Your opinion on riding gear ...

as for riding gear, do you think a mesh jacket would hold up well in a fall? i see alot of people with them and they say its comfortable, but aside from being comfortable (which i already know), what do you think of the safety factor?

 

Re: Gear ...

Quality mesh gear does hold up as well as leather depending on the quality of each. I think for the money its better but I'm sure there are those out there that disagree. The best part about textile mesh is its ability to breath in warm (hot) weather. When my riding friends are taking off the leather because its hot, I continue to wear my mesh. Also it doesn't absorb rain water and they usually come with a rain liner. If your gear in stowed away because its too hot, you'll never have enough time to put it on before you crash.

Thats my 2/100th of a George Washington

The Buff

 

I have a Joe Rocket mesh jacket, it has armour in the shoulders, elbows, a spine protector and hip pads and its pretty darn comfortable.

 

I have a leather jacket with armored elbows, shoulders and spine that I wear when it's not too hot out. When it is too hot, I have a mesh jacket with the same armor. I know abrasion resistance of the mesh is quite a bit less than the leather, but it's quite a bit better than no protection.

 

Same here. Leather with armor when it's cool enough. Mesh with armor when it's hot.

Make sure it fits well (especially the mesh). I've got one I mail ordered that the arms don't fit right and I have no confidence that the armor would stay in place in a fall. I replaced it with one I tried on first.

 

I just got a Cortech DENIM with armor and padding/protectors and all sorts of zippered mesh vents that can be opened, plus a removable quilted liner that really widens the comfort range. I LOVE it (plus they offer "tall" sizes which I need...)