Clothes for warmer weather

[rubberhedgeho...]

Hi everyone,

Thanks to the double dip summer (was hot, then cold, now hot again) I find myself sweltering in my biking gear! I didn't know that I could sweat form my knees but that's a different topic.....

I'm planning a big tour for next Summer (as well as much more riding this year) and the gear I have now will definitely not do. It is Hein Gericke T-Sports 2 piece textiles, HG goretex gloves and my vented RST boots (which leave me with nice cool feet ). I put some of the blame on my Finnish grandpa, it takes a lot for me to feel the cold

So, question is, where do I go from here?
Should I be looking towards a mesh jacket and vented trousers? RST Adventure suit? Portable air conditioner unit?
I've tried kevlar jeans but the ones I have (Draggin') don't have a stretch panel in the crotch and they tend to leave the bottom of my back exposed. I'd really prefer a zip together system.

Thanks for your input!

[Suntan Sid]

Depends how warm it's going to get.

Once it gets above 30 degrees C here, (Cyprus) you still sweat in a mesh jacket. I've got a cheap textile jacket that has loads of zipped vents you can open or close for when it's a bit cooler.

Short gloves and don't tighten the end of your sleeves on your jacket.

Get a well vented helmet, I've got a Shark, it gets loads of air inside but in heavy rain the water gets through.

99% of bike gear is made to keep you warm and dry!
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[MattJ]

Leathers are cooler than textiles (in my experience, I'm sure some textiles are vented well and cool) but even leathers are too warm for this weather.

I think it depends what level of protection you want. Obviously leathers are the best for abrasion resistance and with good armour fairly good for impact resistance however I in my opinion it's the abrasion resistance that is more important. Textiles just aren't as good in terms of abrasion resistance.

I know what you mean about the jeans leaving your back exposed as my RST jeans do the same. Obviously you can get leathers that zip together and you can also get textiles that do too, and out of those 2, leathers are definitely not as warm as textiles. You can always put a jumper over the top of your leather jacket if the temperature drops.

If you plan to be doing a lot more miles in the summer I'm guessing you'll mainly be riding in decent weather so if I was you I'd go for the leathers, you could always get a waterproof oversuit for when you go touring next year in case you get caught in the rain.

Once it gets really warm then no motorcycle gear is going to keep you cool, the only thing to do to keep cool then is not to wear any gear. It depends on what you're willing to sacrifice. Are you willing to be a bit uncomfortable in order to have more protection in case of a crash or would you rather not have that protection in order to be more comfortable?

Your other option is to go faster, the wind will cool you down.

[rubberhedgeho...]

Thanks guys.

I have been riding around this week with my jacket half unzipped as well as having an unbottoms polo shirt to keep me cool. It's really my legs where the problem is. I get so uncomfortable and hot that I've got to stop every 45 minutes for a cool down and drink... Not sure quite how safe that is to ride like that.

My helmet is fine once I get going. It's an X-lite 802 with plenty of vents and I've removed the chin skirt so I get more airflow through that as well.

I'm not really up for getting rid of protection, especially if I'm abroad and down a not-very-well-used road with little passing traffic. My gloves tend to get damp with sweat as well - should I be going for some short leather ones from motorcross or something? Do they offer much abrasion resistance?

Thanks again!

[_matt]

In this weather, for me, it's leather's on the bottom, hoody on the top.

Yeh you lose your entire chest protection, but y'no... for me it's worth it when it's 28c
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[rubberhedgeho...]

Well, today I went to have a look at some more clothing options.

I came away with Knox Orsa gloves which are nicely vented but have awesome protection (it's like sticking protection to your fungers, knuckles, scaphoid and wrist and then not wearing a glove at all!).

Got my eye on a Held Hakuna Matata two piece suit as well. Excited to try it on my bike

[Moo.]

Said above, I find 3/4 gloves nice and cool, open up your sleeve zips/buttons and it acts like an air scoop keeps me pits cool. I wear a HG vented jacket, but even if you stop you start sweating.. Soo, ride faster I have a pair of Hood kevlar jeans that cover you lower back well and are a lot cooler then textile/leathers but still do get slightly sweaty if you end up walking around in them :o
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[barrkel]

For touring (which is usually in summer months, and only one set of riding gear to reduce luggage), I go with textiles that have maximum venting options and removable waterproof lining. That gives maximum flexibility. In heavy rain (you always see a few summer storms when touring on the continent), I put extra waterproofs on the outside, because textile exteriors will still get wet and inner linings will guide water into things like gloves.

For rides from home, it depends on what kind of ride I'm doing. Big bike on fast roads with cornering fun, I go with leathers, but I know I'll sweat - I don't have an extra set of perforated leathers. Scooter on city roads but still moderate cornering fun, I go with my touring textile jacket - it's cooler than my leathers by quite a bit. Either bike on city roads but with very laid back style, not aggressively trying to make progress, keeping a big "safety bubble", I may go out in a t-shirt. If I was carrying a pillion who was not also properly attired, I may dress to a similar level of protection - I think it's a bit of an asshole move otherwise.

Bear in mind I have had 5 crashes (so far, all low speed) in my riding career, so I know at least some of the worth of ATGATT. My biggest regret from past crashes? Not wearing boots. I never, ever ride without gloves or boots (or full face helmet, needless to say). A badly twisted ankle can give you trouble for months, if not years.

PS: on gloves, I have 4 pairs. Thick padded sheltex winter gloves for very cold; medium padded goretex gloves for rain, spring, autumn, and some of winter; vented race gloves with armour, kangaroo leather etc., no padding, for sporty riding; and perforated short leather gloves with minimal padding in place of armour, feels almost like no gloves at all. Having a good choice of gloves makes a big difference, I find.

PPS: I see you have your eye on the Hakuna / Matata Held combo. The Hakuna is my touring jacket. It's not the most vented jacket I have, but it's the best option for touring, I think. I have fully and permanently vented pants for touring because my bike is faired - if it were ever to get too cool for them, I'd wear jeans underneath and if necessary, waterproofs on top.
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[iooi]

Also think about what you wear underneath.

Check out the cheap walking retailer and their breathable t-shirts and micro fleeces.

No matter how hot I always wear a micro fleece.

At least that way my jacket does not get wet from any sweat and end up a stinky mess.
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[karoshi]

[Marcg868]

Doesn't get hot enough here to be uncomfortable. When its sunny i wear leathers with a zip up fleece on during the warm months. If it gets above 30 degrees i may take it off.

I frequently ride in Rhodes (Greece) when im over there and wear armoured jeans and a leather jacket. But its hot there, was pushing the 40's easily the whole two weeks i was there last year.

But there is some belting rods to ride
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[P.]

Its destined to be 30 degrees when I head over the the IoW.. so a hoody and jeans, maybe camo trousers.. is a probability. I can't do the whole "leaking sweat down my arse cheeks" anymore

[Tenko]

Saw a bloke on a scooter in Halifax yesterday wearing a 2 piece flourescent suit with open-toed sandals. Not my 1st choice for summer weather but I admire his style....

[KellyAFox]

Go for leather.

[matto]

https://www.forcefieldbodyarmour.com/product/pro-shirt/2407

What are people's thoughts on this, saw a feature in one of the monthly magazines and it seems like a really good compromise between safety and coolness, just chuck a t-shirt on top and you don't look like a martian too!