A summer glove review in the winter? Why Not?
I'm a little behind on this review, but if you're shopping for next season, or plan on riding somewhere tropical for the holidays, then check out my review of these awesome summer gloves.
Bull-It SR4 Flex Women's Riding Jeans
You may have seen these on Revzilla recently. The Bull-It SR4 Flex Women's Riding Jeans offer a full length lining of abrasion resistant material called Covec. I finally had a chance to try them in size 24 and they actually fit me quite well. They still had some room for me in the thighs/butt, so I would say these are fairly bootyfriendly.
Let me just say that I am NOT a size 24 in any other casual jean, except Uniqlo's skinny stretchy jean. (And only because those were so damn stretchy.) I normally buy size 27 in other brands, and I have virtually no booty (flat as a table, although I'm working on it). I would probably get these as a Spring/Fall jean but would probably too warm to wear in hot, humid, summer weather. I would stick to mesh pants or mesh leathers instead. I like the plethora of inseam options as well.
I thought the fit was nice, a straight leg with a slight bootcut, just enough to get over your boot but not a flared leg. The rise was also Mid but not as high as men's jeans. On a bike they didn't feel terribly low in the back, but I could see it being a little too much in a really aggressive riding position. The lining is really warm, but decently breathable.
In addition to this version, they offer 2 others for women for $149.95-$179.95. Buy them here at Revzilla, and for more details about the company, visit their website.
Taller Motorcycle Boots for Women
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NOV 2019: PLEASE READ MY UPDATED POST HERE.
If you're looking for boots that offer a little extra height (and traction) to give you more leverage and confidence while riding, as well as protection, here are some ideas.
Options 1-3 are fully lined with Gore-Tex, considered to be the most breathable, waterproof membrane you will find in footwear.
1/ Daytona Ladystar GTX
$449. My favorite recommendation (and most expensive, unfortunately) are the Daytona Ladystar GTX's above. Yep, you get *that* much extra vertical height. Definitely the tallest women's motorcycle boots on the market that I've seen so far that also provide plenty of protection for street riding. You can read my review here. Two places to buy these online; Helimot or Revzilla. Pick your poison! Daytona also makes the same boot for those of you over a size 40, called the MStar (typically marketed towards men, even though its the same exact boot).
2/ Dainese Siren WP
$249. Although the Siren doesn't feature Gore-Tex, it's waterproof and breathable per Dainese. Also, the Siren has a very generous calf space, so this is a great boot if you need a little more room. Remember that Dainese's fit profile is a little narrower everywhere (except the calf). I've included a photo showing where your foot will be once inside the boot (0" mark). So that's almost 2.5" of extra height. You will get the same height on the Svelta (#2) and Luma (#3) as well.
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Dainese Siren GTX
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$249. The Luma isn't a full height boot, but falls just below your calves. The height on these and the Siren will be the same.
3/ Dainese Svelta GTX
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$269. I love the Svelta because it actually doesn't have a large calf space since it zips all the way to the top. I don't need extra room there, so for me, it's the perfect boot. If you have a slender leg then you'll like the streamline fit on the Svelta. Another fabulous Gore-Tex lined boot!
4/ Alpinestars Stella Gran Torino GTX
Alpinestars Stella Gran Torino GTX
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$299. The Alpinestars should have a slightly wider footbed and slightly larger ankle space. A good amount of calf space is provided as well.
5/ Sidi Livia Rain
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$230. Sidis have a more generous fit all around than options #1-4, especially the ankles / heels and arches (better for high arches). They're incredibly comfortable as well, and also have a very generous calf space. As generous as the Sirens (#2), maybe even a tad more.
For those of you that can't afford a new pair of boots, here are two ideas:
Try new insoles to add height and / or comfort. Dr Scholls, Superfeet, etc. I also wear Sidi Vertigo Leis but they took away from my vertical heiaght so I couldn't get my heel down at all. So I added another insole, and a heel cup to give me an extra inch. It also made working all day in them far more comfortable.
Try checking eBay. I found a barely used pair of Daytonas on eBay for less than $100 because I set up an alert to let me know if someone posted a pair in my size. It took a year, but a year later I found them!
Women's Gear Success Story!
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Today I had a really great success story with a woman who needed almost an impossible jacket with longer arms, and a very lean body.
She also had broader shoulders too which made it even more difficult. Another hurdle was the fact that she was rather tall and long waisted (~5'8") with a very lean build; probably a US 0-2 in the body but US 4-6 for shoulders and sleeve/torso length.
So what to do? After trying on many options, she left happily with the above Dainese Air Frame Women's Jacket, perfect for summer riding weather. Dainese is a fairly slim brand, but not slim enough when you have to size up 2 times to fit your sleeves and shoulders.
What you don't see in the photo are also 2 key button adjustments; one at the bicep and one at the forearm to taper the sleeves even more. The last piece was adding a heavier back protector to take up quite a bit of volume in the body of the jacket. I chose the Dainese Manis G1 Back Protector. The result was a better fitting jacket and a perfect sleeve length! This means that she can pretty much go with any Dainese ladies jacket in the same size and have a fairly good result with fitment.
Dainese tends to run narrow and long in the sleeves, but when you're caught outside of even this fitment, sometimes a little creativity needs to be employed for an ideal outcome.
