New Summer Gear

[LAF]

Well after my get off in North Dakota in July 10 this will be the first full summer I have been able to ride since.

I was wearing a Olympia Air Glide set at the time. While scuffed it was in pretty good shape other then wear and tear of use. Well inspecting it the other day I said hey maybe there is a better suit with a little better protection for me.

I like Olympia stuff but always felt the armor was never where it needed to be and felt sloppy even with the adjustments they incorporate.

So I looked around and decided on a Rev'It Turbine set. A whole lot more fabric strength in it compared to Olympia gear. I also like that I could order SAS-Tec hip and back protector for it. SAS-Tec is a DO3 competitor armor and is rated CE 2+.

Pant but I got Silver

Silver Jacket

Pretty excited about it as it will be the nicest gear I have ever owned.

I also ordered a pair of Dainese TRQ-Tour Gore-Tex Boots.

Boots

In my get off I broke my neck, my right wrist/arm, left ankle, and a few ribs. I was wearing short summer boots AlpineStars MX-2 and feel they did not do the job. I also feel the broken arm/wrist could have been avoided with the right armor in place. The ribs not sure what would help that I would have put on in 90 degree heat. The neck well lets just say I made a bad choice in helmets that morning, I chose a Bell half instead of my Flip Nolan and am sure from t he look of the helmet had it been a flip/full helmet I would not have dug in and got my head ripped breaking my neck. This is all Monday Morning Quarterbacking but I have had almost 2 years to dwell on this.

So the Rev'It Turbine set, the Dainese boots, and a new Schuberth C3 it what I am gearing up in this summer.

While it has drained my of all expendable income I feel I am worth it.

SO I am broke but I am feeling I am going to be more protected than I have ever been in 30 years of riding. Man I think back to t-shirt and jeans and cringe.

So if anyone has any experience with these products please post up.

EDIT:

I also bought a pair of CyclePort gloves last summer and they are the cats meow.

 

[CAJW]

Glad you're back in the saddle again. No experience with the gear in question, but I've had a similar get off once (no neck injury, but otherwise similar) so I sort of feel your pain. Good gear is never too expensive compared to skin grafts and convalescence. As long as there's weenies and beans in the pantry and shoes on the kids feet, feel good about the investment you made in your gear and hopefully you'll not have to find out how good it is.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Different gear would not have mitigated broken bones. Jacket and pants armor don't fit that way. There has to be enough room for movement, and with that in mind, if you can move it, you can break it. If you didn't need skin grafts, didn't pull gravel out of your body, and didn't break the bones the armor is designed to protect, such as knees, elbows, hips etc, the gear did its job.

 

[daddykevin]

You won't regret the investment in the Schuberth C3. It's hands down the best lid that I've owned in 35 years of riding on the street. It's actually cooler with the vents open and the visor down, and actually uncomfortable to wear with the chin-bar up. I find this to be a good thing, because, during the Texas summer, I had a tendency to ride with Nolan in the "up" position. Which, as we all know, is not only stupid, but not the way that the helmet was designed. However, the Nolan was cooler with the bar up, than down. The Schuberth is cooler with the bar down, actually directing airflow onto the top vent which actually provides good airflow to the inside of the helmet.

I got mine in Hi-Viz to match my Tourmaster jacket, you can't be too seen on your daily commute. It's funny to see the looks that I get when I wear my jacket and helmet into a restaurant, people actually stare and whisper . . . which is exactly what I want.

Glad to hear that you're back in the saddle.

 

[LAF]

Different gear would not have mitigated broken bones. Jacket and pants armor don't fit that way. There has to be enough room for movement, and with that in mind, if you can move it, you can break it. If you didn't need skin grafts, didn't pull gravel out of your body, and didn't break the bones the armor is designed to protect, such as knees, elbows, hips etc, the gear did its job.

And that is one of my points. In the gear I was wearing I felt all the armor moved too much. Also CE-2 armor works a lot better than CE armor.

I do agree to a point with your statement but feel better armor would have reacted differently to my impact, and may have staved off the arm.

The ribs nope.

Ankle I think I covered well in the boots.

Neck well just a dumb choice in my helmet in the heat and I paid the price, and almost the ultimate price. Lets just say never again.

Also I was in the desert, no asphalt around, just cactus and rocks.

And who knows how this molecular back and hip armor would change things going rock hard on the impact, what that does for a grown man being skipped across the desert like a rock across water, after a 65MPH high side.

Just finding as the S fades off my chest, year after year, that I need to start looking at ways to mitigate dangers that affect me more now after wearing that t-shirt.

 

[Denver_FJR]

I've had Rev'it Air jacket and pants for a couple summers now. I like the armor but would prefer to have more of it along forearms. Looking at the Turbine line, appears they have upgrade its armor over my older Air model.

Watch out for the ceramic armor in the knees. I originally had an FZ6 and the ceramic finish was abrasive against the frame where my knees rubbed.

 

[kevinw]

I have the Rev-It Defender suit rather than the Turbine but it too has the SAS armour and it's very, very comfortable.

Like you I bought a 'silver' jacket. My reason for doing this was I didn't want a black jacket soaking up the sun but I really regret it because it it absolutely impossible to keep clean. The Rev'It rep. told me it would be fine if I washed it in a tech wash then a waterproofing wash but he was wrong. I've had jackets I haven't washed for years if ever (yeah I know, but they looked OK!) but I've washed this jacket four or five times in the few months I've had it; it still looks dirty after washing and is pretty disgusting after a weekend of riding which is disappointing in a $785 jacket. My own fault for buying such a light-coloured jacket and I won't make that mistake again.

Kevin

 

[Geno]

I have a Rev'it Sand outfit in "silver" (actually more of a light grey) , which I wore daily on a 2-week trip. After washing it, it looks like new. Just used regular laundry detergent in a big front-loader machine, then hit it with waterproffing spray. Easy.

 

[LAF]

Got to run the Dainese TRQ-Tour Gore-Tex Boots yesterday in the rain for about 125 miles. Not a frog killer, steady rain for 125 miles non the less.

I wear Smart Wool socks year round and was very comfortable it was about 62-65 yesterday. While the boots are perforated it is strictly for release, not intake of moisture.

This was the first time I wore them and comfort is outstanding, no break in needed. The soles are great and I like the heel on the sole compared to a flat sole.

I was totally dry and stopped under a bridge to verify by removing my boots and feeling my socks and the lining of the boots.

I am very pleased with these boots.

While a new, and I mean first time worn boot should not look like these, it sure proofs out they are water proof.