What kind of gear do you wear?

[Water Warrior 2]

A big + for the kidney belt. I forgot to mention mine. They do add strength to back muscles on a long ride. Also great for off roading and such. Even the cheaper ones at Home Depot are good. Years ago I had one that was armored and very hot but a few offs in the dirt proved it's worth.

[dentheman]

This is a very informative thread for someone like me who is just doing the research on what gear to get. However, I am surprised that a coolong vest and helmet cooler are not mentioned.

[Water Warrior 2]

Good catch on the cooling vest and hat color. Never bothered with a vest but my main helmet is white primarily for visibility and may be a tad cooler.

[dentheman]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Good catch on the cooling vest and hat color. Never bothered with a vest but my main helmet is white primarily for visibility and may be a tad cooler.

I had decided on a white helmet for visibility and possible cooling, but in the last couple days I found that several big name helmet makers have neon green or orange hi-viz helmets. (Examples: http://www.revzilla.com/hi-viz-neon-motorcycle-gear) They would certainly be very visible in daylight, but I wonder if the white might be better between dusk and dawn, and maybe the best overall. As far as temperature control, I am looking on-line at Coolzone's phase change helmet cooler. It's just a round pad looking thing that you throw in the fridge or freezer to charge it.

The top of my head is where I sweat the most and where the body heat seems to gather and dissipate for me, so that's the first area I would try cooling, then maybe a cooling vest if needed.

[Water Warrior 2]

Not familiar with a helmet cooler but It sounds interesting. A Neon helmet is just outrageous. Really eye catching during the day. Don't know about after dark but reflective tape will stick to any colored helmet so problem solved. 3M tape from Walmart works well on my helmets and bike. Not expensive and can be replaced cheap enough if it gets scuffed up with time. I spent big bucks on other industrial reflective tape and the difference was not worth the added cost. It didn't stick to the hard cases as well as 3M.

[clarkperez]

Fish Baseball wrote:
Well the full winter kit
- boots, either lace up over the ankle hiking variety or the 3/4 calf "biker" style
- kevlar jeans, with knee and hip armour
- leather chaps , they cut down the wind chill on your legs at midnight when I'm riding home after work
- hooded jumper
- mesh jacket, with back, sholder and elbow armour
- patch vest. Again, weirdly much more visible than a high vis.....
- full face helmet. I admit that a 3/4 or less helmet would be "cooler" but after my first birdstrike I came to realise I don't mind my face remaining looking the way it does.
- Balaclava, also known as the head sock. Tucks into the top of the jacket, stops cold air getting in around my neck.
- Gortex lined leather gloves. Armored as well, a bit on the chunky side but warm.

So in short, I don't like the cold (lowest it gets to here in Melb AU of a night time is a fresh -3 deg C)

Summer kit
- same boots
- same kevlar jeans
- t-shirt
- lightweight armour jacket (its a mesh shirt with back , sholder, chest, elbow armour and a kidney belt)
- always with the patch vest
- full face helmet
- camel back (gotta keep hydrated!)
- leather armored gloves

Yes, it does take a little bit of time to get ready to ride, even in summer, but the alternative is not worth thinking about.

This is a great list to note! Thanks for sharing mate.
By the way, for me wearing Balaclava is an ideal choice to add warmth and protection from wind without the bulk.

[Strelok]

I always wear long pants and I always wear a Helmet. Even in the heat of Texas.

[geezer]

when hot i like to where shorts, for optimal airflow to the legs and ball area. and flipflops breathe so well for sure. next i top it off with a wife beater and bandana and go riding!

[advant63]

the geezer rocks the boat. :rawk:

i usually wear black leather, gloves jacket pants and combat boots as well as a neck protector. i have both light and heavy textile gear for extremes in temperature but it rarely gets out of the closet. black helmet. i almost always take my rainsuit out with me in a backpack. a cheap two piece in yellow. :2tup:

[alantf]

Originally Posted by geezer

and flipflops breathe so well for sure.

Forgetting the safety issue for a moment (I don't really want to forget it, but neither do I want to tell anyone what to wear for their riding ) but how the hell do you change gear with flipflops, and better still, how do you keep them on?