Universal : Riding Gear Thread

[Centaur]

TourMaster? Why can't you give some review about them, sir. It'd be real nice idea to see what the frogs in some other ponds do too.

Well, I've really used it only once, on my ride to Kerala last August, and it was pretty effective during the whole ride though I did get my gloves wet 'cos I forgot to put the sleeves over the cuffs. Not talking about my feet here, as I was wearing the H2O - had to stuff it with newspaper every evening to dry them out for the next morning
The TourMaster is pretty well ventilated when on long rides, but in city traffic (only used it once), you're very likely to get cooked
It's totally waterproof and being one piece, don't have to worry about the water sneaking in in between the top and pants.
The zippers are also well covered with overlapping flaps. So, all in all, money well spent - now if only I get to use it more often

[vectorz]

X-Torque Bangalore

Guys the store in Kasturinagar is open called X-Torque, and they some stuff already and more coming.. check it out.

Went today, was impressed with the store and really helpful people there ...some good riding gear.

Address
X-Torque - #3C, 137, 2nd Main Road, Kasturinagar, Bangalore
Ph: 080 - 40962397

[Sunnyside_up!]

Pretty much any leather glove I've worn have been bashed in the rain. But it's a wise idea to dry (a day in good sunlight) them completely before they go into cupboard. I made a mistake once of thinking the glove is wet and took it straight to the cupboards, days after when I took it out, I can see blue powderlike fungus forming all over the gloves in patches (call it the Amoeba Boys in Powerfull Girls)

Dusted it off, dried in sun and boy I realized there was more more humidity inside the glove and all started to vaporize.

Moral: Always always always dry your leather stuffs completely, I MEAN BONE DRY before replacing it in your cupboard. That said, there shouldn't be any problem using a leather glove in rain.

Cheers!
VJ

Buddy,

No offense but there are some glaring errors in your comments.

Leather gloves ( unless they're treated to be waterproof ) are NOT meant to get soaked. That said, in the off-chance that you do get them soaked, no need to panic, since they can be dried and restored. All leather contains natural oils that keep them soft and supple and hence they should NOT be dried in the hot sun as this will cause the natural oils in the leather to dry up. This will cause the leather to become stiff, shrink and in extreme cases, even crack or lose its shape. So putting them out in the sun for a whole day is a BAD idea.

The correct way to dry leather is to use an absorbent material ( towels followed by newspaper works fine ) to soak up as much of the moisture from inside the product and then air-dry in the shade. It is important to make sure that it has no moisture inside before storage, and the best household method I've found it to use a standard hair-dryer or vacuum-cleaner with the blower function. Remember to set the hair-dryer heat off, so it only blows cool air. Another precaution before storage is to pack in desiccant bags which are available in leather goods stores. Care should also be taken to ensure that the product does not loose its shape by being folded or stretched inadvertently.

Sometimes even these precautions will not be enough and the leather will become dry and sometimes even crack. To regain its suppleness, you can rub in a leather conditioning cream which contains some of the natural oils that give the leather its vitality. I use a leather care shoe cream for this purpose. Since leather requires so much care after getting wet, its a good idea not to let them get soaked in the first place, unless the gloves are made of specially treated water-proof leather. I hope this clarifies.

Cheers!

[B7ACKTHORN]

Buddy,

No offense but there are some glaring errors in your comments.

Leather gloves ( unless they're treated to be waterproof ) are NOT meant to get soaked. That said, in the off-chance that you do get them soaked, no need to panic, since they can be dried and restored. All leather contains natural oils that keep them soft and supple and hence they should NOT be dried in the hot sun as this will cause the natural oils in the leather to dry up. This will cause the leather to become stiff, shrink and in extreme cases, even crack or lose its shape. So putting them out in the sun for a whole day is a BAD idea.

The correct way to dry leather is to use an absorbent material ( towels followed by newspaper works fine ) to soak up as much of the moisture from inside the product and then air-dry in the shade. It is important to make sure that it has no moisture inside before storage, and the best household method I've found it to use a standard hair-dryer or vacuum-cleaner with the blower function. Remember to set the hair-dryer heat off, so it only blows cool air. Another precaution before storage is to pack in desiccant bags which are available in leather goods stores. Care should also be taken to ensure that the product does not loose its shape by being folded or stretched inadvertently.

Sometimes even these precautions will not be enough and the leather will become dry and sometimes even crack. To regain its suppleness, you can rub in a leather conditioning cream which contains some of the natural oils that give the leather its vitality. I use a leather care shoe cream for this purpose. Since leather requires so much care after getting wet, its a good idea not to let them get soaked in the first place, unless the gloves are made of specially treated water-proof leather. I hope this clarifies.

Cheers!

