Protective trouser advice

[Zed]

Hein Gericke (and most other) Gore tex stuff is terribly expensive IMHO - is it really worth it?? If you are touring the world and need one set of gear for every conceivable weather, then maybe

Worth is relative, obviously.
But i'm not poor, and will wear stuff for at least five years, so at less than £50-70 a year per item it's worth it to me.

For example the safety testing is probably fractionally better than cheap stuff, and every % chance of less injury is worth it to me.
Likewise not having to choose is worth it to me; i passed a guy this morning stopping to put on his over-trousers etc, he looked wet and was getting wetting, and probably took him at least 5 mins for the stop. Again worth it to me.
Lastly the cheap jacket i had previously was worn out in two years, it was only £50 but thats still £125 over five years for worse fit, safety and weather protection.

So yes expensive one off cost, no arguments there, but worth is relative.

[Lou]

I ordered the JTS Ace trousers from my first link, the fact that they were half price because the colour wasnt exactly black did it for me! i'm a 34" waist 29" leg and ordered 36" waist with 31" leg so hopefully should fit fine.

Thanks for all your input and advice

After ordering last night when they were in stock, I had a phone call today to say they weren't! Poo! Looks like I may get the other ones off ebay!

[MrGrumpy]

Worth is relative, obviously.
But i'm not poor, and will wear stuff for at least five years, so at less than £50-70 a year per item it's worth it to me.

For example the safety testing is probably fractionally better than cheap stuff, and every % chance of less injury is worth it to me.
Likewise not having to choose is worth it to me; i passed a guy this morning stopping to put on his over-trousers etc, he looked wet and was getting wetting, and probably took him at least 5 mins for the stop. Again worth it to me.

Well yes, thats the interesting question, is expensive gear necessarily more crash worthy than cheap stuff? Obviously Gore Tex itself isn't a safety measure. I do find that manufacturers seem very loathe to say what most textile jackets are made of. I guess most are just basic nylon, so not very abrasion resistant. Some are Cordura, which is much more abrasion resistant, but it can cost rather more. Leather is of course better, but very impractical. The other issue is armour, but I often throw away whats supplied in cheap jackets and replace it with Knox stuff anyway.

Don't talk to me about getting wet!!!!! Absolutely threw it down this morning! My Hein Gericke over trousers worked perfectly, my over gloves worked perfectly, but my Tuzo textile jacket was a disaster! My shirt sleeves and collar were wet and my commute is only 10 minutes! I've never had a problem with any jacket like this before!

[macp]

Same here except my cheap J&S jacket my sidi boots and bmw gloves kept me bone dry my armoured waterproof trousers soaked through in seconds.

[Lou]

I ordered the JTS Ace trousers from my first link, the fact that they were half price because the colour wasnt exactly black did it for me! i'm a 34" waist 29" leg and ordered 36" waist with 31" leg so hopefully should fit fine.

Thanks for all your input and advice

After ordering last night when they were in stock, I had a phone call today to say they weren't! Poo! Looks like I may get the other ones off ebay!

I bought the £41 pair off ebay but for £43 as the cheaper ones were for a 28" waist! may get one of my legs into them!!

[Zed]

Don't talk to me about getting wet!!!!! ... my Tuzo textile jacket was a disaster! My shirt sleeves and collar were wet and my commute is only 10 minutes!

my armoured waterproof trousers soaked through in seconds.

Might i suggest the joys of "expensive" gortex?

[jjprivate]

I have a light leather outfit from Hein Gericke for summer and a heavy one from Vanucci for winter, both with high end protectors in all neccessary places. I wear nothing else but leather even on a scooter since I crashed into a fence ( 20 feet of fence laid down but bike survived it )many years ago with a Kawa 1000 and had no injuries but a scratch on my left little finger and some bruises.

My summer bike gear

[MrGrumpy]

Might i suggest the joys of "expensive" gortex?

Well, I've just an e-mail from Infinity selling Rukka Gore-tex jackets....apparently over 30% off, now 'only' £449!!
No thanks....
I've never had any troubles with any other of my cheap jackets lacking waterproofness. And anyway, I've read reports some several people who have bought expensive Goretex jackets and then find them utterly useless - in prolonged rain at least - as they tend to soak up the water.

[Lou]

Well the Texpeed waterpoof trousers arrived today and what a bargain! They fit perfectly and are a lot lighter than I thought they'd be! Well worth the £43 it cost! Armour on the knees is good, the only thing I would like is a little more padding on the hips but what can you expect for £43?

[poldark]

Any pics?