 
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Hill Country Rider said:
Interesting comments.

I need an overpant and was seriously considering the Olympia Air Glide. However, I took note of the observations of some that, with the waterproof liner on the inside, the outside of the pant gets wet and the cold tranfers through the liner even though the water doesn't. Furthermore, if riding without the liner and it is needed, one would have to remove the pant, install the liner, and re-dress. I was nearly resigned to just buying the Air Glide and not using the liner. However, a call to an Olympia customer service representative introduced me to the Olympia Renegade Mesh Tech Pant. It seems to have the same protection and breathability of the Air Glide, but without the inner liner and for a lower cost. If I need protection from the wet, I can throw on a rain pant/jacket, removing it when done and remaining dry in my pants.

Am I missing anything in my analysis?
Click to expand...

Nope you didn't miss anything. However the rain liner is a great wind breaker and a must have when night rolls around. That is mainly what I use my rain liner for.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
sKatZ said:
I love my Olympia Airglide pants. They can be 4-season if you wear enough under them. Of course, I freeze with the greatest of ease. :lol2: They've definitely been torture tested. Wash easily, have great full-length zippers so you don't have to take your boots off to get the pants off, and they take a beating.
Click to expand...

+1. I wear mine year round, on dual sport trips to big bend, etc. the only over pants I own. I would happily purchase them again.




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How would one compare the Olympia airglide 3 to the ranger 3 for 4 season riding in East Texas?
 
I have a GT Air Transitions jacket and Airglide pants for almost five years, since I started riding. I bought these in Northern VA but knew I was moving to Houston and what the weather is like here (third time to live in Houston in 30 yrs)

Jacket - has four panels that zip open to reveal mesh. Very nearly a mesh jacket like this. Also has two part liner, consists of wind/water proof loner and insulated inner liner. All this makes for ton of configurations. I bought this for maximum versatility and it works.

Pants - mesh pants with insulated water/wind proof liner. These are quite effective as well.

That said, I have added a dedicated rain suit, Tourmaster, for serious weather. This was after a 10 hour, 500 mile ride in rain in February 2012. I did get wet due to water seeping in through the crotch area and wicking through my scarf. The rain suit cured those issues.

Overall, I like the Olympia gear and would buy it again.
 
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