Considering New Riding Kit

Discussion in 'Clothing, Gadgets & Equipment' started by Bumpkin, Feb 9, 2025.

  1. For the past few years I've usually been riding, when on tour and in the UK and the weather is reasonable or better, with a layered approach. RokkerTech jeans with Klim Marrakech jacket. Scott over jacket and trousers when the weather's wet. Whilst protection is slightly compromised it's still, IMHO, reasonable whilst giving, along with the option of decent base layers, a good range of options to cope with chilly mornings to southern Mediterranean summer heat (I tend to avoid July and August for high temps and school holidays). However, single layer jeans, whilst OK, I don't think offer quite the protection that the vendors claim.

    My 'off', and resulting injury, in France last year has made me think about this and consider other options. BTW, both the Rokkers and Klim survived unscathed, after a wash, but this was an off-road excursion. I do have a Dainese Santa Monica perforated leather jacket and whilst it does flow a little air it's not really sufficient above 22ºCish and nowhere near the Marrakech in this regard. I'm having a clear-out at the moment and this is going as I haven't used it for a few years now.

    I've been looking at a couple of suits. Namely the Spidi Vent Pro jacket and trousers or the Revit Ignition 4 jacket and trousers. I very much like the trouser leg over the boot approach and both of these feature this. I've ordered the Spidi kit, one jkt and two trs, to try on. These, via SportbikeShop, come from outside the UK so I've had to pay for these with the option of free return. If this doesn't work out I'll be ordering the Revit kit for deliver to one of their shops to try on and return the Spidi kit at the same time.

    Both systems seem quite adaptable to different conditions though the waterproof underlayers seem a bit flawed in terms of adapting to changing conditions at the side of the road. Easier to pull on over garments. I would still tend to use the Scott waterproofs due to this and to prevent the wetting-out of the upper leather/mesh layer. The under layers are still useful for dry but colder conditions as wind protection. I do note that the Spidi kit doesn't come with a thermal element though this is available as an option for more ££.

    Does anyone have experience of these products, or quality of the marque. I think the Spidi Vent Pro is new but the Revit Ignition has been around, in earlier versions, for a while.
     
  2. I do enjoy my rokkertech jeans kevlar jobbies from the motolegends outfit. For less than robust journey's not entertaining triple speeds the other kit I can't say.
     
  3. I can't comment on the gear you're considering, but as an alternative, have a look at the Knox Urban Pro jackets. These are great for hot weather. They also do trousers to match.

    I have the jacket and in summer temps, 30 to 35 degrees, it's been great.
     
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  4. Thanks for the suggestion. Though, in form and function, that's not too far off the Klim Marrakesh, which I already have.

    For really high temperatures I'd probably still use the Klim jkt along with the Rokkertech jeans. The GF has the same and more likely to join me where it's warmer.

    The kit I'm looking at is initially for a Dolomites trip this year but also for similar future tours where the temperature is likely to vary across the day, cool mornings and warmer afternoons in the mountains. Plus rides across the likes of northern/mid France, getting there and back, which tend to comprise half of the trip. Can be lovely but in my experience variable. An adaptable outfit with the capability of being warmer and possibly safer than the Klim/Rokker solution. It doesn't need to flow quite as much air. Maybe my hopes are somewhat pie-in-the-sky...
     
    #4 Bumpkin, Feb 10, 2025
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2025
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  5. One option is bespoke textile clothing from BKS Made-to-Measure or Hideout. You can specify how many vents and their location for maximum airflow, yet they’re waterproof with the zips closed. Also, both provide protection at the highest level. What’s the catch? Price.

    Here are relevant reviews …
    • Hideout: https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesoci...deout-leathers-textile-made-to-measure-review
    • BKS: https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesoci...ackets-trousers-suits/bks-textile-suit-review

    I’ve firsthand experience of Hideout and BKS (both brilliant), so I’m happy to answer any queries.
     
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  6. Thanks for that @Freerange_egg. £2.5k - £4k :astonished: That's somewhat over my budget.
     
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  7. Yes, it’s an immense investment :astonished: !!
     
