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Upgrade gear

I do remember in the 80s in the Hondaline apparel line they had jackets that were reflective. They were a bronze color and when a headlight hit them they lit up, no body armor back then that was just for dirt bikers. I have a big bag of glass bead that I am experimenting with for the same effect.
 
This is a link to motorcycle conspicuity research which aggregated past studies that were designed adequately enough to be considered reliable or relevant. It goes to characteristics that may improve the likelihood that a rider is seen by another person on the roadway, not the protective ability of gear. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8213631/
 
After riding dirt as a kid I did not ride at all for forty years. When I started again I bought some Olympia gear, which is durable and protective and reasonably priced. Recently I have gone back and purchased CE2 armor for those jackets and pants. (Measure pockets carefully.)

I have upgraded my boots as well. CE rated boots must have a rigid heel and toe, non slip sole, be over the ankle, and have ankle pucks for protection. I have some Alpinestars touring boots that meet these standards but I may go more protective.

If you watch videos made by enduro and motocross riders, those are guys who buy their own gear and regularly crash in it. They know what works.

As I think about my armor now it seems to me my biggest vulnerability is that the knee and elbow armor might move in an accident. This is why you are supposed to wear gear tight, but I don’t like tight clothes. I am considering the Bohn underwear sets, as they hopefully would keep the armor in place if worn under a jacket or pants that would provide abrasion resistance.

image below is not me.
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Olympia build great gear for the $$$. Bohn is decent stuff, though I find it a tad “warm”. usually wear mine in cool weather. I am looking heavily into one of the Helite Turtle 2 airbags. Look goofy, but man I love the back and neck protection they provide ( and I’m Waaayy to old to be concerned about impressing the cool kids)
 
FWIW, it appears that FIRSTGEAR is coming out with a new line of moto-gear, to be announced in February. They also came out with a new logo.

I think they have now changed their logo 3 or 4 times in the past decade? Seems crazy to me and probably confusing to the customers to continuously change their logo, each time to a totally different look, but I do think a lot of their gear is well designed and well made.

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Lots of mfgr’s are being bought up by different companies and stuff is being farmed out to cheap labor. A huge percentage of todays gear, including some name brand stuff is now coming out of PRC (even some Klim stuff). Quality tends to suffer when this happens…
 
Lots of mfgr’s are being bought up by different companies and stuff is being farmed out to cheap labor. A huge percentage of todays gear, including some name brand stuff is now coming out of PRC (even some Klim stuff). Quality tends to suffer when this happens…
I heard PRC can build whatever quality product the company asks for. Even the USA makes good stuff and junk stuff. The factory builds what the company wants, at the price point they want to pay.

I have FirstGear jackets made in China and made in Vietnam. The jackets are well made and long lasting.
 
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I love my Olympia gear but what they cannot protect is all injuries on this old body. It was low speed and sand involved. I stuck out my booted foot as I've done many times and it stopped in the sand while the bike moved another foot and twisted my knee. I was reminded again that even the best protection cant stop injury.
 
I heard PRC can build whatever quality product the company asks for. Even the USA makes good stuff and junk stuff. The factory builds what the company wants, at the price point they want to pay.

I have FirstGear jackets made in China and made in Vietnam. The jackets are well made and long lasting.
Didn’t mean to imply they can’t make decent stuff, cause they do. Unfortunately some “brands” put profits way ahead of quality, which results in SOME real junk coming to the market. Folks need to do their homework before buying gear. A cheap jacket that disintegrates when it is in a crash is NO bargain, nor is a cheap helmet that fails to protect your head. In this life you “may” pay for a Cadillac and get a Yugo, but you’ll Never pay for a Yugo and get a Cadillac. Caveat emptor
 
In this life you “may” pay for a Cadillac and get a Yugo, but you’ll Never pay for a Yugo and get a Cadillac. Caveat emptor
Just remember that in plenty of cases a reliable old VW (middle of the price range) might be more suitable for you than the Cadillac, and just because you pay more for a Cadillac doesn't mean it's necessarily better.
For example, helmets beyond a certain price point aren't really inherently more safe, you're paying for things like comfort and convenience more than safety. You can buy a "top of the line brand name" helmet for over $1000 that isn't any safer than some of the $300 lids, but might have a more comfortable liner fabric, a slight reduction in weight, and slightly improved aerodynamics.
But you can also find $300 lids on the market that are absolute junk, too.
 
Just remember that in plenty of cases a reliable old VW (middle of the price range) might be more suitable for you than the Cadillac, and just because you pay more for a Cadillac doesn't mean it's necessarily better.
For example, helmets beyond a certain price point aren't really inherently more safe, you're paying for things like comfort and convenience more than safety. You can buy a "top of the line brand name" helmet for over $1000 that isn't any safer than some of the $300 lids, but might have a more comfortable liner fabric, a slight reduction in weight, and slightly improved aerodynamics.
But you can also find $300 lids on the market that are absolute junk, too.
Very true. I cant stand to see folks place their safety in the hands of basically defective equipment. Classic example are the modular helmets which use plastic pins/latches to hold the chin bar in place. These things often fail on impact, giving more more (and maybe even less) protection than an open face. Some rather pricey lids have the same issue.
 
I heard PRC can build whatever quality product the company asks for. Even the USA makes good stuff and junk stuff. The factory builds what the company wants, at the price point they want to pay.

I have FirstGear jackets made in China and made in Vietnam. The jackets are well made and long lasting.
I am going to have to disagree with your last sentence. I have Firstgear Kathmandu jacket, overpants, and Firstgear Outrider gloves. For the price, there is a lot to be desired in all of it from both a design and manufacturing standpoint. I am starting to switch over to Scorpion gear as I find it to be better quality gear for a better price.
 
I am going to have to disagree with your last sentence. I have Firstgear Kathmandu jacket, overpants, and Firstgear Outrider gloves. For the price, there is a lot to be desired in all of it from both a design and manufacturing standpoint. I am starting to switch over to Scorpion gear as I find it to be better quality gear for a better price.
No need to disagree. I didn't say all First Gear products were well designed and manufactured, as I would have no way of knowing that, nor would you be able to know how my particular jackets were made and how they have lasted. I simply said, "I have FirstGear jackets made in China and made in Vietnam. The jackets are well made and long lasting".
 
I enjoy this thread and the links. Thank you for posting. For the last 4 years I have been using the Firstgear one piece thermo suit. I commute with this suit and it is great for warmth and rain proof.
However, I will state that I’m not sure what kind of crash protection it offers and I don’t know if I should trust the suit for an accident. I’m now wondering if purchasing another brand of one piece should be a priority.

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Look at your suit. What is the stitching like, single row or double row? What is the material, corduroy or ?.. what about armor, knees, hips, elbows, back? Is it CE approved armor or foam pads? The quality of theses things will tell you a lot about your gear. Also check and see if you can find any crash reviews for this suit. Good luck!
 
Also look at the denier of the material. Anything under 500 is a non-starter for me
 
Is that because drivers see us better or because those of us who wear hi viz are less likely to speed, pull wheelies and engage in general Tom foolery? The world may never know.
Good methodology in the studies try to account for assumptions like "wears safe gear = safe rider behavior" or "doesn't wear helmet = unsafe rider behavior" and represent them properly. Critical thinking is hard.
 
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