It does, thanks. My leather gloves were bashed here during a torrential rain, local made, 100% cow hide leather. I used to put Leatherwax a local leather cream to my brown leather jacket, and used coconut oil for my gloves twice. Since I got my leather infested with fungus, I had to get it dried for a three hours straight in sun and then put some coconut oil just to gain some suppleness and it's going on as good.

On the whole, yes you're right. Drying in the sun, isn't big a problem, because I myself have asked this to my friend who custom manufacturs leather goods of all sorts. All he advised me is, if you leather gets wet, dry them and apply coconut oil (only on glove) very very modest amount that is and leave it for a while for the leather to absorb and then you're all set to use.

But for jackets he strictly recommends the use of proper wash and cream. And that was the very reason I didn't go for the leather Cortech jacket

Anyways, thanks again. There is no offense in what you're trying to reflect, it's always good to get to know the know-how from seniors. So please add on your thoughts, anytime.

Cheers!
VJ

[nagsgwda007]

I use an RJ Octane (7.6k) and an RJ Tempest2 Gloves (3k). The jacket and glove will hold good in decent rains. But you can use both of them year round - summers as well and winters\rains. So all in all a good all rounder set .

But if you need something specific for our monsoons, buy a duckback suit and put it over the jacket. Pretty sure very few jackets will be able to keep you completely dry for a long time in heavy rains.

Mithun

Check the page 678~ you can find a member giving his views about the Spartan jacket he purchased. It's a pretty decent jacket considering the price you pay for it. Try the jacket first, before you buy any jacket.

You can contact them at [email protected] or [email protected] Try sending them a mail, regarding your jacket need. They will get back to you.



There are lots of jackets in and around 5-7k range. Try going for Cramster which is in Bangalore and a lot of my friends use Cramster. It's pretty decent and give you bang for the buck.



There is this jacket called Breezer 4.0 which is an all-weather jacket, you have different liners based upon different climate conditions. At 5450 it's the best VFM jacket out there and gloves too.

Check out this website and there are lots of things you can purchase depending upon your need. Plus, it's in Bangalore, you can visit their showroom whenever you're free.

Cheers!
VJ

Thank you very much for the prompt replies guys... it was very helpful for a newbie like me. i did a bit of searching in online and zeroed in on cramster breezer 4.0 jacket and a pair of trg 2 gloves from cramster. will be visiting the showroom soon in a couple of days. any review from the users would be very helpful.
Also, any suggestion regarding the knee guards would be helpful as well. though, i'll be getting them a bit later. maybe, next couple of months. finances are forcing me to postpone knee guards.
Thanks in advance.

[B7ACKTHORN]

Thank you very much for the prompt replies guys... it was very helpful for a newbie like me. i did a bit of searching in online and zeroed in on cramster breezer 4.0 jacket and a pair of trg 2 gloves from cramster. will be visiting the showroom soon in a couple of days. any review from the users would be very helpful.
Also, any suggestion regarding the knee guards would be helpful as well. though, i'll be getting them a bit later. maybe, next couple of months. finances are forcing me to postpone knee guards.
Thanks in advance.

Anytime bro
Cramster Breezer is a really good jacket. Most people have used it and ridden to the coldest of the places and the jacket has performed flawlessly, and my buddy has one, still going strong for more than year now. Go for it, if you really like it.

Regarding knee pads, there are lots of them out there, pick the ones which suit your budget. Knee guards don't cost much, you can get them right in the range of 1.5 all the way upto 10k. You can search places like eBay where you get really good deals or you can go for Cramster Knee Pads at Rs. 1500 it should complete your riding gear.... at least for now....

Ride safe!

Cheers!
VJ

[Vishakh]

It does, thanks. My leather gloves were bashed here during a torrential rain, local made, 100% cow hide leather. I used to put Leatherwax a local leather cream to my brown leather jacket, and used coconut oil for my gloves twice. Since I got my leather infested with fungus, I had to get it dried for a three hours straight in sun and then put some coconut oil just to gain some suppleness and it's going on as good.

On the whole, yes you're right. Drying in the sun, isn't big a problem, because I myself have asked this to my friend who custom manufacturs leather goods of all sorts. All he advised me is, if you leather gets wet, dry them and apply coconut oil (only on glove) very very modest amount that is and leave it for a while for the leather to absorb and then you're all set to use.

But for jackets he strictly recommends the use of proper wash and cream. And that was the very reason I didn't go for the leather Cortech jacket

Anyways, thanks again. There is no offense in what you're trying to reflect, it's always good to get to know the know-how from seniors. So please add on your thoughts, anytime.

Cheers!
VJ

Buddy,

No offense but there are some glaring errors in your comments.