  8. Can I ask if there is a solution to the trousers that go up the boot length when adopting the riding position from standing position?
     
  9. I suppose it depends how tight the fit to the boot is, is there a grippy material inside to help with this and if there is give built in or slack in the leg to allow free movement. One of the points that only trying the kit on will reveal. I've ordered two sizes of the Spidi trs as fit can vary. All returnable but a bit of a faff as they don't carry stock and I've had to pay in full (over £1k) which I'll get refunded if it doesn't hit the mark. It's bieng sent from Europe, presumably from Spidi. The Revit kit is available from SportBikeShop's UK stock so I can arrange for it to be delivered to a store of my choice to try on. The Spidi trs are 30" inseam across the range of sizes so maybe too short for me from the off...
     
  10. Last year I rode in a Klim jacket, Rokker Jeans and used Scott waterproofs as required. My only real issue was as I was wearing shorter boots the over trousers rode up and the bottom of the jeans and boots got pretty wet.

    Apparently Motoledgends will stitch stirrups to go under your boots. I think if I’d been wearing full length boots then it would have been less of an issue.

    It’s always a compromise when touring between protection, waterproofing and ventilation. Either that or you take two suits with you!
     
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  11. Thanks for the input Chris. IIRC your short boots have a reasonably wide shaft. I've just bought a pair of Daytona Arrow Pro Airs to add the same along with a Goretex lining. Hoping that the zip and gusset closure on either the Spidi or Revit trs will synch onto the shaft of these sufficiently to prevent the riding up issue. We'll see. Confident my longer Dainese Torque Out GTX boots will be fine.

    The boots I wore on that trip were rather feeble TCX baseball styled, yet with a degree of protection. The shaft was relatively thin and, if anything, thinner at the top than lower down. Having said that I do use over boots with those. How much these boots contributed to my ankle/fib injury I'll never know. Pretty sure the break was from the impact with the ground after doing a full 360º and landing on my feet, rather than from exiting the bike which spat me over the bars.
     
    #11 Bumpkin, Feb 11, 2025
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2025
  12. Spidi kit arrived from SportsBikeShop this afternoon. Close but no cigar I regret to say, looked and sounded the part from what I'd seen and read online, regret to say that it fell short on a few points.
    • The arms of the jacket were too tight. forearms on widest of two settings and biceps on anything other than tight were effectively the same. Add in the waterproof lining and the matter was worse.
    • The lining of the right sleeve seemed to long, meant that the lining slid out of the cuff, plus elbow armour was then too low, and had to be pulled back in from the inside the shoulder once on. Obviously a manufacturing error. The left sleeve was OK in this regard.
    • The larger trousers were tight, I'd ordered two sizes to give me options.
    • The lower legs, once zipped up, did grip my shorty Daytona boots, for how long once riding though I can't hazard a guess. However, only one leg length and that's stated as a 30" inseam so still too short.
    • The jacket to trouser joining zipper is fiddly in the extreme with no stretch.
    • Being long in the body crouching into a riding position meant that the back was stretched and and the collar started to strangle me.
    So, it has to go back for a refund : unamused:

    Will arrange to drop it at their Bristol shop and arrange for the Revit jkt and trs to be there as well as the new Klim Marrakesh trousers which might be worth a try. Failing both of those it'll mean reverting to the Marrakesh jacket, Rokker jeans and Scott over-suit plus base layers and my Rab down jacket (under the stretchy Klim jacket) for when it's cold. Though, if do revert to that I might get a 2nd pair of single layer jeans. Rokker no longer do a faded black/grey, just solid black (which I don't like), so I might get a pair of John Doe jeans as well.
     
