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| *Vultures Knob>>>Bike Helmet |
What gear should I buy with my first bike? |
I'm only planning on riding around town and on the freeway not the track. I've looked at some websites and it looks like prices for everything from gloves to helmets vary widely. Should I buy the medium to high end products or is it just as good to buy cheap? It doesn't matter how far you are riding - get good gear. As someone has said, medium-priced stuff is generally as good as the high priced items, just with fewer features. A DOT/Snell helmet in the $100-200 range will protect your head just as good as a $600 helmet, but it might not be as comfy or quiet. Get a good jacket with padding in the elbows, shoulders, and back is key. If you live in a hot area, the textile mesh jackets work great. Get gloves that have armour in the knuckles (if you ever go down, you'll be thankful for it.) Good boots with ankle support are also a must. Some Draggin Jeans, or pants with hip and knee pads are also a good idea. Those are the basics. You'll ride with more confidence when you ride in the right gear. Always try it one first, so I'd advise against buying this stuff on-line w/o a demo first. Cycle Gear has a good chain of motorcycle gear stores - it's like the Wal Mart for motorcyclists - check em out. Joe Rocket and Frank Thomas stuff is pretty good. HJC, KBC, and Scorpion brands make pretty good helmets. Source(s): http://www.cyclegear.com Buy the best helmet. A good leather jacket and boots that protect your ankles, also a pair of leather gloves. Never drive without all four of these. A pair of heavy weight jeans, or you could go for a pair of leather pants if you can spend the money. Anything is better than nothing. The least expensive gear just means there are not a whole lot of frills with it (maximum venting, titanium and kevlar plates and stitchings). As long as its leather, you will have great protection. Just be sure your helmet is form fitting. Inexpensive doesn't mean cheap quality. most of the medium priced stuff is just as good as the high priced stuff but the high priced stuff has "a name" brand associated with it that makes it more desirable for "the in crowd"... the real cheap stuff probably is really cheaply made and I was avoid. first thing is get you a good helmet that is either DOT or SNELL or both approved that fits you and is comfortable. most of the higher priced helmets are due to graphics or special features like ventilation, removeable liners/padding, etc. you can find a good helmet with alot of the features that is a safe product that is plain on the outside to moderate graphics for a reasonable price. then as you have the money, add to your collection but the helmet is the number one purchase ... alot of the other items are merely "fluff" even though they are nice to have... in my opinion. don't get me wrong, I am not saying go ride in shorts, tank top and flip flops... wear jeans, long sleeves (even a jacket), boots (even if you have even some work boots), gloves (work gloves work in a pinch)... alot depends on your budget and most things you own will work in the mean time...buy motorcycle specific as your budget allows. 40 someodd years of riding / racing Gloves -- buy leather or synthetic gloves with full finger protection. Gloves marketed specifically for motorcyclists tend to be better designed and have better protection in the proper spots. Jacket -- leather motorcycle jacket offers best abrasion protection. For summer heat, get a ventilated jacket. I just a Fieldsheer jacket and it keeps me reasonably cool while I'm riding. Pants -- jeans don't really offer a lot of abrasion protection. You can find motorcycle jeans (do a search for "draggin jeans" or motorcyle jeans) that offer good protection. For fall or winter driving, you can just get motorcycle overpants or get leather chaps. Boots -- always recommended to wear boots. Get boots that fit snugly....some people say to avoid lace-up boots, but my personal opinion is that lace-up is fine as long as the laces don't come untied. Helmet -- full-face, and DOT and/or SNELL rated. |
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