| Author | Message | ||
     Bertotti |
So last fall I asked what gear you liked. Lots of replies and advice, thanks. I now want to ask how to choose what's right for me. I like the Olympia ast but really like the shorter tourer gear better. Any reason to choose one over the other? | ||
| Johnboy777 |
See Below! (Message edited by johnboy777 on March 22, 2008) | ||
| Johnboy777 |
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| Andrejs2112 |
Is that Billary? | ||
| Mikef5000 |
I think, as long as you're looking at all high quality stuff, your biggest concern should be fit. I tried on many different brands, some I wore medium, some I wore extra small, in the end, I found that Teknic fits me best. If you go with a shorter (sportier) jacket, make sure your pants are fairly high. When I laid my old bike down, my leather jacket immidiately rode up exposing my hip to the asphault. That took awhile to heal. | ||
| Chrisgrant |
I have the AST and really like it. I thought about getting the Airglide for summer. | ||
| Maximum |
I have the AST...and the Airglide. I prefer the longer length of the AST but the mesh of the Airglide certainly is nice in the summer.  | ||
| Bertotti |
Why do you all prefer the longer length jackets? Also when I think of cold weather I am thinking of around 30 degrees max cold. Do these jackets and pants insulate that well? Thanks for the help! | ||
| Chrisgrant |
I wonder about the bushwacker. Longer than the airglige and still mesh. http://www.olympiamotosports.com/bushwacker/Bushwh acker.htm | ||
| Honu |
On long rides where I might encounter rain, I wear my longer touring jacket. On shorter fair weather rides the sport cut jacket. I have had rain water funnel down my pants with a shorter jacket.... | ||
| Maximum |
Without a doubt the AST is good down to 30's. With only adding a heated jacket liner to the AST and its' liner (nothing added to the stock pants/liner combo) I have ridden all the way down to 8 degrees! I like the longer jacket better because the Airglide length can sometimes ride up in the back a little, although that is not really a big deal in the summer. A friend of mine from work has the Bushwacker, in which he really likes, and uses it in the winter too (down into the 30's). He had an opportunity recently to test out the crash worthiness of the Olympia gear...and it did a great job! Now that they are making the Bushwacker in my Hi-vis yellow...I will probably try it next.  | ||
| Crusty |
Why do you all prefer the longer length jackets? I prefer them for the available pockets. It's easier to carry all the assorted little items that I like to have close at hand; flashlight, tire gauge, pen, Motrin, business cards, change for tolls, etc. The longer jackets also offer better weather protection. Plus, they're more flattering to less than, um, ideal physiques. | ||
| Hooper |
I tried to jump a deer that conveniently lied down in front of me one day. I was doing about 55mph, left the Uly, flew a little ways (I assume), slid a bit, stood up, picked up my bike, and waited for the police to arrive. I had a sore left arm and ribs, and a cut on my right thigh from some rock or road debris - it punctured the outer pant shell, the liner, and my jeans. My Olympia AST coat/pant set performed very well, especially the armor on my shoulder, which certainly kept that impact from being worse, and on elbows and back. The stitching on the right leg zipper ripped out, but it was easily repaired by a tailor. The back has a long tear, and there were some other small holes and ripped seams on the elbows, but it held together amazingly well and did its job. No broken bones, no road rash, no bruises. The jacket is being retired, but the pants are good to go. An important feature that jacket/pant sets should have is the zipper and straps that attach the two pieces together so your pants don't get stripped off in case of a slide. The pants have small hip pads, but I could have used some that were a little longer. The set is incredibly warm - the jacket is pretty much waterproof, but the pants are not. I like the long jacket for the pockets as well, and I think it looks more intimidating when you're off the bike. You get lots of stares when tromping through the grocery store, and I've gotten compliments from the ladies (not that we ever, ever ride bikes to impress the opposite sex). I think a lot of things came together to make me one lucky bastard, but it wasn't "lucky" that I went out that day with all my gear on. Here's a question: anyone got any good armored leather jacket recommendations for day-to-day use? (Message edited by hooper on March 26, 2008) | ||
| Tsorl76 |
Very lucky,glad you're okay. Fox creek leather has some great jackets, some of them have pockets for armor but they don't come with it. Their leather products are made here in the states and are of excellent quality. http://www.foxcreekleather.com/mens.phtml | ||
| Dldeano |
I prefer 3/4 length coats...more pockets, better weather protection, and usually a more relaxed fit for layering underneath. I have a Cycloak which is 8 years old, 1 big crash...still water proof even though its never been washed or treated. I won't part with it until absolutely necessary. It is a warm coat, though... For warmer weather I wear a 3/4 length armored enduro jacket (Fox Panther). Sleeves zip off quick, a trait I came to really dig riding through the desert in June. It ain't weather proof...but it's all a trade off, somewhere along the line. Can't beat the utility, fit, protection, or comfort of 3/4 length jackets, IMHO. |
