Check out this review of the TPG Monarch Jacket and Escape Pants by my friend Carla King:
Thanks Carla, for reviewing Real Gear for Real Women!
Pants and AntiFog
1. Pants.
Wait, what was I going to say? My brain only works for like 30 seconds when I come up with an idea, and then it disappears forever, never to be seen again. That's why I can't seem to blog more frequently. This time I had time to text myself these 2 words. Now if I could just remember what pants were. Oh yes!! Sizing.
So I was dutifully working last Saturday afternoon at Scuderia West. And a female customer came in to try out the Olympia Promax overpants. An excellent option for cold weather and/or every day riding. We tried her in a size 4 / Euro 42 (Olympia sizes in US women), which was a little bit too tight for her in riding position. Then we tried her in a size 6. For some reason, the 6 was fitting more like an 8 or 10, fitting really really generous in the waist. The length seemed normal, as a 6 would be but the waist just seemed really wide. I decided to try them on myself and found that they were definitely cut wrong. For most overpants, you may want to try on one size up from what you'd normally wear in jeans or slacks. If you have no idea what size you are, generally a xtra small/small is 0-2-4, medium is 6-8-10, large is 12 and up. Of course, this can vary from manufacturer, which is super annoying, I know. But that's why I'm here to help.
Since there wasn't another 6 off the rack for her to try, I brought her mine. They fit her perfectly and more snug in the waist, but not too tight. We ended up sending back the funny 6's to Olympia, since they definitely weren't cut right. She ended up ordering a size 6 for herself as well. Hopefully they'll fit her as perfectly as mine did.
The moral of the story is that sometimes you can't trust the sizing, or the pants off the rack. If you think something is wrong, or aren't sure if what you're wearing is the right size, try on a size up and down. If the store has a good special order policy, order another pair and see how it fits, it may fit differently or the same. You just never know!
2. Anti Fog for Arai Helmets
Apparently Arai has finally come out with a pinlock system for their helmets. This is the one thing that I don't like about my helmet. It just fogs up like crazy. First, you need to buy the "Arai Clear Pinlock Shield for Astral, Quantum, RX7, Profile, Vector Helmets". Then you need to order the Arai Antifog insert. I'm still waiting for the insert to come in, so I can test this thing out!
Review: Olympia Pants
So far, I am loving these pants. They fit me perfectly and are better than the FirstGear Overpants I had before. Even though I'm a shortie with a 28" inseam, these aren't too long. I'm wearing a size 6 in this picture. I've found them to be as comfortable as my FG's, if not more comfy. I thought with the textile being thicker and more dense that it would be really uncomfortable riding, but I haven't found that to be the case. My favorite features of these pants are:
I really wish they would've added more reflective piping up the leg, instead of stopping at the knee. I also wish they had cargo pockets in the front like the men's pants do! Why do men get the cool features? Also, I do think that back pockets are useless when riding, and 2 big cargo pockets in the front would've been far more functional. Do you ever reach into the back pocket while riding?
You can see below that there's an 8" connecting zipper so you can wear these with many other brands of pants (including R'evit). It also comes with the 'top teeth' of the zipper so you can have it sewn into any jacket that doesn't have a matching zipper.
The hip and knee armor is fully changeable. You only get CE rated knee armor, but not hips. I've swapped out my knee armor for Dainese women's knee armor, since I'm using T-Pro in my leathers, I decided to use the Dainese armor in these instead. They're much more comfortable. The velcro armor pocket at the knees are adjustable up and down 2-3 inches in each direction as well. You can put in CE armor at the hips as well, although the pockets are a funny shape so you'd have to find armor that will fit the pockets.
When you're trying these on, be sure to sit on your bike (if you can) or another bike, or just assume a seated position. Keep in mind that these pants (like all gear) are designed to be most comfortable and fitted properly in riding position. So you want the armor to be in the right place and not move from over your knee. Your kneecap should be securely up against/in the deep 'pocket' of the armor while in riding position. You don't want the armor to shift should you crash, so that's why it needs to be snugly covering your knees. And, that's why gear is supposed to fit snug. You also want them to be a tad bit long so when you sit you have some room for the pants to rise up a bit at the thighs/waist. I'm not normally a fan of a high waisted pant, but in this case, they really work to keep the pants from riding too low in the back.
If you aren't used to so much velcro, the on and off will take some getting used to. It's definitely stronger velcro, which is good because we don't want it ripping apart if you're sliding. After a week or so of wearing them you'll get used to taking them on and off, and it should only take a few minutes to get fully dressed once you're used to the routine.
If you're tall and have trouble finding pants that fit you, these will fit. I've had women who are close to 5'10" try these on without any problems. They have added a couple inches at the bottom of their pants to make sure taller folks are covered.
Overall, I'd highly recommend these pants (which I already do!) to anyone looking for a pair of waterproof women's textile overpants, especially for commuters.
Overpants - Olympia Pro Max $189
Just picked these up at Scuderia the other day. These are so fantastic. I'm so thrilled with them. Especially since I put in my Dainese knee armor (since I put Tpro in my Dainese leather pants). The stock knee armor is pretty awful.
I don't have time for a full write up this minute, but wanted to put in a quick plug for these awesome pants. Read all about them here.
