[SubodhRage]

@Moderators,

There is another thread on the beginner's guide for gears and related anecdotes.

Originally Posted by phoenix.rider

I have been riding for 10 years mostly on a small capacity bike for the day to day work. In March'21, I bought Gixxer SF 250 (entry-level sports tourer) and with greater power comes greater safety. So I started investing in Gears as well.

The most important gear is your helmet. Buy a well-certified helmet (I have Axor Apex, ECE and DOT certified). Once you buy your helmet, you can start to purchase other riding gear like jackets, gloves, pants and boots.

So, let me tell you my experience of buying riding gear and maybe I can put a better perspective on how to approach purchasing your riding gear and how to get proper fitting gears because this is a very good investment for riders.
This post is mostly about jackets and gloves because I bought them recently.

For most beginners, the journey starts online. Start searching products online, watch Youtube videos, read blogs and post on gears. From there you will get a proper sense of the type of gear, different brands.

Where to purchase gears?

There are two ways to buy any gear. Either you can buy online or you can buy in-store.

I think in-store experience is the best because the investment you are making is your life-saving investment. You should go to the store and try these gears because they should make you feel safe and comfortable(looks should be the last priority).

Another and very important aspect of the in-store purchase is salesperson helps you a lot in choosing the right gear. When I was researching gears online, I was only witnessing products from popular brands like Rynox, Biking Brotherhood but when I went into the store, the salesperson presented me with other brands as well which are also the similar quality.
The salesperson also helps you with suggesting the right kind of product for you. He/She can guide you in telling what things you should check when trying the gear because they have a lot of experience with customers and they know what could be the pain in future that customer misses when purchasing the gear.

Choosing the type of gear:-

For any gear, one should decide for which purpose he/she will be using that and it will define the kind he/she should purchase. Most beginners are looking for gears that can be used all year. For jackets, all-season jackets are best for beginners because they are mesh jackets with winter liners(can be used in winter with 2 extra layers). For gloves, one should go with summer gloves because they can be used with decathlon winter gloves in winter.

Size and Fit:-

The size and fit of riding gears are completely different from normal clothes. You can't buy XL Jacket because you wear L or XL shirt or hoodie. for checking size and fit the best method is to go in-store and try which is the best fit(can be explained by salesperson for different gears). For Jacket, keep in mind if you are planning to use that jacket in winter then put on innerwear, a shirt/t-shirt and a sweater and then wear the jacket on top and check the fit. For gloves, take decathlon fleece gloves and then put on the gloves and check the fit.
Wear the gears, sit on your bike and check whether they are comfortable and are not causing any hindrance in functioning. For example, in gloves check whether you can reach all the switches or not.

After you have selected the gear, tried it, checked the fitting then it is your choice whether you want to buy that online or from the store itself.

I will be reviewing the Jacket and Gloves once I have used that for quite some time.

I'd suggest to merge these two threads since they both cater to the same topic and audience