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-   -   The Riding Gear thread (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/ride-safe/42000-riding-gear-thread-119.html)

Reason? One size does not fit all; that is including the knee protection. I believe even your pant will not offer knee guard kind of protection, but will be only with knee bones.

No way Adi!! No need to apologize when speaking for truth

No 2 ways about it, proper CE rated strap on knee guards provide better protection and are a lot more versatile than armour inside the riding pants. You cannot always be wearing riding pants and knee guards come to the rescue.

I may have mentioned this a few hundred times now, but I swear by these & highly recommend them - http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/dainese-knee-v-guard

I wear them over a pair of jeans whilst commuting at least thrice a week to work (50 + Km 1 way). I also came off my bike wearing these and my knees came out unscathed

When on tour, I wear these under my riding pants that have CE rated hip armour as well (Riding pants - http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/k...ave-pants-2010). Some downsides:

- With the D ring plus velcro arrangement, takes a bit longer to put on (as compared to my Thor guards). Will not fly off easily though in case I were to go sliding
- Just a hair more obtrusive than the regular "in the trouser" knee guards. Need to wear some base layer if wearing them under the pants (I wear compression knee socks, non medical type) else they cause chafing

I bought some knee armour for the riding pants recently and can say this that in comparison to the Dianese guards:

- On the bike, They fit quite well and cover the patella. But the moment you get off the bike, it digs in right below the knee cap. Not very comfy to walk around in
- I still need to wear knee socks. Otherwise, the armour digs into the skin, especially whilst gripping the tank hard
- They only cover the patella. The entire tibia is exposed (I wear "half" boots, A-stars Ridge)
- Although its not much, the knee guards do slide downward a little. Not sure if they will be perfectly in place if I were to go down
- The Strap on guards have soft, impact absorbing pads as well as hard parts that will provide some additional abrasion resistance too. Not so much with the inside the pants armour

I fully and whole hearedly endorse good knee guards under a pair of riding pants with CE rated hip armour. Best form of protection this side of race leathers IMO

Question - Are elbow and knee armours replaceable with one another? I think they are

Will remember this as I ride back home tonight :)

But would the chances / probability of breaking the femur in a motorcycle accident not be really low?

One aspect of protection that really gets me thinking is the chest area. There's a whole bunch of vital organs there without a shred of protection (except for abrasion resistance from the riding jacket)

Save for A-stars and a handful others, I do not see too many replacement armour options or even provision for putting an aftermarket one in (My Teknic jacket does not have one. Pretty sure most jackets out there dont have one either)

Very recently, a young chap passed away after he crashed his Ducati (Old Bombay Pune highway I think) on his way back to Pune. His rib cage collapsed and punctured his lungs. He was my wife's best friend's youngest brother, all of 25 years of age. May he rest in peace.

Sobering thoughts indeed!

Urban, the compression knee sock is a good idea. The velcro of the riding pant knee armour pocket does sometimes start chaffing my skin after a long ride. Especially if you're doing a lot of moving around (more on the KTM than the Bullet of course). Definitely am on the look out for a nice set of dry-fit moisture wicking compression base layer long sleeved top and full length bottom. Tired of being soaking wet with sweat under my water proof riding jacket and pants after every ride - no matter how long or short.

Not, not fully - if I sit on the bike, the pads extent about 8 inch down if measured from middle of the knee cap. Sobering thoughts indeed....
Thank you for sharing them.

--Anoop

THought this video is very relevant in the light of the current discussion

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U7oOPYiGB8

I had fall a few days ago from my bike. I came away relatively unscathed thanks to both circumstances and foresight.

Circumstances because I was going quite slowly, the road was good and there was no traffic that could have run me over.

Foresight because I was wearing a helmet (duh!), my Joe Rocket jacket, DSG leather gloves, Thor Quadrant knee/shin guards and JCB safety boots.

I actually rolled on the road after I fell rather than slid. So my left hand and my right elbow are bruised and swollen. My pants are torn but my knee guards and thick leather boots protected my legs and feet very well and I got away without a mark on my legs or knees.

I am a daily bike commuter so I wear all of the equipment every day. My friends always made fun of me for wearing all this equipment but now that they've served their purpose and proven themselves, I feel redeemed!

I don't know how well I would have been protected had the circumstances been different but I will gladly take some amount of protection over none at all.

+1; my colleagues were (and still are) looking at me like an alien...they seldom know about 2 victims in our office...
1. Who couldn't come to office for over 6+ months due to very bad injuries on head scalp
2. Another biker...yes BIKER, who was, WAS, avid restorer of RD350, RE 350 CI & Yezdi RK, fell of from his RE on near to triple digit speed & was fortunate to loose a good amount of flesh from his right elbow to wrist; thankfully no bone breaks...is now giving up riding!!

