Universal : Riding Gear Thread

[46wannabe]

Hi,

I'm planning to purchase a pair of Knee gaurd. I have come across Alpinestars Reflex Knee Guards whcih cost Rs 2000 and Alpinestars Boinic Knee Guards whcih cost Rs 3750. Wanted to know what is the main difference and advantages/disadvantages over one another.

Thanks
-Ravi

AStar Knee Guard comparo:
Reflex:http://www.planetdsg.com/alpinestars...rds-p-226.html
Bionics:http://www.planetdsg.com/alpinestars...ard-p-923.html

1.Reflex Knee Guards: Great protection for frontal impacts to the knee cup and upper shin. Polypropylene construction.
Bionics: Excellent protection as it encapsulates the whole knee joint and is constructed from more stiffer thermoplastic shell. The chassis also incorporates an aluminium insert on the front end of the knee for added rigidity. Upper shin is also well protected.
*Polypropylene is more flexible while thermoplastic of the quality levels on the Bionic is a lot more rigid.

2.Reflex: Can be worn under most jeans/trousers easily.
Bionics: Unless you wear baggy cargos/trousers with lots of room it's next to impossible to fit the bionics under regular jeans/trousers.
* This means that the Reflex guards are a lot more practical for day to day use or a ride to the office as well.

3.Reflex: Fulfills the need of regular bikers that do the usual weekend tours/city commutes.
Bionics: Does all that the Reflex does and also very good for stunters and motocross racers.
*For complete leg protection both types need to be worn with full length riding boots.

4.Reflex: Does not result in tank scratches/scuffs.
Bionics: Get ready to place protective decals on the sides of the gas tank or come up with innovative solutions. For eg. I intend to put small strips of dual sided industrial strength tapes on the inner sides of the guard and stick a medium thick sponge on the same.

5.User friendliness: Reflex: Havent' used them personally so cannot comment.
Bionics: Tend to loosen over the course of a ride. I don't know if this is due to my thin legs but would like to mention that I always find myself pulling them closer to the knee every now and then during long rides.
*Reflex users please comment on the same.

6. Bionics are shaped so as to flow with the entire knee joint which is why it is basically a two-piece chassis that bends when you bend your knees. (Leads to a fairly audible clasping sound between the 2 pieces when you walk. I find it cool. Some find it annoying)
Reflex does not flow with the knee joint.

Hope this clears your doubts.

Lastly: I'm selling my Bionics. Wanna buy?
DSG Spike and AStars Bionic Knee Guards - xBhp Classifieds : Buy & Sell

NOTE: Cramster also makes a bionic knee guard From the pictures they seem to be smaller than the ones by AStar.

[lijok]

5.User friendliness: Reflex: Havent' used them personally so cannot comment.

I have a pair of A* reflex knee guard. I had to shorten the length of the velcro straps as they were loose - pretty easy, just fold up an inch of the strap and stitch them (did it maself).
They too tend to slip down the leg, unless I'm wearing my riding boots... I dont consider this an issue at all...
Easy to wear inside pants/jeans, as long as they are not too tight...

[lijok]

Anyone knows how to take out the back guard of a Cramster Riding jacket? It has a zipper sort of thing. But the back protector is not coming out of it. I need to wash my jacket asap.
@ Aryan da, Have you ever washed yours?

For the Cramster Pulse, you have to open the velcro strap, bend the pad lenghtwise so that it can come out the opening (which is smaller that the breadth of the pad)....
My Pulse is also dirty now... need to wash... as I read in one of the thread (http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/universa...ding-gear.html) it is very well possible to clean the Pulse.

[ravisanjeevk]

AStar Knee Guard comparo:
Reflex:Alpinestars Reflex Knee Guards - Rs2,099.00
Bionics:Alpinestars Boinic Knee Guard - Rs3,750.00

1.Reflex Knee Guards: Great protection for frontal impacts to the knee cup and upper shin. Polypropylene construction.
Bionics: Excellent protection as it encapsulates the whole knee joint and is constructed from more stiffer thermoplastic shell. The chassis also incorporates an aluminium insert on the front end of the knee for added rigidity. Upper shin is also well protected.
*Polypropylene is more flexible while thermoplastic of the quality levels on the Bionic is a lot more rigid.

2.Reflex: Can be worn under most jeans/trousers easily.
Bionics: Unless you wear baggy cargos/trousers with lots of room it's next to impossible to fit the bionics under regular jeans/trousers.
* This means that the Reflex guards are a lot more practical for day to day use or a ride to the office as well.

3.Reflex: Fulfills the need of regular bikers that do the usual weekend tours/city commutes.
Bionics: Does all that the Reflex does and also very good for stunters and motocross racers.
*For complete leg protection both types need to be worn with full length riding boots.

4.Reflex: Does not result in tank scratches/scuffs.
Bionics: Get ready to place protective decals on the sides of the gas tank or come up with innovative solutions. For eg. I intend to put small strips of dual sided industrial strength tapes on the inner sides of the guard and stick a medium thick sponge on the same.

5.User friendliness: Reflex: Havent' used them personally so cannot comment.
Bionics: Tend to loosen over the course of a ride. I don't know if this is due to my thin legs but would like to mention that I always find myself pulling them closer to the knee every now and then during long rides.
*Reflex users please comment on the same.

6. Bionics are shaped so as to flow with the entire knee joint which is why it is basically a two-piece chassis that bends when you bend your knees. (Leads to a fairly audible clasping sound between the 2 pieces when you walk. I find it cool. Some find it annoying)
Reflex does not flow with the knee joint.

Hope this clears your doubts.

Lastly: I'm selling my Bionics. Wanna buy?
DSG Spike and AStars Bionic Knee Guards - xBhp Classifieds : Buy & Sell

NOTE: Cramster also makes a bionic knee guard From the pictures they seem to be smaller than the ones by AStar.

