buying riding gear?

[dean owens]

if y'all will humor me i have a few questions.

1 - is the price of gear pretty much set or can i talk them down? i figure no because you can't bargin for clothes at wal-mart. but it's a bike dealership that i'm sure bargins for the price of their bikes. so where to the clothes, helmet and such fall in?

2 - i found a helmet that fit me today but it was black. i was hoping to find something a little brighter. should i keep looking? i'm specifically looking for a modular helmet so my choices are a little limited.

3 - in north carolina we have super hot and humid to snow. i'm thinking the best jacket will be one of the ones with a zip out liner and vents. would that sort of jacket be a year round jacket like i'm thinking? if so, is there a brand i should be looking for?

4 - what do you guys use for pants? do you just wear jeans? do you get special pants that have kevlar in them? or do you use those pullover sort of riding pants that look like parachut pants? i'm completely lost as to what works well for pants.

thanks for your help.

[Jadien]

I'm still a newbie too, but I'll throw a few ideas your way....

1. I've found if you explain to them that you're a new rider trying to get the most bang for your buck, they'll get you a package-deal type thing. Meaning, you can't talk down a helmet, but you might be able to talk down helmet, jacket and gloves. Also, this really only works for older/close-out items (which are just as good).

2. That helmet has to come in other colors, get the brand, model, and size then call around. (Then try to see what else is available for a package deal...) *Also, make sure the helmet fits by using the various guides we have here on the internet, the stickie at the top of the newbie section is a great resource.*

3. They make jackets that are convertible from cool to hot. Check for the Joe Rocket Alter Ego, and others. For the really cold stuff you need a leather with insulation (I'd imagine, since I live in Phoenix-> Cold = 50's).

4. I currently ride in jeans, but I'm looking for pants. I'm sure all the experts will say to get some type of overpants. I think the JR Alter Ego pants would suffice for your conditions in the spring/summer/fall.

Hope that helps.... and I'm sure there are more experienced riders who will chime in with more/better ideas....

[Scoutmedic]

Look around for your best gear bargain. I don't know how successful you'll be trying to dicker with clothing prices.

You could always add reflective stickers to your helmet to make it more your own and more visible. RideSafer.com has some pretty cool stuff. You could probably find it cheaper elsewhere if you looked around.

I wear a Cortech GX-Air made by Tourmaster. It's a mesh and armor exterior with a removeable rain liner and a removeable thermal liner. I've worn it in temps from 34 to 90 degrees F.

I have a set of kevlar lined jeans from Brosh. Decent value with knee kevlar, removeable knee pads and removeable hip kevlar. But, honestly, I'll probably go with a set of Draggin Jeans next time. I also have a set of overpants but, I find them too bulky for my taste. I only wear them if the temps are in the 30's and it's going to be a long ride. I found that a set of addidas lined warm up pants work good on top of my Power Jeans as extra insulation and or rainy weather.

[Veda]

I think you have a little bit of room in the price of the gear, particularly more expensive gear. I doubt you could haggle like you do on the bike itself, but if you bought a $400 helmet you might get them to throw in a cleaning kit or something small. Or maybe like Jadien said, if you got a full set of gear you might get them to throw in a small discount.

For the jacket, with the exception of high end stuff I think it is hard to get something that is really all seasons. I got a textile Joe Rocket with vents and a liner and it is still too hot in summer and too cold in the winter.

For pants I wear overpants when weather permits and I bought a pair of summer riding pants from Olympia for the summer. Regular jeans don't feel safe to me.

[JCS]

If you are looking for a modular helmet look very closely at the latching mechanism for the flip up. Many of the cheap ones use plastic to plastic latches. Very bad. These can break loose at a very bad time.

Look for a latch that is metal to metal. Much stronger. Look at the Shoei Multitech. Not a cheap helmet but very well made. Metal to metal latch, good vents and reasonably quiet. If the fit is right it is pretty comfy.

We use vented leather jackets with a liner. In colder weather I ditch the liner in favor of an electric vest. Electricity is good!

I also use leather pants and boots. Carry a rainsuit.

My wife used to laugh at me for having more than one pair of gloves. Today I was cleaning her saddle bags and found 4 pairs of gloves in the. 1 for warm weather, one a little heavier, one warmer yet and a pair of waterproofs.

[jonnythan]

I have jeans with Kevlar patches under the knees and butt for riding in warm weather.

I have textile overpants with removable insulated lining that I can wear over work pants or fleece pants when it's very cold.



I have a leather jacket with removable insulated lining for riding in cool to cold weather.

I have a textile mesh jacket with removable liner I can wear in warm to hot weather. The liner isn't insulated, but makes the jacket a bit warmer and water resistant.

[IcyHound]

Think more then one pair of gear in the end.

I have a heavy textile jacket with vents. The liner is thick and heavy and very warm. I've worn it from 30 degrees up to 80. Around 80 it starts getting a bit warm but nothing major. I do have a mesh for over 80. The mesh has a wind proof liner.

I have proliferated gloves and a pair of warm windproof ones.

Just ordered my riding pants, got a pair that has a section that comes out to vent the legs a bit so I can wear them all year.

My boots are race boots and vented so I will get a pair of waterproof boots later this year.

Finding gear that is perfect is hard. You can buy for the season now and figure out what you need for it to get colder. True cold weather gear is to heavy and to warm for the heat, but its really necessary.

[ANDS!]

EBAY. Seriously. And what do you need a 400 dollar helmet for? I'm sure various locations around you have a return policy of about a week, where you can walk around your house with the helmet on to see if its right for you, or even take it on the road (how are they going to know).

There are cheap alternatives out there that sacrifice SOME comfort, and none of the safety. Dropping 1000 dollars on riding gear is a little crazy, especially when there are alternatives.

[Shorts]

I saw an excellent writeup/comparison on modular helmets in the last few months of CycleWorld or MotorCyclist. Anyone have their copy? (I cleaned and threw mine out!)

[jonnythan]

I have proliferated gloves

Wow!