Leather gloves ( unless they're treated to be waterproof ) are NOT meant to get soaked. That said, in the off-chance that you do get them soaked, no need to panic, since they can be dried and restored. All leather contains natural oils that keep them soft and supple and hence they should NOT be dried in the hot sun as this will cause the natural oils in the leather to dry up. This will cause the leather to become stiff, shrink and in extreme cases, even crack or lose its shape. So putting them out in the sun for a whole day is a BAD idea.

The correct way to dry leather is to use an absorbent material ( towels followed by newspaper works fine ) to soak up as much of the moisture from inside the product and then air-dry in the shade. It is important to make sure that it has no moisture inside before storage, and the best household method I've found it to use a standard hair-dryer or vacuum-cleaner with the blower function. Remember to set the hair-dryer heat off, so it only blows cool air. Another precaution before storage is to pack in desiccant bags which are available in leather goods stores. Care should also be taken to ensure that the product does not loose its shape by being folded or stretched inadvertently.

Sometimes even these precautions will not be enough and the leather will become dry and sometimes even crack. To regain its suppleness, you can rub in a leather conditioning cream which contains some of the natural oils that give the leather its vitality. I use a leather care shoe cream for this purpose. Since leather requires so much care after getting wet, its a good idea not to let them get soaked in the first place, unless the gloves are made of specially treated water-proof leather. I hope this clarifies.

Cheers!

Pretty much any leather glove I've worn have been bashed in the rain. But it's a wise idea to dry (a day in good sunlight) them completely before they go into cupboard. I made a mistake once of thinking the glove is wet and took it straight to the cupboards, days after when I took it out, I can see blue powderlike fungus forming all over the gloves in patches (call it the Amoeba Boys in Powerfull Girls)

Dusted it off, dried in sun and boy I realized there was more more humidity inside the glove and all started to vaporize.

Moral: Always always always dry your leather stuffs completely, I MEAN BONE DRY before replacing it in your cupboard. That said, there shouldn't be any problem using a leather glove in rain.

Cheers!
VJ

Thanks a lot guys . I had no idea about these.

[Chandrajit]

Buddy,

No offense but there are some glaring errors in your comments.

Leather gloves ( unless they're treated to be waterproof ) are NOT meant to get soaked.
Cheers!

Hey i have a DSG Revive, i dont know how it performs in the rains so i'm not using it now. What do you guys suggest, should i use it?

[B7ACKTHORN]

Hey i have a DSG Revive, i dont know how it performs in the rains so i'm not using it now. What do you guys suggest, should i use it?

DSG Revive is pretty much like an ordinary leather glove out there. It's not water-proof. I'd suggest don't use it intentionally when it rains hard, unless you're caught by surprise.

That being said, it doesn't mean you can't use it in rain. You can use it ONLY when there is MODERATE and light SHOWERS most leather gloves don't let water in, except really torrential rains. If your gloves get wet, make sure you dry them fully without a drop of water and then place it into your cupboard. I did a mistake and still paying for it.

Cheers!
VJ

[hemantpd]

Hello All,

I am new to this forum.

I am searching for Internal knee gaurd which i can use for daily ride. I liked the Alpinestars Reflex gaurd, but it is no more available on PlanetDSG. It is very costly on ebay.

Can you please tell me where i can get the same in Bangalore? Also, please suggest alternatives.

Thanks,
Hemant

[princesirohi]

Quechua top and Quechua pants.
!

what are these ??

[Doga]

Riding Jackets

Went on Jacket Hunt yesterday. I am a bit confused. Ok I am every bit confused about the impending purchase.

Visited Babloo Motors, Vashi, first, an authorized reseller of DSG stuff. They only had stocks of the DSG falcon(black and grey/black). No Nero, Maze or Phoenix. The falcon felt decent to wear. Wanted to try the Nero but stock will arrive in a weeks' or so time. There was a card saying 'waterproof' dangling along with other labels. The jacket has no rain liner. So how can it be waterproof? Or may be the textile fabric used is?

Rode all the way to tardeo to Bachho Motors to try the Rjay's swift there. Zulfi and an elderly person(I presume his father) were insistent that the swift is the best bang for buck product there. The swift had decent features,had a rain liner, but I felt a bit let down by the 'feel' of the armors. The armors felt a bit too easily bent and flimsy. The jacket was not too permissive of arm movements either.The back protector too felt a bit thin as compared to the DSG and definitely to the Jackets I tried later at PRS.
The swift is pretty much out of my list now.

After that. strolled down to PRS bang opposite to Bachho. Tried the AGVsport Solare there. Felt good. Snug fit. Quality(with regards to texture and general feel) was surely better than the swift.Had colour options too(Red, Blue, Grey), but no liner. Simple mesh construction. Appeared very breathable.
Tried the 11k Joe Rocket 'Fallout' there too. Awesome fit. I may be a newbie when it comes to bike stuff, but it looked the part. The fabric oozed good quality. Armors felt great. Back padding was thick enough(compared to whatever I tried before this).May be designed a bit short, but looks good no doubt. They had Icon too, but thought it why rub sweat all over stuff I am not gonna buy anyway.