Got my Cramster Eclipse Hybrid Riding Jacket delivered last friday, extremely happy with Cramster order time and delivery time. How did I ended up buying online? I enquired with all the Cramster dealers in Mumbai about this jacket and everyone said it is not in stock and all their responses were lousy and not encouraging from customer's point of view.

I called up Cramster directly to enquire about the jacket and they said it is readily available with them and I can order it online after confirming the correct size with them. I emailed them the required size and they recommended me the correct size. The order was placed on wednesday and I got it delivered on friday.

About the Jacket: Our member dkaile has covered the details about this jacket in a wonderful manner on this very thread a few pages back. Infact after reading dkaile's post my decision was confirmed. I had shortlisted three jackets and was dilly dallying between them. The three jackets were Spartan Helios, Rjays Swift and ofcourse the Cramster Eclipse. The choice can be strictly subjective as I really liked the Cramster Eclipse in terms of value for money, although Spartan Helios had Knox level protectors it didn't appeal to me much interms of value for money.

Coming back to the jacket:
1. This jacket is somewhat heavy for those who are not used to riding with armoured riding jackets
2. The quality of stitch and finish exudes quality, the leather covering the shoulder and the entire back arms look super cool and very well built.
3. Removable winter liner all the way upto to arms is a pretty neat addition and will come in handy while riding up north in Ladakh.
4. On the fly removable 360 degree technotex panel that reveals mesh for a cooler ride during summers and its water resistant too.
5. CE approved armours well placed.
6. Ergonomically placed water proof pockets for easy access and storage of mobile, wallet, etc.
7. Snug fit and at the same time comfortable that builds confidence while riding.

Total cost: M.R.P Rs.7250 + Rs.350(courier delivery charges) = Rs.7600.

Next I have to buy a decent riding pant, I might go for the Cramster Velocity riding pant looking at the experience I've had with Cramster Eclipse jacket so far.

Iam unhappy with my Joe Rocket pants for following reasons :-

1. Knee Pads slide down almost till shin level

2. Pants are not a good fit and look quite baggy. Waist till knee fitting is good but, below knee its quite loose and also flares at the bottom

I guess the result of buying something in a hurry. Does anyone know if riding pants can be altered?

If no, then i will have to stop using these and buy myself a new one or use just knee protectors over jeans

Having the same Joe Rocket for 4 years now & I wouldn't say SUFFERING, but, got used to point #1 (but not shin, may be just below the knee cap that's all), but not #2 though it's not like baggy or keeps flapping hard due to wind.

Altered? Like what?

Alterted to make it a straight fit from knee to ankle? Is that possible?

With regards to knee guard. It looks like a farce, so might as well throw it and use add-on knee protector

If above is not possible. Then I will have to live with fact that I wasted 10K:Frustrati

Are you having the zippers in the sides? Then it takes immense efforts; also IMHO, DO NOT alter from what the manufacturer has made originally. Our local guys are not efficient enough to keep things as per manufacturers strength. Just my opinion that's all.

You read my mind!! I was about to suggest you the same. In my case, the knee guards got shattered, so I simply went ahead & bought a pair of Knox armor to be inserted on knees & I'm wearing the riding pant above. I get a "unshaken" knee protection & a riding pant that is abrasive resistant

Only problem will be the net cloth material will hurt the skin on long rides (read over 700+ Km) when combined with sweat.

Pls don't feel so; try the above method, you will love it.

And the same bagginess will be a boon if you were to use the strap on knee guards below the pants. Just account for the fact that wearing the bulky knee armor under the pants will make the pants ride up a bit. Short boots will not do. At the very least, high ankle boots. Else just like "headlight is on", be prepared for "socks r showing" :D

On a side note, all this firang stuff aside, Spartan makes pants that fit very well and the quality is not at all bad

I use these under my knee guards - http://www.healthkart.com/sv/healthv...pport/SP-17758

No chafing, no pain

And now a new problem...
1. Knee support
2. Knee guard
3. Riding pants

Call it obsessive wearing of gears :eek: & only to realize the tibia is no longer protected!! Back to square one!!

Guys, need help and suggestions please. Planning a rain ride on the Independence weekend. Need a set of dry-fit (moisture wicking) base layer urgently for this ride. I plan to get a proper imported set when my friend comes over from Australia next, so do not want to double-spend on expensive readily available in India alternatives now (Nike etc.) as this would be at best a stop-gap urgent solution. So what would be the more inexpensive options that I can get a hold of quickly? I am looking at full length leggings as well as full sleeved top. The bottom line is it should be comfortable and dry against the skin. Please help.