No perfect all year riding gear?

crotchrocket

crotchrocket

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I use a Rukka Cosmic suit for day to day use. Its great until its about 20-22 degrees then it just gets too hot and i turn into a sweaty mess just walking from my bike to the office. let alone higher temps, where i even get sweaty on the bike!!! (in London) . So yesterday i pulled out a set of RST textile trousers and an old textile jacked which let the air through. Then today...... its raining. So i put the Rukka on.......

Is there a gortex suit available with enough ventilation to be usable in summer? so you don't need to have a waterproof liner or over suit when it rains. I can see the Klim Badlands has some vents, but just two zips on the chest and one on each arm, nothing like the open mesh panels of the rallye suit for instance. Are they any good? I really like the Rallye jacket, but its quite pricey for just using for a couple of months a year.
 
Do you want something for 'All year' or 'Just a couple of months'?

Your post starts of asking for 'All year' but ends up discarding one possibility, as it's too expensive 'just for a couple of months'. The obvious comment might be, is it better value if you also use it for the other 10 months? Or is it just too pricey, period?

If the latter, it might help if you gave bods some idea of your maximum budget and whethe you'd be prepared to consider secondhand?

PS If you really are looking for an 'All year' gortex lined suit, that does not require a separate liner or over jacket; at some point it's going to be a compromise. Not least as it has to cope with a year's worth of the UK's mixed Atlantic weather.

Me? I'd buy a secondhand fully meshed suit from someone like Rukka and listen to the London daily weather forecast. If it suggested rain I'd lob a cheap overjacket and / or trousers into a rucksack or into a cavernous topbox / panniers or even just cargo net it onto the bike and go from there.

PPS I walk a mile and a bit into work and the same home each day of the year, all in central London. It really doesn't rain that often; trust me.
 
I have a Klim Traverse jacket with underarm and across back zips. Up to 25 degrees I find it almost as effective as my two mesh jackets and it has also been 100% waterproof to date. The only con is the cuffs are a little tight when it comes to getting gloves inside them
 
My ramblings weren't clear :D

Can anyone recommend a gortex suit that has very good ventilation for the summer even for a tosser size bloke? My Rukka gear gets too hot in the summer.

Wapping said:
Do you want something for 'All year' or 'Just a couple of months'?

Your post starts of asking for 'All year' but ends up discarding one possibility, as it's too expensive 'just for a couple of months'. The obvious comment might be, is it better value if you also use it for the other 10 months? Or is it just to pricey, period?

If the latter, it might help if you gave bods some idea of your maximum budget and whethe you'd be prepared to consider secondhand?
Click to expand...
 
Rukka for Oct to May.
Klim for June - Sept.

both Gore Tex and super waterproof. Klim is best vented and is unlined.

Expensive choices but you won't look back.
 
I use the Klim Badlands Pro jacket and trousers year round. Best kit I have ever bought. I can't really afford to have 'warm' and 'cold' weather kit.

In hot weather the trousers have large vents front and rear, and the jacket has upper and lower arm vents, pit vents plus vertical vents on the back of the jacket. Air flow is great with them all open, and keeps you cool but with the same level of crash protection (which is afterall why we wear it).

In cold weather I wear a long sleeved base layer, and maybe a thin mid layer fleece if needed under the jacket; and long base layer pants under the trousers. Never needed anything more than that.

Regardless of the temperature the suit also keeps you dry in wet weather, and so far I have worn it in temperatures ranging from below zero to 30+ degrees and it performs perfectly. :thumb2

Hope this helps.
 
I have a Rallye 2 suit I bought on here secondhand. With a Buffalo underneath its great in winter, and in summer it's got more zips that an old punks jeans. Depends if you want to be trendy...
 
Opening vents are a myth.

I wear a Klim Traverse and then base layer/thermal layer as appropriate. In 42 degree heat the vents just made things worse, dousing my jacket and base layer with water and keeping the vents closed equalled 3 hours of comfortable cooling in the heat.

Opening the vents justs allows the hot air in, your base layer is the key to wicking the sweat and keeping core temperature down. In the winter (down to -5) a good thin thermal layer on your legs and body will keep you warm because the goretex doesn't let the cold air in. Extremities are the difficult things to keep warm without heated elements.
 
Flipfly said:
Opening vents are a myth.

I wear a Klim Traverse and then base layer/thermal layer as appropriate. In 42 degree heat the vents just made things worse, dousing my jacket and base layer with water and keeping the vents closed equalled 3 hours of comfortable cooling in the heat.

Opening the vents justs allows the hot air in, your base layer is the key to wicking the sweat and keeping core temperature down. In the winter (down to -5) a good thin thermal layer on your legs and body will keep you warm because the goretex doesn't let the cold air in. Extremities are the difficult things to keep warm without heated elements.
Click to expand...

The Revit Poseidon has a inner jacket that you wet and wear with the vent open. This gives you evaporative cooling for up to 6 hours. It worked well last year in 35 degrees too.
 
crotchrocket said:
I use a Rukka Cosmic suit for day to day use. Its great until its about 20-22 degrees then it just gets too hot and i turn into a sweaty mess just walking from my bike to the office. let alone higher temps, where i even get sweaty on the bike!!! (in London) . So yesterday i pulled out a set of RST textile trousers and an old textile jacked which let the air through. Then today...... its raining. So i put the Rukka on.......

Is there a gortex suit available with enough ventilation to be usable in summer? so you don't need to have a waterproof liner or over suit when it rains. I can see the Klim Badlands has some vents, but just two zips on the chest and one on each arm, nothing like the open mesh panels of the rallye suit for instance. Are they any good? I really like the Rallye jacket, but its quite pricey for just using for a couple of months a year.
Click to expand...

I use an old RST textile jacket with no liners for the really hot days and carry a cheap Millets waterproof cag just in case of showers. This does however let the heat in when sitting still on the bike as the heat penetrates the cheap jacket far easier than a quality outer.
The other answer is to soak the t-shirt/base layer before you put the jacket on.
The Rev'it Dominator has great venting and is Gore-Pro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZUS2DYooPk
http://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/229449
 
Hey that looks like Hi-Viz Brian... Thinking about the Rev'it Dominator suit, it's just a little costly at the moment as it's relatively new. You don't always get what you pay for but this appears to be getting good reviews. Trying to find a store with stock to go and try it on.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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