Now the confusion: I like the AGV sport Solare jacket. But no liner. Question is, should I look for a liner at all in the first place as most liners do not help in heavy Mumbai rains anyway?
A duckback or a waterproof cheater could be worn in the rainy season over the mesh in the 2-3 months it rains. The mesh would be suitable pretty much for the rest of the year.
I would like suggestions and reviews on the following jackets

1)AGVsport Solare : I like the fit and finish and the armor quality. The design and colours too(save for the unwieldy back portion which kind of extends down a bit too much. No rain or thermal liner though. Is it worth the 6.5K asking price?

2)DSG Falcon : simple mesh construction. Decent fit. armor quality is decent too(a notch below the solare though). Only 4k. Any reviews? How does it hold up in light drizzles? reviews?

3)DSG Nero : Looks good on paper. Has a 'water resistant liner'. Have heard that not too comfortable in the summers.Value for money? How good is it? reviews? Where can I try it in Mumbai?

4)Joe Rocket Fallout. I am fond of the design and fit. Armor and build quality is better than all in the list. Has a liner too(not sure thermal or rain or whatever.)Worth the 11.5 k? Anyone using it here? This is easily over my budget of 6-7 k. Is there any place else in Mumbai where I can get a genuine one in less? Any online links where I can order and get it shipped to US and UK to my friends' who will bring it to India for me?

5)Spartan Helios : Have heard good things about this one.Has a rain liner. AH helmets quoted 6.3 k(might offer a discount if I buy gloves along with it as I had gotten the SOL lid from him ). How good is it compared to the Agv sport Solare? Haven't tried it yet.Oshiwara is far and a tortuous ride away from Vashi !!!

6)Cramster Breezer : I hope I am satisfied by the general quality of the fabric and armor when I do try it.Seems to be the best value for money. Comes with two liners. How is the general build quality ? Do the Armors feel robust? Will it hold up well in moderate rain? @Blacthorn seems to recommend this jacket a lot.How doest it compare with the AGV sport solare(I know the solare lacks any liner) but with respect to build quality of fabric and armors? where can I try it in Mumbai?

Also something I noticed. The back padding is apparently not CE rated/approved in most jackets(not even in the joe rocket it seems, the website says "Removable spine armor with pocket for optional C.E. spine armor" ). True?

MY budget is around 6-7k which I might stretch in extreme circumstances if the product is too good and offers significant quality improvements over the listed stuff, so other products around this range could also be considered.

I apologize for the very long post

[venkatramanp]

Bought RJay's gear!

Last weekend I got my self the following from Bachoo Motors:

1. Rjay's Swift (Black/Red) Mesh jacket (Rs. 5999/-)
2. Rjay's Canyon (Black) glove (Rs. 2999/-)

I had gone for Rjay's jacket, since it was a bit longer than the other jackets. Most other jackets were just about Hip length. I was waiting on size M in Bangalore for quite sometime, but Orion never got it. Hence finally gave an order online.

For gloves, initially I was looking for dsg, but again M wasn't available in Bangalore. Meanwhile Canyon Black looked very nice - so ordered that as well.

It took couple of days to reach Bangalore and both of them are fantastic. The mesh jacket does seem to do the job well (though it isn't too hot in Bangalore now). It has a detachable rain protector too. The glove has good knuckle protection. The fingers have got extra leather padding. The palm side has leather and also has extra padding. Checkout the photos or the Rjay's/ Bachoo motors website. The red is actually red rather than the orangey seen in the uploaded photo. Well orangey would have been good for duke!

Was very comfortable with the jacket - no issues and was a perfect fit. Glove too was a perfect fit - but a bit hard now. It should be very comfortable once it becomes a bit supple. Also finding it a bit difficult to use the throttle and the break lever together - guess I have to get used to. Normally I ride with full grip - now looks like I have to change the style and hold the break lever with couple of fingers while riding in traffic.

[venkatramanp]

what are these ??

Quechua are brands sold by Decathlon India : Online Sports Shop

[Chandrajit]

DSG Revive is pretty much like an ordinary leather glove out there. It's not water-proof. I'd suggest don't use it intentionally when it rains hard, unless you're caught by surprise.

That being said, it doesn't mean you can't use it in rain. You can use it ONLY when there is MODERATE and light SHOWERS most leather gloves don't let water in, except really torrential rains. If your gloves get wet, make sure you dry them fully without a drop of water and then place it into your cupboard. I did a mistake and still paying for it.

Cheers!
VJ

Thanks VJ. Mumbai for now, is not experiencing heavy rains so i shall use em.