Proper parking protocol? And gear question?

[Water Warrior 2]

[quote=music man]

Originally Posted by "Water Warrior":3fllxqzz

One of my neighbors who also rides but wears next to nothing had a question for me. "Why do you wear all that heavy looking gear in the heat ?" ANWSER: Because I'd rather sit in a puddle of sweat than lay in a pool of my blood. A little harsh and over the top for an answer but I do wear ATGATT no matter what the weather.

Exactly what does "heat" mean in Squamish Canada in the summertime, And do you ride year round?[/quote:3fllxqzz]
How does clear skies, sunshine and 90/100 F in the shade sound ? Yes it is hot with ATGATT but I manage. I can ride all year long but choose to ride very little in the winter. Squamish gets down to freezing and bit colder but not by much. I could easily ride to Vancouver in the winter but the foggy face shield exercise is a downer to a relaxed ride. Parts of the B.C. interior make Squamish look and feel cold in the summer. That is getting way too warm for me. I like this climate without the horrible extremes that some areas can have. The Canadian prairies can be hot in the summer and super cold in the winter. I have experienced temps colder than 50 below F and wind chill factors of well below 100 F. Would I move back to the prairies.............never never never !

[mrlmd1]

If you have a full face helmet and a sissy bar. lock the helmet on with a chain or cable lock, or the gun trigger lock like I previously posted.

[dannylightning]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Harley does have some nice gear. Their products are part of a life style that some folks choose. They market their life style vigorously and happen to sell some pretty good bikes as a sideline.

harley gear is nice and so are some of their bikes, wouldn't buy any thing with a big harley logo on it if i am not riding one. but things like boots and the gortex gloves i got from them are great.


yeah harley life style, harley riders, blah blah blah.. that is what i say, if i had the money i would buy a harley. they make a select few models that i would love to ride.

[Atlus]

This is a great thread for us newbs! I actually always wonder about the etiquette regarding this kind of stuff all the time. In terms of Jackets, do you guys typically lock them to your bikes as well or just carry them on a hot day?

Also, in terms of leg armor, I just wear jeans usually (though always full face helmet, jacket, and boots). Do people tend to follow that as well or do bikers wear leg armor as well?

[mrlmd1]

If you have a cable lock you can thread it through the arms of the jacket and lock it on to the bike along with the full face helmet.
You can get armored mesh riding pants if you want, cooler than jeans and have better abrasion protection too, altho a little pricey.

One way to beat the heat if you're just going out for a ride and don't have to go in to work or school is to carry a water bottle and wet yourself down under the mesh jacket and use the evaporation to take away the heat. There are evaporative vests also commercially made as well as an air conditioner than rides on the back of the bike and blows cold air through a hose into the rider's jacket, if you want to spend about $600. Just make sure you drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration when you ride in the heat.

[JWR]

Feet and hand protection is on the top of my list.
Even a dead stop fall can hurt those two places.

[Water Warrior 2]

If you want or must wear just denim there is an option for armor. Get the armor that dirt riders wear under their jerseys and pants. There is actually a fair selection on the market. Boots...........always, you only have 2 feet so make them last. Gloves ditto.

[Atlus]

Thanks for the responses guys! Any recommendations for a good, inexpensive pair of riding pants then? :2tup:

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by Atlus

Thanks for the responses guys! Any recommendations for a good, inexpensive pair of riding pants then? :2tup:

Check out the New Enough site. They have a fair selection of goodies and you might luck out in the closeout section. Last year's models are just as good as this year's models in most cases.

[Zackman]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

If you have a cable lock you can thread it through the arms of the jacket and lock it on to the bike along with the full face helmet.
You can get armored mesh riding pants if you want, cooler than jeans and have better abrasion protection too, altho a little pricey.

One way to beat the heat if you're just going out for a ride and don't have to go in to work or school is to carry a water bottle and wet yourself down under the mesh jacket and use the evaporation to take away the heat. There are evaporative vests also commercially made as well as an air conditioner than rides on the back of the bike and blows cold air through a hose into the rider's jacket, if you want to spend about $600. Just make sure you drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration when you ride in the heat.

I bought one of these http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1...m=TEI_6529-S_G , and I was kinda suspicious at first. The sales guy said it worked miracles. My first time using it I followed the instructions and put it on, I was out for 5 hours, and it was still cool when I got back home.
I live in the desert and it was about a 95-100 degree day and my torso was at a cool 60-70 degrees :rawk: !

I was so shocked at how well it works, and for $34 (military discount), it is so worth it. :2tup: