No Gear Crash

[BonesDT]

avizpls;77296 wrote: whats wrong with icon? why are they "cooler" than other brands? I went to a store knowing I wanted leather,not syns, and ended up with a black icon jacket... why exactly do I get the impression like im supposed to be ashamed of this now?

I have an Icon Domain helmet and actually love it. I had it stolen and bought it again. It looks really cool, but the cheap plastic cool looking part is unpeeling. It also fits my head very well. Protection? Well, they are a fairly new name, but no one really knows how protective different helmets are anyway.

Their jackets are really cool too and look protective, but are overpriced. Their leather is insanely thick though.

I was just ripping on Icon, because when I think of people wearing Icon, I think of shirtless guys wearing the Field Armor Vest as if that's going to do something and their women's riding "heels". It's like, let me look cool wearing armor, but not have the benefits of the protection. I looked into their stuff 3 years ago, and back then they didn't make anything substantial below the belt, but now I see they got some decent looking leather pants.

You can get some good stuff from Icon, but I never see anyone wearing it. I always see the Field Armor Vest, and there's rarely even a t-shirt accompanying it. I'll see someone wearing their jacket, but just jeans and sneakers below and their helmet chin strap on their forehead.

 

[Drtbkrdude]

Full gear, But not to work

RK97- You don't have to wear your leather pants to work.
Wear a pair of chaps, better than jeans or dress slacks. FWIW

 

[Blaise]

rk97;77209 wrote: has anyone owned (or crash tested) any of the popular brands' kevlar reinforced jeans?

They're not much better than jeans.

If you're looking to commute, buy some overpants that zip on the sides. That's what I did when I used my streetbike to commute.

 

[phoenix]

Like Bones said above, ICON seems to be more about looks than function. I could be wrong. I did buy an ICON jacket a few years ago. Its flashy for sure. It is mesh in areas that make it breathe really well, and then there's thick leather on the outsides of the arms and shoulders. But this jacket has an option where you can unzip the sleeves. I don't get that. It just continues to point toward the fact that they were making gear more to look cool than to save your skin. Oh well.

I have crash tested a pair of kevlar reinforce jeans. What's the name of the brand? I think it is Draggin-something. My crash was a low speed one. While I walked away with only minor abrasions (small raspberry on the hip and ankle) I don't think they would do so good if you went into a fairly high speed lowside. The kevlar is not everywhere, and if you burned a hole through an area where it isn't, you'll be feeling it.

 

[ZLTFUL]

For those of you looking to find an oversuit to wear for riding back and forth to work, I cannot sing the praises of http://www.aerostich.com/ enough.
Worth every penny.

 

[riddler]

Went for a ride with a buddy last night... him no gear... made me nervous...

I was wearing helmet, jacket, boots, gloves... All Icon (sans helmet) by the way. They seem to be pretty sturdy leather with protection in the right places... I think the Icon gear I have is good enough for the street... PS, not flashy just black.

But damn it was hot. Anybody have a good recommendation for a lighter jacket that will still offer decent protection?

 

[dbarufaldi]

I have also ridden with others on street rides that were under-equipped, and after seeing a few of them hit the ground, I just don't do that any more. Now, when I post up a ride on my local list, it goes something like this:

- Location:XXXX
- Kickstands up at:XX:XX
- This is a spirited-pace ride - you need to be an experienced street rider, with not less than 5K miles. You must ride your own pace, and we have a system where no one gets left behind.
OR
- This is a moderate pace ride, open to all riders. You must ride your own pace, and we have a system where no one gets left behind.
- This is a full-gear ride. You must wear: Full face helmet, moto-specific gloves, boots, leather or textile jacket and pants. If you show up with less than adequate gear, we'll have fun talking bikes in the parking lot, but you won't be coming with us.

I used to also have a clause where I told people if you have not ridden with me already, you could only join the ride if someone who HAS ridden with me invited you and vouched for you. I don't any more, but sometimes wish I did.

Have to say, in the beginning, I took a LOT of grief over this. I had previously been the organizer of many rides with this group, and was now excluding people, and it was NOT popular :argh:. The issue was that by being non-specific, I was starting to not enjoy the group rides, so what's the point. I'd rather have a few higher-skilled, better equipped guys along. The moderate pace rides are more inclusive, and if you go on enough of them, you obtain the skills for the spirited pace rides.

Dan B

Went for a ride with a buddy last night... him no gear... made me nervous...

