What to wear when riding, Mmm, a very emotive question. Some say that you should wear the maximum protection at all times when riding. Others take a less strict approach. I go from one extreme to the other. When going out for a ride when I know I am going to be pushing the limits I wear full race leathers with gloves and boots to match, however, when riding normally I will wear jeans and a lightweight jacket. When riding to the office I wear business attire. Gasps of shock from some people!
The fact is, it is unfeasible to wear full leathers when riding day to day. They are too hot, they take too much time to put on and walking around like a power ranger is not really on.
Wearing business attire going to work is fine by me. It means I will not have to have a shower as soon as I stop. I arrive at the office and I am ready to go. Now, when I am wearing a suit I dont get my knee down on the bends but I do travel quickly. If I dont use the advantages of the bike I might as well use a car.
I always use good gloves and always have proper footwear. The weather here just does allow the use of fully protective gear all the time. Just my view.
indeed, wear appropriate gear for the conditions and your intended activity
in summer here i still never go below kevlar jeans, bike boots , decent gloves and a magnesium back protector/kidney belt under maybe a denim jacket though more usually a leather one
most times however i go for leather race pants and jacket ( haven't got a one piece yet) or if its cold i have a choice of 3 different levels of warm/waterproof jacket
all my jackets have full armour and i've upgraded a lot of them to higher quality armour than they came with
helmets are always full face with tinted visor ( essential for summer, not too much of a problem in winter) and usually matt black ( not always so good in blistering hot sun...)
when i think back to some of the stuff we used to ride in, all in the name of fashion, it scares the crap out of me, mind you i've never gone as far as thongs ( flip flops that is , not a mankini..)
As stated in my post I will wear clothing that I believe is appropriate to the condition and typeof riding I am anticipating engaging in. I ride just about every day, sometimes short distance sometimes long and the only things I never vary on is Gloves, solid footwear and a high quality helmet. Being a Pom that burns easily I never go bare skinned! Ha! Ha!
I too am pomish, been in Oz for about 40 years, riding for most of them
A few times I'm in the past I've done the tshirt ride day and by the end of it my arms would be purple from Sun and wind
Don't do that any more.,...
Where in englandshire are you from
Born in Bristol and left the UK at 17 in the Army. Spent nearly all my 18 years in the Army overseas. After I left I returned to the UK but hated it. It had changed. After a few years sold up everything and moved to mainland China for 7 years. After that moved to the Philippines. I have been here 10 years now.