Going Down in Leather or Textile?

[jonnythan]

I crashed in full mesh. It did it jobs. I had to replace it all which is the downside. The upside is that I was fine.

What mesh did you have?

I noticed something odd - the women's Olympia gear has 500 to 2000 denier Dupont Cordura - and the men's only has 500 to 1500. I have no idea why this would be.

Mens
Womens

RhadamYgg

Denier doesn't mean a whole lot.

It's just how heavy the base nylon fiber is per unit length. That's all. It doesn't correlated directly to durability at all.

[ofblong]

I crashed in full mesh. It did it jobs. I had to replace it all which is the downside. The upside is that I was fine.

you would have to replace your leathers in a crash as well.

I wear an armored textile jacket that should last just as long as any leather jacket while keeping me cooler in the summer (though I got an insert that makes me sweat at 45F outside).

[RhadamYgg]

I crashed in full mesh. It did it jobs. I had to replace it all which is the downside. The upside is that I was fine.

What mesh did you have?

I noticed something odd - the women's Olympia gear has 500 to 2000 denier Dupont Cordura - and the men's only has 500 to 1500. I have no idea why this would be.

Mens
Womens

RhadamYgg

Denier doesn't mean a whole lot.

It's just how heavy the base nylon fiber is per unit length. That's all. It doesn't correlated directly to durability at all.

Ahh ok. I know I saw a recommendation for 1000+ denier for any jacket. But I haven't seen any jackets that are all 1000+.

RhadamYgg

[pvo22]

So textiles will hold up just fine in a crash/slide but will probably show more wear than the leather would? All I really care is that the gear will keep me from getting major road rash and it will be something that I want to wear even when it is hot out. Also I was curious as to how well riding jeans hold up? From what I've read so far about jeans some hold up well and others don't.

[jonnythan]

So textiles will hold up just fine in a crash/slide but will probably show more wear than the leather would? All I really care is that the gear will keep me from getting major road rash and it will be something that I want to wear even when it is hot out. Also I was curious as to how well riding jeans hold up? From what I've read so far about jeans some hold up well and others don't.

Just get any quality motorcycle textile or leather product and you'll be fine.

Denim is no good. Draggin Jeans style denim, with thick Kevlar protective cloth around the butt, hips, and knees is OK for abrasion resistance though.

When it's cold, I wear a heavy leather jacket and waterproof textile overpants. When it's warm, I wear an Alpinestars mesh jacket with armor and some Teknic Kevlar-lined jeans.

[Lion_Lady]

I crashed in textile gear. Was probably going about 20-30 mph. Slid with bike on my leg. No road rash, minor impact damage to my knee, but would have probably been on crutches or seriously injured without the knee armor.

Roughed up some spots on the jacket and got a little "pink" area on my elbow from the armor.

Buy the best you can afford and that is comfortable enough you will wear it EVERY time you ride.

Good protective leather tends to be heavy and not so comfortable in HOT/steamy temps. Textile is versatile and usually machine washable - a big plus if you're gonna wear it daily.

P

[JC Viper]

I've had some pretty bad crashes in textile, leather and textile mesh jackets and they all held up well enough to the point where it wasn't apparent that I was in an accident.

My current jacket (favorite) is my Tour Master Coaster leather jacket but it is heavy with 6 layers of leather and can get pretty hot in warm weather but it doesn't show the armor like many textile jackets do.

Anyhow just get a jacket that you like and has good padding, I guess CE is the highest you can get. Oh and give it a good tug at the sleeves and torso areas to see how strong it is... just for a little piece of mind, no scientifically proven fact.

[DivideOverflow]

My buddy crashed in a Joe rocket mesh jacket at about 30mph. He got rash on his arm where the armor wasn't... It still helped, but he was in bandages for a few weeks.

I've seen PLENTY of people go down at the track in leathers and not get a scratch. And those are at speeds well above 65mph.

[ofblong]

My buddy crashed in a Joe rocket mesh jacket at about 30mph. He got rash on his arm where the armor wasn't... It still helped, but he was in bandages for a few weeks.

I've seen PLENTY of people go down at the track in leathers and not get a scratch. And those are at speeds well above 65mph.

to me joe rocket seems to be made of cheap material. But thats just how their jackets/pants feel to me and doesnt mean they are.

[camthepyro]

I currently have a leather jacket, that I crashed in. It was fairly low speed crash (about 30mph), and did more rolling than sliding, but the jacket didn't even get scuffed.

However it was extremely hot in the summer. So much so that I often unzipped it, or considered riding without it (although I never did). That totally negates the protectiveness of it.

So, now that I'm about to get my new bike, I'll probably get a mesh textile jacket, with armor in the elbows, shoulders, and back. When it's real hot I'll wear the textile. When it's just warm or cold, I'll wear the leather jacket.