  13. Sorry if this is way off the mark, you have asked specifics and people are going to suggest totally different kit!

    My completely different suggestion, having tried so much kit over the years, this works for me..
    Lindstrands leather trousers (they only do one kind now, my older pair of the same version came with kneesliders...) they are vented, high abrasion rating and very comfortable. They tuck in to race boots, sorry.
    Rukka goretex shell jacket. Bought from somewhere in Spain, mail order. As it is a shell goretex, it never soaks up water. Great armour, and came with a duck down inner coat which remarkably does compress down and fit under if temperatures plummet. Vented front, sleeves, rear. Waterproof pockets, built in collar extender. Not sure of the model but sure a search would turn up the current equivalent.
    I find the above covers the greatest range of temperature and weather protection, and find I only need to stop if rain becomes too heavy to don the overtrousers.
    https://www.fc-moto.de/epages/fcm.s...Rukka-Shield-RD-WP-GTX-Textile-Moto-Jckt-0008"………though I paid more like €800 and with delivery to France, so reasonable for the type of jacket.

    I did try to start a thread about which makes zip to other makes, it never took off though, too many ‘all same brand’ posers on here o_O;)
    But anyway, Rukka, Lindstrands, Halvarssons all zip together.
    Good luck, it seems everything is a compromise.
     
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  14. Yes price is high and so is the protection, as good if not better than leather they say?
     
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  15. As it should be. ;)
     
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  16. Thanks for the suggestions. I accept that my needs are quite exacting, indeed compromise is obviously going to have to play a part. Though the less so the better. Ordering kit unseen, especially with someone as fussy as me, is going to be a long-shot in terms of a satisfactory outcome. SportsBikeShop are very understanding in openly offering free returns on mail-order and a next day delivery to store option for items in their central warehouse. The latter seems free of cost until you commit to buy. Will try that next week when returning the Spidi kit for a refund.

    Re. your suggestions; the Lindstrands leather trs are not dissimilar in design to a pair of Dainese ones I already own, a bit long in the tooth but still in good condition. I don't like knee sliders (my Dainese trs lacks them but I've previously removed them from other leathers), especially after a friend came very close to loosing a leg after an RTA due, IMHO, in part to circumstances that pushed the solid slider into his shin. It was only the diversion of the air ambulance, due to fog, from Preston to Middlesbrough, apparently military surgeons train there, where they accepted the challenge to rebuild his leg. Preston were preparing to amputate... Anyway, I digress. The ventilation of the Lindstrand Sanden trs looks minimal and not what I'm looking for.

    Similarly the Rukka jacket, whilst providing good protection and weatherproofing, won't be that comfortable in hotter weather not having great air flow. Pricey too.

    Each time I think further about my dilemma I conclude that there's not really an answer beyond the kit I already have. The Marrakesh jacket is a revelation in terms of comfort in hot weather. Though layering isn't the most convenient approach when needing to change part way through a ride but it's good at maintaining comfort. The Marrakesh jacket is sufficient enough protection-wise and when combined with waterproof over-layers, wind blocking thermals and a down jacket (the stretchy nature of the Marrakesh is great for this under-layering) it's adapatble. As above I'll be getting SBS to get in the Marrakesh trs for me to try at the same time as the Revit kit. Failing that it'll be single layer jeans again despite the bad press they get from time to time. Retailers say that they're great but objective third party reviews tend to be less generous with their praise.
     
  17. For the jacket have you seen this?
    https://www.planet-knox.com/product/mens-dual-pro-3-in-1-jacket-black/
    worn in conjunction with this provides all year round weather/temp protection
    https://www.planet-knox.com/product/mens-urbane-pro-mk3-black/
    Trousers wise there are these, which are waxed and can be worn over boot
    https://www.urbanrider.co.uk/fuel-sergeant-2-trousers-waxed.html
    or these
    https://www.motolegends.com/halvarssons-zion-trousers-in-black
    All are AAA rated except the halvarssons that are AA rated.
     
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  18. The Knox combo of jacket and shirt is worth a look, thanks. @Gandalf recommended the jacket above.
     
    #18 Bumpkin, Feb 14, 2025 at 6:21 PM
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2025 at 1:44 PM
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  19. Layering is probably the best option for comfort. Not for me though, Im too impatient to stop and start as conditions change ! :upyeah:
     
  20. Doesn't anyone just carry Gortex waterproof trousers anymore - to put on over the top of Kevlar jeans ? The same with a jacket - put a Gortex shell over the top of a lighter jacket ?
     
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