I'm looking for some gear protective pants and shirt or jacket that I can wear in the summer that is not all flashy. I inherited some 70s bell staff stuff from my stepfather but I need something with armor. I'm considering some stand alone armor that I can wear under carharts and regular shirts. can anyone recommend a set up they tried that is more hillbilly than power ranger? most of my enduro riding is in the woods. only a short 5-10 mile scoot on backroads to get to the trail system. I'm not looking commute or ride cross country in my enduro set up.
I wouldn't worry about flashy or not flashy out of the gate, I would look at something that is going to protect you in a fall or accident as the first priority. A good helmet, a good pair of protective dirt bike boots, abrasion resistant pants with CE certified armor (or armor that you can put under pants) and either a jacket or pressure suit with CE armor in elbows, shoulders and back. Good gloves are a must too. You don't have to spend a fortune, you can do a lot of research on line and find some reasonable quality for moderate price. When I got back into riding I bought some moderate cost stuff that protected me until I could add good quality stuff piece by piece. I also learned a lot in the first year or so in terms of what I liked and didn't like with protective gear. Good luck.
thanks for the response. I'm not too concerned about price. I have a "stitch" suit and combat light boots for street riding but the suit is way too hot for summer trail riding. i dont skimp too much but most of what I see marketed for hot summer trail riding has logos and bright colors with no real protection anyway. unless we're talking uv protection. the fabrics are very thin. jeans would be more protective. maybe some Kevlar jeans, a motocross chest protector and arm guards would work.
Klim gear is the best and not as loud or larey as the mx stuff . I also rater the acerbis line of stuff .,
Acerbis Cosmo jacket or similar and a t-shirt for upper body. Tourmaster Flex pants over separate armor for lower. Good offroad boots, armored gloves, and white dualsport helmet.
Sadly never been riding in the woods so not sure if you need abrasion resistance in addition to the armor but - for my money - I don't think forcefield armor products can be beat. Depending on how much protection you need/what floats your boat but the extreme harness adventure - which I own under - say - a draggin' jeans kevlar top or the pro shirt under the kevlar top might suit your needs. They have similar armor products for the lower body with some mesh pants...
Atomicmoto.com has a HUGE sale on KLIM pants right now. Great gear with out crazy colors. I just bought a pair of KLIM Baja pants from them for when It's to hot for my KLIM Traverse pants.....LOVE'M
the klim stuff looks real nice, although for me it's in the power ranger category. I may get a set anyway and just accept my status as a wannabe super hero.
Well you call yourself a monkey wrench so i am sure its not too much a stretch to look like a power ranger . You might grow to love - the bright stuff keeps you safer on the street too
I have been riding in Thor zip off MX pants for years. I bought them originally for freeride mountain biking, and continue to use them for moto rides. Granted, my newest pair is still three years old, but they hold up well to crashes, heavy brush, trees, rocks, etc. I don't zip them off ever, but I do sometimes unzip a bit for venting. Last two pants I bought on eBay. Mine are something between tan and grey, work pretty well with my grey Akito jacket, also eBay. Both were pretty inexpensive, fair to great protection, and breathe well. I have worn them in winter, and in Utah desert.
the jersey is usually the flashier part of the gear. My Klim pants aren't too bad looking. You could get some sort of long sleeve wicking poly shirt at REI in a plain color. Perforated or not, it will be similar stuff to a moto jersey, possibly even made in the same factory.
I am finding it very hard to pay that kind of money for something that's made in china (klim) Buy something that works for you.