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation. Appreciate your time and effort in putting down all the points.
I have sent you a PM. Please check.

[tanay]

I am very happy to have recently obtained an Alpinestars jacket.
The model is the Air-Flo, available in black only.

It used to retail in India for ~12K. Needless to say, I got it from the USA for far lesser.

Jacket is great, but the CE armor inside was not adjusted and I am now having a real hard time adjusting them, the velcro on the protectors sticks like superglue and to adjust I have to separate it from the jacket's velcro.

My cellphone cam is crap otherwise would have put up a pic.

[avinrichards]

I am very happy to have recently obtained an Alpinestars jacket.
The model is the Air-Flo, available in black only.

It used to retail in India for ~12K. Needless to say, I got it from the USA for far lesser.

Jacket is great, but the CE armor inside was not adjusted and I am now having a real hard time adjusting them, the velcro on the protectors sticks like superglue and to adjust I have to separate it from the jacket's velcro.

My cellphone cam is crap otherwise would have put up a pic.

waiting for the snaps eagerly..!

[neil.jericho]

I am very happy to have recently obtained an Alpinestars jacket.
The model is the Air-Flo, available in black only.

It used to retail in India for ~12K. Needless to say, I got it from the USA for far lesser.

Jacket is great, but the CE armor inside was not adjusted and I am now having a real hard time adjusting them, the velcro on the protectors sticks like superglue and to adjust I have to separate it from the jacket's velcro.

My cellphone cam is crap otherwise would have put up a pic.

Could you give a ball park figure of the amount (if you dont want to disclose the actual figure) ?

@ Avin - Dont you have a DSG Nero already ? You wanting 2 jackets is like me and my 2 Ninjas

[avinrichards]

@ Avin - Dont you have a DSG Nero already ? You wanting 2 jackets is like me and my 2 Ninjas

Da poda..

well..nothing to say.. maybe 2 bikes and thats why 2 jackets..

[Jonak]

For the Cramster Pulse, you have to open the velcro strap, bend the pad lenghtwise so that it can come out the opening (which is smaller that the breadth of the pad)....
My Pulse is also dirty now... need to wash... as I read in one of the thread (http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/universa...ding-gear.html) it is very well possible to clean the Pulse.

Thanks for your reply.
Yes. Finally I was able to take our the back protector through the small opening. After a wash, the jacket is looking like a brand new one.

[tanay]

Ok, so I can't get a good cellphone pic. So I'm attaching a net photo.
Also, here's the jacket link:
Air-Flo Jacket - Alpinestars Official Store


Got this off ebay USA for less than 7K . Kind of makes them DSG's and Cramsters overpriced eh? Shipping and customs took me a long while to figure out and get cleared.

Next target: a nice pair of gloves.

[antz.bin]

I got my Cramster Twister gloves delivered today by DTDC courier.. the ones i had paid for online only on tuesday! BTW, the online service of Cramster.in is AMAZING!!!

Some comparison times with planetDSG.com

Time for payment realisation:
Cramster : 1 day
DSG : 3 days

Delay in actual shipment after payment realisation:
Cramster : <5 hours
DSG : 3 days

Time taken to provide Tracking no. :
Cramster : 38 minutes (By email)
DSG : 46 hours (After multiple calls / emails)

Time taken for actual delivery of gear after the payment was made :
Cramster : 4 days (Bangalore - Nasik 1000 odd km)
DSG : 8 days (Pune - Nasik 212km)

Smartness of shipper in underinvoicing the parcel so that customer saves on Octroi :
Cramster : Bingo! (Zero octroi)
DSG : Not Applicable (almost 9.5% instead of 4%)

%age of correct gear shipped per shipment (in my case)
Cramster : 100% (2 out of 2 items)
DSG : 33% (1 out of 3 items) P.S. : I had to pay extra octroi for the bad items + return shipping + i didnt get a replacement / octroi refund.

[RanjithMN]

@antz.bin
true,CRAMSTER is very prompt with their delivery!

[shamanthnv]

Smartness of shipper in underinvoicing the parcel so that customer saves on Octroi :
Cramster : Bingo! (Zero octroi)
DSG : Not Applicable (almost 9.5% instead of 4%)

I don't understand why Octroi is still there in maharastra when most states have done away with. Its hell of a lot of problem for on-line shopping.

[antz.bin]

I don't understand why Octroi is still there in maharastra when most states have done away with. Its hell of a lot of problem for on-line shopping.

Its fine if the parcel arrives in one piece and we get our stuff. Anyways, it does ensure that the stuff we ordered is actually inside well before we even get delivery. And anyways it is much better than states like UP / WB where you still cant shop online due to their funny sales tax rules. So in effect, 4% extra pay hurts much less than "Being unable to shop".

[malliah]

All weather gear - Budget 40k

Hi All,
Need some guidance from the gurus here, I am looking to invest in a good riding gear and am confused with all the names doing the rounds. My dudget for this is about 40K
The bike I intend to use these is the Ninja 250.
I am tired of restoring vintages and hence now want to do ome real riding in to the hills.
I am looking for a jacket which I can use through the year - summer, rains and winters. I will also be travelling up the hills and hence warmth is a neccessity - Do you have anything in mind which will meet my requirement or do you reccomend that I buy regular gear and buy extra rain wear.
I also need a good pair of shoes - I like the Alpinestar Gore-tex. Any other reccomendation?
Gloves - Am ok to buy extra pairs for winters/rains and Summers- reccomendations please.
I currently own an Alpinestar RC-1 Leather jacket and a scorpion Exo 1000 helmet. I will be buying an Arai when I am in Singapore later this year.
I you b'liv I can get something very good if I notch up the budget a little - please let me know.