What armour should i look for? Leather or Textile?

[McfcChris94]

Quick question really, im a new biker with no experience at all, so what would you suggest

[Llama-Farmer]

Leather = better protection.

Textile = more practical, waterproof, can wear clothes underneath.


If you can afford it, I'd recommend getting a set of leathers and a set of textiles. Best of both worlds then.


I personally went for RST for both, great armour and protection, very good quality but at a very reasonable price. Was about 1/2 the price of similar Alpinestars stuff, but also the RST comes with fitted back protector too.


You definitely wanna make sure all the key joint areas are protected (elbows, knees, shoulders) and ideally back and hips as well. Chest protection would be a bonus, as ribs break easy and behind them are lots of vital organs

[McfcChris94]

at the moment, i can only afford one set so what is the best option, bike is to be purchased at end of march if that would help?

[kerr]

Textiles are always good all rounders, be careful though the textile jacket i got makes me sweat buckets on vaguely warm days, and thats with the thermal liner taken out , by march time il need to invest in a vented leather one
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aprilia 125 Af1 Futura >> Suzuki gsxr 600 srad >> J1 zx6r >> cbr 600rr >> Speed Triple

[McfcChris94]

i do think textile is a better option at the moment

should i completely discount leathers for the time being, or would it be worth trying some on and choosing my personal preference/talk to the people in store?

[lihp]

on a 125 I'd just get textiles. I cannot imagine decent textiles being unable to withstand 60mph crash.

Leathers seem great idea in good weather, but with textiles, you can often fit clothes underneath so commuting to work, I just take textiles off and I'm ready.

[ninja_butler]

Teflon Mike wrote a piece about leather v textiles a while ago. Leathers give the best protection against abrasion but textiles have more padding.

[Llama-Farmer]

If you can just afford one, then I'd go for a decent set of textiles.

As is the case with ALL protective biking gear, BUY THE BEST YOU CAN AFFORD. That doesn't necessarily mean go buy the most expensive brand you can afford, but buy the best fitting and best protecting clothing that fits in your budget.

[Rogerborg]

I currently wear textiles or armoured jeans but having seen some pretty eye opening results in RiDE I'll be leathering up at least the bottom half this season.

Hit up Gumtree and eBay for used gear, you can get some decent bargains if you're patient.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Sako]

i would always recommend leathers for the abrasion resistance, which is really what you are being protected from - neither leather nor textile will help you if you smash into a kerb/car/lamp-post at any great speed, so try to get something that offers a good protection from the tarmac grating you to shreds.

[Teflon-Mike]

In short TEXTILE

[WannaBeDude]

Can you put this new found In short TEXTILE at the beginning of your posts.
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Jogging on, destination living.

[McfcChris94]

thanks guys

[WannaBeDude]

You can put tldr version on the top of every elongated post.








To please everyone ...
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Jogging on, destination living.

[Llama-Farmer]

[McFlufferson]

When you hit that road it's going to hurt like buggery anyway. Moreso if end up replicating a squash match.

Best protection: Don't fall off (duuhh).
But really, just don't be afraid of looking a prat in order to be sure not to slip.

Buy what you can afford and what is comfortable.
Then rely on your head more than armour.
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Think that you'll stay loyal to a loving bike? So did I. Only rich men can afford to stay loyal. The poorer of us will whore ourselves out to any two wheeled monstrosity that will take us.

[Reid]

For what it's worth, I wear a pair of leathers and if the weather's shite, looks like it'll be shite or I don't want windchill, I'll throw on a pair of thin waterproofs. You can store them under the seat if you need to and are £40 max. I use trousers and a long jacket designed for walking/hiking and they keep me perfectly dry, miles better than the Frank Thomas textiles I had. Best of both worlds

[Dave70]