QnA: Summer Gear for Athletic Body Type?

 

Reader Cori needs a 2 piece summer suit to ride in hot weather but still provide protection and comfort. She also needs help finding something with a little more room in the shoulders. 

I am looking for some advice on what gear to buy for riding in South Louisiana. I am a brand new rider (I actually have yet to ride and will be purchasing a bike next week). I will be a commuter with a 9 mile, non freeway, daily commute. What do you recommend for gear? I'm going to start with purchasing a helmet, gloves, boots, jacket, and knee pads. I am feeling very overwhelmed by the process, and have no idea where to start. Any suggestions, or places you can point me? In particular I'm looking for gear that's good for warm weather. (very, very warm).

Some back ground information, I am 5'3" and 140 pounds and am in the process of purchasing a honda rebel 250cc. I have an average to short torso, with broad shoulders ( my waist is a small and chest + shoulders range from a bigger medium to a smaller large. I don't know my inseam as of right now but I typically need pants that are labeled short. 

The only other concern I have is about my arms, I have bigger arms. ( I am a weightlifter so while I have a slim athletic build my arms and shoulders hold a lot of muscle) 

Cori in Louisiana

Hi Cori,

For your helmet, it's all based on proper fit. If you live anywhere near a dealership that has helmet options, I would highly recommend going in and getting fitted. If you can't find a dealer, then you want to check out this article on helmet shopping. Honestly, I find it impossible to help anyone get fitted for a helmet over the phone or online. There are also a ton of youtube videos for you to figure out how to fit a helmet. Do not, I repeat do not pick a helmet simply due to colors/graphics. You MUST get the fitment right for a helmet to work properly and actually protect you! I have a few favorites when it comes to helmets, but it really does come down to fitment. For example, if you have a true long oval then you need an Arai Signet-Q. But if you have a really round head and are XS, you need an Arai RX-Q. It just depends.

Gloves are also tricky in this sense, because they really require trying on and fitting. But I can give you a few ideas here:

• Revit Bomber ; these fit longer in the fingers and narrower across the hands, but are the Best summer gloves out there. More protection and ventilation at the same time.
• Dainese Mig C2: these fit a bit shorter in the fingers, and also are fantastic summer gloves. Avoid synthetics, they are the cheap, less protective and don't work well for pavement. You need real leather for street riding!

My recommendation for a jacket is the Olympia Switchback 2 Jacket ($239), size S (shown above). Don't worry, it's available in 2 other colors if white isn't your style! I really love this jacket not just for the fitment, but also because it has a really great fit for you. Relaxed in the shoulders, biceps and forearms, this will give you plenty of room to move around without feeling too constricting. You might feel a little tightness in the elbows/shoulders since the armor is fairly thick and rigid, so I would definitely recommend upgrading the armor to Forcefield or D3O if you find it too restricting.

The other reason I love Olympia for you is the torso is average length (lower in the back, higher in the front) and is constructed of Dupont Cordura, which provides more abrasion resistance than other mesh jackets in the same price point. The mesh is still nylon, but your slide zones are covered by Cordura.

I would also consider mesh overpants instead of just knee guards. You need more than jeans when riding, they just don't have the abrasion resistance.

First, I would recommend the matching Olympia Womens Airglide Pants ($229) in a size 4. These have a slightly fuller fit, so if you need extra thigh, hip and booty space you'll love these a little more. These are also constructed of Cordura (except the nylon mesh for airflow).

The second pant to consider is the Revit Airwave Pants, ($199) in size 36. I would recommend these if you need a leaner leg and slightly less room in the hips/booty area. I call this table booty (which is what I have).

Both are available in lighter colors, including white (Revit) and silver (Olympia) to keep you a bit cooler.

Looking at boots, it's hard to find vented boots for women. When it's really hot, it's the opposite you actually want a slightly heavier boot to keep the heat out! Imagine a lightweight sneaker, and how quickly that absorb heat. Leather actually deflects quite a bit. A few ideas:

• Sidi Livia Rain ($230): Ideal for wider feet, higher insteps and larger ankles. It's a very loose fitting boot. These breathe very well and are fully synthetic leather as well.
• Dainese Svelta GTX ($289): Ideal for narrower feet (all Dainese boots are narrower, btw) and these are GoreTex which are the most breathable waterproof membrane. I've ridden in 90+ temps in GTX boots and they are fantastic.
• TCX Aura Boots ($219): Also waterproof, they run even narrower than the Svelta in the toebox. Super comfortable and low profile.

Selling Used Dainese New Drake Air Women's Pants MD/44

UPDATE 6/1: SOLD! that was fast. :)

Gotta clean out the closet! I have these Dainese pants that are simply way too big for me now. Check out my eBay Auction here and get a really good deal on one of the best fitting pairs of women's motorcycle pants on the market.

Extra Extra Small Women's Motorcycle Gloves

Just in time for summer. Dainese has come out with not only 1, but 2 pairs of gloves in 2XS to provide options for women with very very small hands.  Or, if you have a youngster just learning to ride and he/she needs smaller gloves now you have two pairs to choose from!

Neither of these gloves are precurved very much, which for me is a dealbreaker. A glove that has a lot of precurve in the fingers, palms, etc. like these will reduce fatigue while using your hand controls for long periods of time. The last thing I want is for my hand to fit the gloves because they're not fitting me right.

I'm always a fan of more protection than not so I'm going to recommend the Air Hero's ($95) first with the added hard knuckles and slightly increased leather coverage. You never know where your hands are going to end up.

The second pair is much lighter but still has a full leather palm (which is a MUST). The Air Migs are also quite ventilated but are lacking in any hard knuckle protection.

There are multiple colors available and again, are offered in 2XS! Woo hoo.

New Women's Motorcycle Jacket from Aether Apparel

It's always great when new gear comes out for us, isn't it? This time it's from a more fashion based, motorcycle "inspired" company. The Aether Apparel Horizon jacket is $595 and is available in 3 different colors up to a size XL (~44" chest). 

I'm always skeptical of these sorts of companies (fashion based) making riding gear, because riding gear requires a certain fit that isn't easy to figure out. Especially when you add women's bodies into the mix. I want to say that this jacket was launched recently as of this week from Aether, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

This jacket has a built in waterproof membrane and a couple of vents which I'm going to guess doesn't allow for direct ventilation (which allows the air to flow directly to your body and isn't blocked by a membrane like the Klim Altitude). It also features full D3O body armor in the back, elbow and shoulders, so you know it offers some real protection.

However, I still question why the Horizon is so expensive, given the lack of technical features such as direct vents, a connection zipper for riding pants or a removable thermal liner. Not to mention the multiple seams running down each arm, which can make them more vulnerable in a crash. Perhaps they're using an advanced construction technique that I'm not aware of, I have no idea.

There aren't very many truly stylish, fashionable jackets that have the technical features many of us want and need out there, so it's definitely awesome when we get something else to choose from. Looking at this jacket, it competes with something like this Dainese Elysee D Dry which doesn't offer the extra vents, but it costs $200 less. Besides $150 worth of body armor, what else do you get for almost $600?

Either way, I just hope that this really works the way it should be intended; crashing, not modeling.