How can Rukka be so popular among bike couriers?

[Londoner2015]

Rukka is one of the most, if not the most, popular brand I see worn by bikers in London. I understand if lawyers and bankers experiencing a mid-life crisis fritter away their money on this type of kit, but how can it be so popular among bike couriers and food delivery couriers? The most common kit I see is the Armas, their top of the range, with superfabric patches; the jacket will set you back about one grand, and the trousers cost £6-700. In other words, this kit is worth more than many of the old and lousy bikes (especially the 125s) used by many couriers. I don’t understand it! How much money are couriers paid? Even if they were to buy it used, it would still be expensive, and offer less protection than cheaper leather or CE-approved textile jackets (Hideout leathers, Scotts leathers and Weise, all British, make ce-homologated jackets and pants).

[hutchism]

People that ride all year need it. I've got Rukka now after years of mediocre clothing. The first year I had rukka i waa actually riding a cb500 I brought for £100!

I've gone through 3 bikes since then and the Rukka is still going strong. I've never been wet and only ever cold when I've not gotten round to putting the lining in at start on winter.

I'd sooner invest in kit before a new bike. Plus if you get it straight from Germany it's way cheaper, we get shafted in every direction in the Uk!

[c_dug]

I'm beginning to think the options are Rukka or nothing, I've tried lots of brands and have never found anything that is actually properly waterproof, nor warm in sub zero temperatures.

Rukka is always rated as pukka.

That with some Datona boots and some Tucano muffs seems to be the ultimate recipe!
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Londoner2015]

Well, regardless of the merits of Rukka, I find it surprising that so many bike couriers, ie people on low and potentially irregular wages, are willing to invest so much in such expensive kit.

I don't agree that if you ride all year you need it. I ride all year. I'd prefer a decent bike with ABS, even if it means cheaper gear. I'm stingy on a lot of things but not on bike kit.

In terms of protection, there is no question that leathers and CE - homologated jackets (where the whole garment is homologated on burst, abrasion and cut resistance) offer better protection than Rukka's textiles, and can easily be cheaper. Also, Rukka has level 1 only armour, whereas level 2 absorbs twice as much energy.

Laminated gore pro makes the gear very handy for British winter, but the poor venting options mean Rukkas are much warmer than other gear with gore pro but lots of venting, like Kim's Badlands, which is also more reinforced.

[Shinigami]

can't say i've been wet through my waterproofs at any point and I commute year round. I have an Aldi textile jacket and 'texspeed' armoured trousers (about £35). Not leaked once in years and warm enough for me
____________________
Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[ScaredyCat]

Doesn't Rukka stuff come with a lifetime guarantee?
____________________
Honda CBF125 ➝ NC700X
Honda CBF125 ↳ Speed Triple

[Londoner2015]

[c-m]

Rukka gear mostly looks like crap but it is great quality.

I've got a pair of Apollo gloves and have put them through hell. So much so that after 10,000 miles on and off road (in just 1 year) they are faded and scuffed but still completely waterproof and still doing their job.

If they employed a better design department I might then consider their trousers or jackets too.

[chris-red]

Cheap gear is false economy, it just doesn't last. I have Halvarssons Textiles similar price point to Rukka. I know they will be waterproof for years to come. I have Datona boots for the same reason.
____________________
Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[Londoner2015]

[Londoner2015]

Stadler in Germany make excellent gear with gore-pro. They used to make BMW’s kit and now supply a number of police forces in Northern Europe. They have a jacket with leather reinforcements and lots of vents, and another with superfabric and vents – both more reinforced and versatile than Rukka. You’d have to order directly from Merkel-land, though.
https://www.stadler-bekleidung.de/product-detail-3-layer-en/jacke-track-pro.html
https://www.stadler-bekleidung.de/product-detail-3-layer-en/jacke-force-pro.html

Dainese’s Stradon is gore-pro, with leather reinforcements, about £250 cheaper than the Rukka Armas, and way more stylish.
Dainese’s Ridder is not reinforced like the others, but has laminated gore-tex and excellent vents.

Revit has lots of gore-tex kit. If you want laminated gore-tex, the Revit Dominator and Poseidon both have much better venting options than Rukka, and the Dominator has similar superfabric reinforcements.

And I’m sure there’s many more.

I am sure Rukka’s kit is good quality, and this is why it has a loyal following. But, no, it is by far not the only option, and most certainly not the most protective.

[Shinigami]

[ADSrox0r]

It's certainly damned good quality gear but I'm guilty of tarring Rukka wearers as 'owns a GS and once rode it through a puddle' types.
____________________
Current bikes: '08 VFR 800 VTEC(yo) , '07 ZZR1400 Winter hack: '95 Aprilia 650 Pegaso Currently lusting after: RC30

[Londoner2015]

[owl]

got the klim blade, it's their cheapest goretex jacket

had to go a size up which is actually too big, but means you can layer under it, seems fine so far

[Londoner2015]

By the way, methinks the most versatile textile jacket for English weather is the hi-pro by Hideout leather which I had mentioned (https://www.hideout-leather.co.uk/hideout-leather-hi-pro ). I find the most challenging time to choose what bike gear to wear is the mid-season, i.e. when it’s neither too hot nor too cold, yet can rain out of the blue. Jackets with a removable waterproof membrane suck in these conditions because, if you remove it, you’ll already be soaked by the time it starts raining, you pull over and fiddle with the layers, or with a rain overjacket. If you leave it in and it doesn’t rain, the waterproof layer is also windproof and blocks all the airflow, no matter how many vents you may have, so you bake in your own sweat – or at least I do.
Instead, a jacket with laminated waterproof + lots of vents is biker’s heaven: you can ride with the vents open and close them only if it starts raining, often without even getting off the bike, or leave them slightly open (eg at the back or under the arms) if you prefer the risk of a couple of raindrops over that of sweating too much. These are precisely the reasons why some guys on advrider.com use the grey Klim Apex in Thailand (hot and rainy).
I prefer Hideout’s jacket because it is CE-approved and passed the level 2 homologation tests for Personal Protective Equipment; plus it’s nice to buy quality gear from a small, British shop which manufacturers near Cambridge, and not in an Asian sweatshop. Klim and Hideout both use lousy D30 armour (lousy because too small), but hideout can customise most aspects of the jacket, including changing the protectors with bigger ones. Changing protectors on Klim jackets is tricky because you’d need to have the pockets altered somehow.
I have never ridden with it, but everyone tells me that the poor venting options of the Rukka Armas make it a winter-only jacket, even in England, with our mild non-summer and a spring which is colder than winter in many Southern European countries.

For the weeks it is really hot here in England, I think the best compromise is wearing some kind of Kevlar or protective shirt (Dragging, Bull-it and Bowtek make them), to improve abrasion resistance, underneath some summery and not-particularly protective jacket. Something like the Resurgence Rocker jacket, which seems like a denim jacket but is fully lined with the same fabric of their Voyager jeans, which are CE-level 2, could also be a good compromise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-WDEx3DGuM

Oh, and don’t forget to make sure whatever you buy either has or can fit level 2 protectors. I see no reason for not having protectors which absorb twice as much energy.

[Baffler186]

I don't doubt the quality of Rukka at all, but that's a lot of money that you could lose if you had an off. My insurance would charge £38 a year to insure gear (and only up to £750).

For my half hour a day commute it would be overkill. For weekend use, well I wouldn't go out if it was raining, and I've never suffered cold from cheaper (£100 - £150) jackets. In fact the only part of my body that ever gets too cold is my fingers.
____________________
Current: 2009 SV650 S, 1990 Kawasaki GT550
Previous: 2009 CBF125, 1998 GSF600, 2004 FZ6 Fazer, 1978 CB400a Hondamatic

[Rogerborg]

<--- 6 1/2 year old RST Enduro jacket, £80, still fairly water resistant. Layering a £11.95 Regatta waterproof jacket makes it fully so.

Yes, I know, leathers, CE, but I spend a lot more time not falling off. </Tef>

If I were riding for a living, I'd spring for one of the used Roadcrafter romper suits that occasionally come up on eBay.
____________________
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

[Beehive Bedlam]

[drzsta]

I have just bought rukka armaxis jacket, armaxion trousers and Daytona roadstar boots.

It was £1800 worth but I was fed up with getting wet and cold every winter. Yes, it's alot of money but worth it for being comfortable and protected.

If you can't afford it by all means get something cheaper.

[chris-red]

[tom_e]

[colink98]

Perfectly happy with my Richa kit.
____________________
PCX125 (stolen) - CBF600 (current)
Ride it like you stole it.
ride sensible and not like an idiot and you wont get 6 points in one week.

[Londoner2015]

[Londoner2015]