Recommendation for helmet & clothing with armour

[mikeL]

Hi - as my may have seen from my other post I am coming back to biking but want a bigger bike for motorway use.

I also need a helmet, jacket and trousers, boots and gloves!

I am not too bothered about style but who makes jackets and trousers with hight levels of built in protection - spine, shoulder, arm, thigh & knee armour etc.. Also a decent helmet, glove and boots - I am looking at safety and protection rather then style!

I love the Dainese anf Forcefield armour but want the armour to be build into the clothing to save the faf of putting on layers of kit each time I want to ride!

Any recommendations would be great!

Mike

[angryjonny]

Welcome back to biking.

With gear, as a general rule you get what you pay for. Clothing-wise I'd consider Hein Gericke the "Marks and Spencer" of bike gear - quality stuff but you're not paying extra for the fact that it says "Alpinestars" or whatever down the side. I tend to go for Hein Gericke textiles but my leathers are Arlen Ness.

As for helmets - google SHARP Helmet Ratings to find out which are supposedly the best. But as is so often quoted on here - the best helmet is the one that fits you best.

[mikeL]

Any thoughts on the Caberg Konda helmet?

[angryjonny]

I'm not a fan of flip-front helmets. It's a built in weakness and it adds extra weight. But if you're set on it then get down your local bike shop and try one on for 20 minutes or so. If it doesn't twist, doesn't roll off and it's still comfy after 20 minutes (no nasty pressure points) then it fits you ok.

It's of paramount importance that you buy one that's comfortable. I did my CBT in an ill-fitting helmet and I was in agony (the pain builds). Went out the next day and bought an Arai and I've had Arais ever since.