Back to Riding Skills Introduction / Main Index
In times past I was pretty adamant with my advice on what other riders should wear when riding. I’m much wiser now!
After much grief, flame-wars and hate mail, I have relented and adopted a point of view best-expressed by my friend Stu Oltman – Sr. Tech Editor at Wing World Magazine:
“Only bother covering those parts of your body that you plan on using again!”
So make your own plan. For what it’s worth, here’s what I do:
- Buy the best riding gear you can afford! Here’s my current road “kit:”
- Use your best gear on every ride!
- Make sure your helmet has a current approval certificate by a recognized agency. For example, AHRMA recognizes only the Snell M2010 standard for road-racing.
- Make sure your helmet is less than 5 years old. Replace at that age no matter how “good” it looks.
- Replace your helmet if it’s ever crashed or dropped.
- Keep your visor in good repair and keep it clean.
- Wear a jacket matched to the weather. Favor jackets with built-in armor.
- Wear sturdy boots that are least ankle high.
- Wear gloves that fit and don’t interfere with dexterity.
- Have a strategy for low light or nighttime riding. Hint: Prescription sunglasses behind a tinted shield are not particularly well suited for night riding!
- Warm, dry riders have better concentration so do whatever is necesary to keep warm and dry.
- Heated vests are an excellent investment to extend the envelope for safe riding in marginal weather.
- In hot weather, ventilated jackets provide protection and are actually cooler than bare skin.
Ride safe!
Thanks, guy. Great advise. My day job is health & safety. Trying to get people to do what’s in their own best interest. “It can’t happen to me”, can leave you crying yourself to sleep, and it can really hurt your chances of getting back in the saddle. That’s what should matter.