 

[Fatboy]

Ya no what a T-shirt does.......blows up around neck and exposes back, just like the CR shirts do. And they disinegrate instantly, take it from someone you no's

 

[rk97]

dbarufaldi;77528 wrote: If you show up with less than adequate gear, we'll have fun talking bikes in the parking lot, but you won't be coming with us.

that's some serious (and appreciated) effort.

But how do you keep people from just tagging along in t-shirts?

I'm not a big fan of group rides simply because there are always people I don't know or trust. (come to think of it, that's why I prefer riding with NESBA to other orgs that let you choose your group) Like you said, a friend of a friend is probably fine. You have at least second-hand knowledge of their experience, skill, and general attitude. (or CR endorsement of their riding abilities in NESBA's case)

Time spent worrying about other riders is time you're not enjoying. It all seems like a lot of effort just to end up with a potentially huge headache. maybe i've just not been involved in a truly great group ride, and can't see the payoff. :dunno:

 

[rk97]

avizpls;77296 wrote: whats wrong with icon? why are they "cooler" than other brands? I went to a store knowing I wanted leather,not syns, and ended up with a black icon jacket... why exactly do I get the impression like im supposed to be ashamed of this now?

I don't think ICON's gear is inherently 'bad.' Their top of the line stuff is probably just as good as anyone else's, but they definitely focus heavily on the fashion side, and I think you pay for that.

ICON also caters heavily to the stunt crowd. someone else mentioned a jacket with zip-off sleeves. I would bet my bike that's a feature for the stunt riders who aren't getting nearly as much air-flow. ride to the stunt spot, then zip off the sleeves.

and to some extent, i understand ICON's play. 1 - a lot more (young, American) riders know Jason Britton, than have even heard of Ben Spies. 2 - stunt riders crash differently than roadracers.

We lowside doing 30-130mph. that's a lot of sliding on hips and shoulders. Stunt riders flip over doing a stoppie at 10mph. The stunt crashes are GENERALLY more about body-weight impacts with the ground, rather than high-speed getoffs at the track, or even in traffic.

i still think removable sleeves are silly, but if you're doing coaster wheelies and circle burnouts in a parking lot, protecting your spine and not your shoulders might be enough for some people.

 

[dbarufaldi]

Yeah - it's definitely a tradeoff. I have had some seriously great rides with a group of folks. Typically, a smallish group is the most fun (4-5), but I've been on group rides that are bigger (10-12) and they have their own rewards/challenges. Your points are well taken - it requires more effort, and definitely has some drawbacks. It continues to be worth it to me, and probably represents 50% of my street riding. Some of the best stories are from these group rides. (I was once t-boned by an adolescent black bear. I stayed up, pulled over and walked back to the guy behind me, asking what happened to that black dog? With eyes as wide as saucers, he said "That was a fucking BEAR".....ahhh...good times). I SHOULD ALSO MENTION that each group ride starts with a riders' meeting, where we go over the "rules"...outlined below.

In terms of keeping the t-shirted guy from following, you can't do much more than tell him he's not welcome. It turns out that the online group seems to eventually align along similar philosophies around gear (although little else!), so the group kind of self-selects. Then again, the t-shirt rider typically (big generalization here) can't ride as well as the seasoned, full-gear guy, so the t-shirter will just get left behind on his gixxer by a bunch of guys on bikes that have no business toasting gixxers.

group ride rules
- Everyone rides their own ride/pace. Don't try to keep up if you are pushing. You will not be left behind. You alone are responsible for maintaining control of your bike.
- Ride in a stagger formation on straights, pick your own line in the twisties.
- You are responsible for keeping the guy behind you in sight. If you come to a turn, and the guy behind you can't see you turning, WAIT. If everyone does this, no one gets dropped.
- Don't leave the ride without telling someone.
- Don't pass another rider in the same lane without being waved by by that rider. If your pace is quicker than the guy in front, pick a safe place to pass, or wait for him to wave you by. If you are slower than the guy behind you, wave him by when you can.
- Full gear only

I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but that's what I remember this morning....

Dan B

rk97;77644 wrote: that's some serious (and appreciated) effort.

But how do you keep people from just tagging along in t-shirts?

I'm not a big fan of group rides simply because there are always people I don't know or trust. (come to think of it, that's why I prefer riding with NESBA to other orgs that let you choose your group) Like you said, a friend of a friend is probably fine. You have at least second-hand knowledge of their experience, skill, and general attitude. (or CR endorsement of their riding abilities in NESBA's case)

Time spent worrying about other riders is time you're not enjoying. It all seems like a lot of effort just to end up with a potentially huge headache. maybe i've just not been involved in a truly great group ride, and can't see the payoff. :dunno: