Episode 12: How to Evaluate a Piece of Motorcycle Gear

Alpinestars Andes Pro Tech Air

Revit Arc Air

I’m simultaneously recording a Facebook Live event that I did back in May.

If you don’t know anything about motorcycle gear, how are you supposed to look at a product? What are some things to consider while you’re evaluating a piece of gear besides the most obvious safety and protection features.

How do you know if a piece of gear might be right for you? What do the vents mean? what can some of the features this jacket offers imply for me and my style of riding?

Here are a few pieces of gear that I go through and my break down.

• Alpinestars Andes Stella Pro Drystar for Tech Air (women)

• Alpinestars Andes Pro Drystar for Tech Air does this offer as much ventilation as a true summer jacket?

• Rukka Elas Jacket (women’s version of the Elas)

• Rukka Elas Jacket (men’s) how do you know if this will work in warmer weather?

• Alpinestars SMX-1 v2 Air Gloves (men’s)

• Alpinestars SMX-1 V2 Air Gloves (women’s) what kind of protection can a glove like this offer?

• Dainese Torque 3 Boots (women’s) what does the stretch point mean?

• TCX Drifter Boots (men’s, but unisex sizing down to US 6.5 Womens) Why 2 buckles and not 5?

• TCX Street Ace Shoes (men’s)

• TCX Street Ace Shoes (women’s) what do these offer that your casual sneakers don’t?

• Revit Arc Air Jacket (women’s) how do we know this is a great summer jacket?

• Revit Arc Air Jacket (men’s)

• Shoei RF-1200 Helmet

Artwork by: Boggytown

Music: "Life Is Good" by Joystock

Thank you for listening!

Find me on iTunes.

Episode 11: How to Figure Out Motorcycle Gear Sizing and Fitment

I’ve been a little behind in uploading episodes, I’m sorry!

In this episode, I’m going to give you my tips on how to figure out what sizing might be like for brands that you aren’t familiar with and general sizing for motorcycle gear, not normal clothes. I was simultaneously recording this for Facebook Live so you can also watch the full episode instead of listening to it.

The first step is to get your numbers: measure every part of your body and identify your fit / body proportions:

• How to Measure Yourself, Ladies

• How to Measure Yourself, Mens (for those of you with fuller waistlines, measure Above the Belt and Below the Beltline)

Then I cover the general sizing approach between Euro and American brands and what to expect, what is the size range in European gear? Where do men’s sizes start? Where do women’s sizing start? How does that translate to American sizing?

What’s your frame of reference? How do you look at the gear you have now to help you decide whether any new gear fits you correctly?

Lastly I’m going to give you a few helmet fit tips to help you figure out what might or might not fit you correctly.

Artwork by: Boggytown

Music: "Life Is Good" by Joystock

Thank you for listening!

Find me on iTunes.

Season 2, Episode 10: Common Gear Mistakes

Sorry for the absence!

I’ve decided to try and knock out two birds with one stone, by recording a Facebook Live broadcast I had this past week.

Episode 10 is Common Gear Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.

I broke down various mistakes I’ve seen riders make when selecting or wearing riding gear and how you can avoid them the next time you shop for try on riding gear.

It doesn’t have a traditional intro, so I’ll be sure to add that next time.

I’ll be uploading each Facebook episode as soon as I get around to it. LOL.

Join me on Facebook for my next Events on my Facebook Page (facebook.com/gearchic):

Saturday, April 25th 7pm East: How to Evaluate Piece of Motorcycle Gear

Wednesday, April 29th 7pm East: Motorcycle Gear Hacks

Artwork by: Boggytown

Music: "Life Is Good" by Joystock

Thank you for listening!

Find me on iTunes.

Episode 8: The Differences Between Real Gear v. Fake Gear

There are numerous differences between what I call “Real” Riding Gear v. “Fake” Gear.

In this episode I’m going to give you some ways to identify real gear as you’re shopping:

• how to look at a brand: is this a brand that is actually going to protect and work for me?

• why not shop at the mall for a jacket?

• 3 features every riding jacket must have to protect you

• how to tell if the jacket you’re wearing is right for your riding lifestyle and what that means

• fit tips to help you figure out what really fits you and why it’s supposed to fit that way

Please post any comments/questions below, I’d love to answer your questions in my next episodes.

Artwork by: Boggytown

Music: "Life Is Good" by Joystock

Episode 7: Wearing Motorcycle Gear in the Summer

Updated: 7/30, my first upload didn’t go quite right. Ep 7 is now working! It must have been really hot because I called this #8. But it’s only Episode 7!

Revit Eclipse Jacket available for women and men

In this episode, I’m going to mainly focus on mesh riding gear and what to look for when figuring out what kind of mesh is right for you. I’ll also tell you where you should never have mesh for more protection, as well as what kinds of questions you want to ask yourself so that you find something that works for you.

You’ll also find out how to stay a little more comfortable by wearing base layers.

I’ll also give you some of my favorite ,mesh gear options for men and women and how wearing gear keeps you cooler!

https://www.fix.com/blog/motorcycle-riding-in-hot-weather/

Artwork by: Boggytown

Music: "Life Is Good" by Joystock

Episode 6: Waterproof Riding Gear

In this episode, I give you some things to consider when thinking about waterproof motorcycle jackets and pants.

What are the options? What choices do you have? How do you choose?

A few of the options I mention:

Laminated Shells

click here for an explanation of what this means along with the positive aspects of this method

• Revit Neptune GTX:

  • Mens

  • Ladies - This is going to be my choice for my trip. You can read my review here.

