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Best or high quality Commuter Riding Gear?

To the OP

I'm an ATGATT guy that commutes to work where I have to don nomex flight gear 5 days a week. To make the ATGATT commitment the brand is not as important as the desire to not compromise your commitment to protection. If you are looking for high quality motorcycle protection that you can do yoga in... boss it does not exist.

The bottom line is... Wait for it... Strategy! Yeah, strategy! You have got to learn how to doff and don that gear with the precision of an Olympic athlete. I've been able to do it for years despite the severe limitations of my job.

I've learned to work out in some of my riding gear. I've learned to wear work out gear under my skid gear for quick change. I bought as much skid gear... boots in particular, with zippers to facilitate quick change.

Clark Kent ain't got nothing on me.
 
I'm an ATGATT guy that commutes to work where I have to don nomex flight gear 5 days a week. To make the ATGATT commitment the brand is not as important as the desire to not compromise your commitment to protection. If you are looking for high quality motorcycle protection that you can do yoga in... boss it does not exist.

The bottom line is... Wait for it... Strategy! Yeah, strategy! You have got to learn how to doff and don that gear with the precision of an Olympic athlete. I've been able to do it for years despite the severe limitations of my job.

I've learned to work out in some of my riding gear. I've learned to wear work out gear under my skid gear for quick change. I bought as much skid gear... boots in particular, with zippers to facilitate quick change.

Clark Kent ain't got nothing on me.
Post of the week! Can't tell you how many stupid looks I get at the gym when. I pop my gear off with ready to left gym others on underneath.
 
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There is another "step-in" one piece suit similar to the Aerostich for the fraction of the price. I can't remember who makes it and I have no experience with it. An option though. Look up Olympia Odyessy.

As for the Aerostich, it is convenient but it has its disadvantages. I am on my second but last Roadcrafter II since first using one since 1992.

Sounds like you're disenchanted with the Roadcrafter? Could you explain why?
 
Sounds like you're disenchanted with the Roadcrafter? Could you explain why?

I wouldn't say that considering I have used two of them continuously since 1992 (23 years now). But that was then when a lot less options were available and this is now.

They are a practical do-it-all suit...in their time. They are not waterproof (Aerostich never said that they were) and I accepted having to use a rain suit which I'd like to get away from using. And they do not vent well enough.

The suit I plan to replace it with isn't carried by any local shop and I won't mail order it...gotta visit the factory in Germany one of these days.
 
got Olympia (great at the price point), Klim Aerostich and other gear for various uses. The all weather commuter pick was always the 1 piece Roadcrafter. Plenty OK for short 20 min rain runs on my usual RT commuter and newer suits are better still. The "in/out in 10 seconds" is literally true once mastered. I wore mine over everything from suit and tie to casual workday clothes and hung it on the back of my office door. Now retired I use it less- multi piece is better for touring days
 
I used to just wear a jacket and gloves with jeans. Depending on weather I would sometimes skip the gloves and even the jacket and ride with a just t-shirt and jeans. However, my brother in-law who works at a hospital regaled me with a tale about a friend of his who had to have multiple surgeries due to going down in jeans. Within a couple weeks I picked up a complete Klim Overland suit. I made sure the pants fit over jeans as well as tightening up so I can just wear them as pants. I am lucky enough that I can just change in my office, however. YMMV. Given the construction and comfort I have started referring to them as Thor's pajamas. I love them and couldn't imagine riding without them now and that is what is the key. If you're not comfortable you won't wear it.

Kirk
 
As a wise man once said, "you dress for the fall, not for the ride."

If you commute all year long, get the best protective gear you can afford. There isn't a set that does well in all conditions, so you will probably end up with more than one set in your closet. Like many of us...

FYI
Gear is rated based on the number of seconds it can withstand before it shreds to threads.

Jean are good for about half a second...no good.
The highest rated is around 7-8 seconds.

The other aspect to consider is impact protection.
I believe D30 is among the best available.
 
The Aerostich Roadcrafter Light works very well for me. They are waterproof now, but it's easier to get air flowing in the Alabama heat. But the real reason I use it for commuting (versus all of the other gear that I have -- mesh, Darien, leather, etc. etc.) is that it is so easy to deal with. Putting it on and taking it off is much easier than with a jacket and pants combo. On top of all that it's waterproof, so when the inevitable rain hits I stay dry. I understand older Aerostich products leaked, but the new zippers or new coating or something works well for me.

The downside is that it took over a thousand miles to truly break in and it is still hot to wear at a stoplight in Alabama summers. But for the morning/evening commute, I keep going back to it, even with other options.
 
I don't have another vehicle other than my motorcycles & I wear full gear even if I go 1 mile to the store. I use Olympia gear & I upgrade all of the padding to level 2 amour. The Olympia pants are very easy & fast to put on & take off. Because I ride year round in all types of weather I have several different types of Olympia gear.
Plus 1. I can't be comfortable riding like the fair-weather riders here do with blue jeans and a nylon jacket. I know the pavement down the block a half mile away is just as hard and abrasive as it is if I was to ride 500 miles to get to it.

The Olympia gear is well made...probably as good as Klim and others for a couple hundred dollars more. Like others here who commute year around, I have summer gear and winter gear with some overlap on both depending on what the temperature range will be that day. The Olympia gear is easy to get on and off in seconds. The AST2 jacket (there's a newer jacket with a different name, but the same thing really), it has great ventilation that puts the air through to you...yet is waterproof. The pants aren't waterproof...but since they don't have a waterproof lining built in, means your boots don't snag when putting on the pants. For a brief shower, they'll keep the water off of you. For an extended ride in the rain, they have some waterproof liner pants you can put on.

Chris
 
Upon purchasing my latest Beemer, an R12003 (new) I threw in a new BMW Rally jacket. I've been waiting for a downpour to ride in and it happened on my commute today. Bone dry upon arrival. It's a nice jacket, designed veryy well. It doen't come with a thick inner liner, but a sweater and heated vest kept me toasty last winter. Compared to my previous RT's, I'll most likley opt for an upgraded heated liner with arm heat for next winter.
 
The heated liner versus just the vest is really nice.

Right now, the "old" style Gerbing gear seems to be on its way out. The Warming Store http://www.thewarmingstore.com/gerbing-heated-jacket-liner-12v.html has what I thought was a great deal on the jacket liner that I've had for years now. My old one like this, finally got a broken wire in the left sleeve that supplies power to my gloves. The price on this jacket liner is $169.99.

From what I can tell, the only difference in this "old" liner versus the new liner by Glyde is the name and the ability to hook up bluetooth and wireless controllers. I didn't need, or want that. So I bought another like I'd been using for years now.

The liner in the link above has heated panels in the chest, back, arms...and collar. The collar is really sweet when it is cold, like in the 20s. It blocks the wind cutting through and is nice and toasty. :) I used mine daily for about 8 months of each year...probably about three years total. I definitely got my money's worth.

Next fall, you'll be paying around $250 or more for a heated jacket liner.

Chris
 
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