If you're excited about the women's, dual sport, Altitude suit from Klim, then take a listen to our latest episode (scroll to the bottom).
Also, for another point of view on the suit, check out my friend Leslie's review of the jacket and pants on her blog, Advgrrls.com.
With all the buzz from the new Klim Altitude Dual Sport suit for ladies, I thought you might find these tips useful while looking at motorcycle gear. Especially if you're a woman... but certainly useful for men too.
Aside from my Shopping Rules, these are just a few other tidbits that I share often with customers and thought you might find interesting as well!
Generally speaking, you will want to go with an American company if you have more of a curvy body type. Or if you have shorter arms/legs, broader shoulders / torso, shorter arms or legs, that the American brands will cater to the average American woman, whom is typically a size 12/14. And for the most part, American brands will offer the most generous fitments with more room in these areas because well, that's where most American women need it.
Conversely, if you are very petite (almost underweight) or very lean/long in the arms, legs and torso then you must go with the European brands. Italians, Germans and Dutch brands dominate the industry with more options if you fall into any of these categories.
These guidelines also apply equally to the men out there too. Long and lean, go Euro. Shorter and more athletic/broad, go American.
Remember, these are general guidelines and certainly exceptions apply to brands such as Rev'it, which actually offer the widest variety of fitments in their collection.
Know your European shoe size. It's pretty much right 99.9% of the time. Go look in your closet right now, find 3 pairs of shoes and see what the European size is. Then see what they say the US size is. I'm betting that the US definitions are all over the place. I've found that you can pretty much associate your casual, European shoe size with any motorcycle boot and you will have a very accurate size to start with. But much like clothing, you will then have to figure out the various fitments between the brands. (And that's where a company like Revzilla comes in to help you sort things out).
When you step into any motorcycle apparel store, or a dealer that stocks gear, their salespeople should be able to steer you to a particular brand that will fit you first, and then your budget, style preferences, etc. If they have no idea how one jacket fits, vs. another, you will probably end up with something that's too big/long/wide/etc. Or worse, something that won't do it's job quite right if you go down. Fit has a direct connection to safety, and that's in the form of your body armor as far as how it's supposed to sit up against your body: snug, so it won't move and slip sideways off of your body! It also has a direct connection to staying warm, and insulating you from the cold. Any extra space or gaps increases the likelihood that you will be cold because now there's cold air swirling around in that bubble on your chest instead of keeping a nice snug seal against your body.
And that's why I'm here, and why companies like Revzilla exist to help you figure this stuff out. It's not easy (especially the first time), it's a major pain in the ass and can be one of the most frustrating things you've ever gone through in your life.
As I come up with more tidbits, I'll try to update this post. That's it for now, stay tuned for a special Gear Q n' A on Moterrific so we can address some of your specific questions when it comes to gear!
I have never been a fan of riding jeans. Until now. Meet Rokker Jeans. The fully waterproof, technical riding pant that happens to have a really stylish denim look to it. Fully armored, with hips and knees, these are the only riding jeans I actually recommend riding (and crashing) in.
Rokker is based in Switzerland. As a result, they've been able to partner with one of the most technologically innovative companies in the world, Schoeller Textiles. I should preface this by saying that only 1 model in the Rokker line (Revolution, pictured above) offer hip and knee protection, so that is the only model I would personally recommend for that reason.
Unfortunately the women's line isn't offered in the US as of yet. But the men's line is offered here and although only a few styles are currently available, I'm sure more will be offered as the brand gains popularity and brand recognition here in the land of the free, home of the brave.
At a price point of $549, it's a difficult pill to swallow on "riding jeans". But these aren't your typical pair, that's for sure. One key difference when you look at them is that they look high fashion, designer jeans along the lines of your Original Joe's, Lucky, Diesel, etc. But there are 2 major differences between them and the Rokker Revolution Jeans.
It starts with the proprietary schoeller®-Denim-Dynatec: "a revolutionary combination of schoeller®-dynatec and denim, thus extremely high resistance to abrasion as well as a genuine Jeans-look." So it looks *just* like your typical pair of designer denims, when in fact it's a highly technical, performance fabric disguised as jeans! It's not only fully lined from the waist all the way down to just above the ankles in schoeller®-dynatec, but the protector pockets are also fully lined in this fabric and double layered along the knees. You can find schoeller®-dynatec in other high end motorcycle apparel brands such as Dainese and BMW as well.
The other material that the Revolution offers is also from Schoeller, "c_change™ membrane": "This membrane reacts independently to changing temperatures and activities and is 100% waterproof and windproof. It closes when exposed to cold and opens in response to warmth, the prevailing humidity and body moisture are taken into account in this process. In doing so, not only temperature but also air and body moisture are balanced out. c_change™ ensures the ideal body climate."
And of course, theres the body armor. Rokker has paired with d3o protectors so the Revolution includes the hip and knee protectors from d3o. Hopefully you've heard me talk about their armor over and over again on Moterrific. It's a super soft, pliable but strong 'rubber' like material that you will hardly notice while riding. You can purchase all the different body parts (hips, knees, shoulders, elbows, back) separately and upgrade your gear with it too.
Oh and did I mention that they're waterproof? Not water resistant, but waterproof. Schoeller also maintains that c_change is more breathable even than GORE-TEX.
I haven't tried them on because they're not available small enough in my size, but most customers immediately notice how comfortable they immediately feel (probably due to the schoeller lining) and have a hard time walking away from them because of the comfortable fit. These fit just like Levis 501 jeans, so if you love your 501s you'll probably fall in love with these too. I like the fact that there are no seams on the knees too.
Although the Revolution is only offered for men on Revzilla, I think women could definitely wear these if you're a 29" waist size (~US 6-8). The fit will certainly be like a Boyfriend jean, so not very hip friendly with a straight cut but I know a lot of women who wear men's jeans (myself included).
Would I spend $549 on riding jeans? Not just any jeans, but Rokker Revolutions, maybe. But only if I gain 20lbs, which I really would rather not do just to fit into these pants. But if I were the right size, I'd seriously consider them as my next pant purchase.
Check out the latest episode of Moterrific, where we go over my favorite jackets and pants for spring (from this previous blog post). If you're looking for a new 2 piece textile to add to your riding wardrobe, or upgrade your existing one, listen up!
On our next episode, we're going to take a deep dive into Klim's Altitude outfit as well.