• Revit Horizon 2:

  • Mens

  • Ladies

• Aether Expedition Mens

• Aether Horizon Ladies

• GoreTex 3 Layer Laminate:

  • Klim Badlands - Mens

• GoreTex 2 Layer Laminates:

  • Klim Artemis Ladies

  • Klim Altitude Ladies

  • Klim Latitude Mens

  • Klim Carlsbad Mens

Waterproof, “Z” Liners (waterproof membranes not laminated):

• Alpinestars Andes V2 Drystar

  • Mens

  • Ladies

• Revit Voltaic

  • Mens

  • Ladies

I’ll do a deeper dive in a future episode, complete with fit options for each category but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this brief episode. And now, off to Virginia to do some riding for a week!

Artwork by: Boggytown

Music: "Life Is Good" by Joystock

Episode 5: Interview with Motopreneur, Debra Chin of MotoChicGear

The original Lauren Bag, recently featured in an episode of The Good Doctor on ABC (October 8th, 2018).

In this Episode, I sat down with Debra Chin, founder of a company that you’ve probably seen online, MotoChicGear. Her Lauren Bag was specifically designed with women riders in mind, which we all know is a smaller percentage of riders in the US overall.

I wanted to ask how it feels to be one of the few women of color in our industry making products for us. I rarely see another woman who looks like myself riding motorcycles, let alone selling and making products for women riders.

We discussed how challenging it’s been for her to launch her business and tips/advice she can pass along to anyone listening out there hoping to do the same thing.

I also asked her to share her experience with offshore production, including what brought her to that decision and the challenges of being a woman motopreneur and getting her products in the door. We covered a lot in almost an hour, so hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for more in a couple weeks!

Links:

• MotoChicGear.com; For the month of February, 20% of all purchases will be donated to WomenHeart in recognition of Heart Month

• Gas Tank Program, PowerLily Group by MIC

• The Good Doctor: The Lauren Bag was recently featured in an episode of the Good Doctor on ABC. To see the bag in action, you can find it on Season 2, Episode 3.

Artwork by: Boggytown

Music: "Life Is Good" by Joystock

Episode 4: Riding Jeans

All of the seams in your riding jeans should be reinforced and stitched so you can’t see through them!

In this episode, I’m going to give you a broad overview of what to look for, why your regular jeans aren’t good enough, and what riding jeans aren’t good for.

Unfortunately my favorite brand of riding jeans (Worse for Wear) is no longer in business so I can’t recommend them anymore. But I can recommend a few others. But I do recommend listening to the interview that I did with the founder who gave me a lot of great information about what to look for in your jeans and why they’re so different from what’s already hanging in your closet.

Something I forgot to touch on in this episode is riding leggings. Which have the same basic protection as many riding jeans. A few styles I recommend:

• Alpinestars Banshee Leggings; waist runs small with a roomy hip; so ideal for women with smaller waists and larger hips/bottoms (e.g. measured waist is 30”, measured hips are 40”)

• Oxford Super Leggings; waist runs big; ideal for women with larger waist and hips (e.g. measured waist is 40”, measured hips are 46”)

• GoGo Gear

Moterrific Episode with Worse for Wear about Riding Jeans:

• http://www.moterrific.com/blog/2017/9/18/episode-98

Women’s Denim Jean Brands:

• Atywyld

• Knox

• Revit

• Stellar Moto Brand

Fabric Links:

• Cordura Denim

• Armalith

• Dynatec

Artwork by: Boggytown

Music: "Life Is Good" by Joystock

Episode 3: What Motorcycle Gear Do I Need?

My first real riding suit, back in 2004?

11/29: Podcast Uploaded. Looks like it never uploaded the first time :(

In this episode, I’m going to break down everything you need to buy for your first set of gear and why. I’ve also made the presumption you are buying a full face helmet. Let’s be honest, you know it’s the safest option so why bother going through this debate?

Head to toe, what you need to know and some things to think about when shopping for gear. We will do a deep, detailed dive of each piece in future episodes, but this is a broad overview of what gear you need and why; helmet, jacket, boots, gloves and pants.

Random mentions (none of these are sponsors, just helpful links):

• Olympia Motosports

• Icon Airflite Helmet

• Snell Memorial Foundation

• ECE, DOT Certification

• Helmet Shapes

As the podcast develops, I’d love to hear your requests for topics or guests. Please post a comment below. Thank you!

Artwork by: Boggytown

Music: "Life Is Good" by Joystock

WELCOME TO THE GEARCHIC PODCAST

I'm so excited to announce my all new podcast, featuring discussions and interviews from friends, colleagues, strangers, basically anyone who will chat with me about you guessed it, motorcycle gear. 

Join me as I learn more about different brands, technologies and people that make up the motorcycle gear universe. 

Of course, I also aim to give you as much information as I can about the world of gear and I won't be limiting it to women's gear either. Finding protective apparel dealers / shops / manufacturers that you can trust your safety and protection is challenging and I am to make that a bit easier with this podcast. 

I also hope to decode technical terms and brands that you may hear in your everyday riding life: Cordura, SuperFabric, Dynatec, UHWMPE, Coolmax and more.

a Product Sponsor of the Women's Sportbike Rally

I can't wait for you to join me weekly? biweekly? I honestly don't know, I'll record as often as I can depending on who will talk to me. Sometimes it might just even be me.

Stay tuned to this page for Episode 1, a jolly discussion about motorcycle boots with my friend and the Director of Sales & Marketing of TCX Boots USA. We're going to talk about CE Certification of motorcycle footwear, how synthetics are taking over and more. I will upload episodes to this page in a different blog post each week. I'll also be adding it to iTunes so stay tuned!

If you want to be a guest on my show, please keep in mind that there are NO paid endorsements.

PS Don't worry, I didn't break up with my girl Cristi, you will still find me with Cristi on Moterrific.