Alpinestars Vika - First Impressions

  

Finally, it's here. Is it living up to all the hype? Kind of. 

The Vika by Alpinestars is a fashion leather with armor and a precurved fit. It's a little better than something you'd buy at the mall because it has the armor and a slightly better fit in riding position.

So far I'm neutral about it. It does fit well (although I had to wear a 44 for the jacket because my shoulders were too broad for 40, which I fit in the GP Plus) it's a little 'bunchy'. Not sure if that's because of the leather or because I'm not quite the tall, thin body type that this outfit was made for.

If you're long and lean on top I think this will fit you much better than me. I've only worn this with Betty, in a full upright riding position. It feels comfortable up here but I don't think it'll be as comfy on my SV650s, which is really forward leaning.

The pants seem short, even for my inseam (28.5"). Although, keep in mind you never need your riding pants to reach your full inseam, like you would casual pants. Otherwise, they'll be dragging on the ground when you walk.

It's a really light, thin leather so I wouldn't wear it on the freeway since it's barely keeping me warm at 60 degrees. I also would be weary if I crashed at high speed.

Full review coming after a 100+ more miles riding in it... 

GORE-TEX Motorcycle Gear for Women

 

If you ride year round, in a predominantly wet/cold environment, or are always cold, then one of these may be exactly what you're looking for. 

What is GORE-TEX? 

http://www.gore-tex.com

You may already have a windbreaker, rainjacket or snow jacket with one of these membranes. If you do, hopefully you know how great it is at keeping you dry, a little warmer and breathable all at the same time. You should also know that it needs to be cleaned in order to keep working correctly. So if your favorite jacket stopped being waterproof, it's time to toss it in the washing machine!

You should've been given instructions on the care of your garment by the manufacturer. If not, you can go to their website and see what they have to say about the matter. Keep in mind that caring for your GTX gear is crucial to the long term use and reliability of the product. 

As a motorcyclist, GTX is one of the best outdoor uses applied to what we do. Cold, wind, rain and snow are mother nature's way of telling us that we need to really gear up if we expect to arrive to our destination warmly and safely. I think the ultimate combination of this kind of comfort is a heated liner such as a WarmnSafe with a GTX lined jacket. 

As a woman motorcyclists, if you're looking for the *best* jackets and pants to keep you warm and dry this riding season, then you'll want to consider these options from the only companies making GTX gear for women right now.

And if you have any of these items, please post a comment and share your thoughts. 

Something that I love about Dainese gear is how well their gear fits. It also feels super light, as if you're not wearing much gear, because everything is designed so well. The pants have a unique fit in that they taper nicely at the knees for a slimmer fit down the leg. If you're vertically challenged, you'll find that their pants may bunch a little behind the knees but because they don't have a wider leg that they may not end up being as long as other brands. Here are the 3 gore options available for women by Dainese: 

Adina GTX Jacket

MSRP $469.95
Colors: Black, Black/Red and Black/Gray
Sizes: Euro 40-54 (US 2 -16)
Fit: Longer in the arms/torso. Fits body types with longer waists and small hips. Unfortunately Dainese hasn't really addressed the curvier body type. But it does fit well for tall/slender figures as well as women who are plus size but taller.  

Pictured above, this option from Dainese features the GTX membrane "laminated to the outer fabric provided with water repellence treatment." What this basically means is that there is no removable liner to make the jacket waterproof. However, it does have a removable thermal liner for more warmth. I can't tell you how AWESOME it is when you don't have to add a separate liner to stay dry! GTX also offers the most breathability when it comes to waterproof membranes. 

Adina GTX Pants

MSRP $299.95
Colors: Black
Sizes: Euro 40-54 (US 2 -16) 
Fit:  I tried these on last winter (below) and they feel super light. Since they have more of a skinny jean feel to them, they dont have the wider leg than some of the trouser fit pants that REVIT and other brands have. Bonus points for having 4 outer pockets that are actually useful. These should be a bit warmer than the Galvestones below. 

P. New Galvestone GTX Pants

MSRP $299.95
Colors: Black
Sizes: Euro 40-52 (US 2 -14) 
Fit:  These should fit much like the Adinas, but I haven't tried them myself yet. I believe they're a little less expensive due to the difference in shell construction (seems like a lighterweight material), no hip armor and a thinner thermal layer. My guess is that these are for moderate winter temps (i.e. Bay Area) vs. the Adinas (i.e. Minneapolis). I have a sneaky feeling that they fit a little different as well.  I'll try to scope them out at the DStore and update this post when I have a chance. 

 

 

They have changed so much since I became familiar with the brand ~7 years ago. Last October, the first GTX option was introduced into their line for women. They realize how much the market is changing and that many women are going this route (myself included). The fitment has changed considerably as well.

 

If you tried to buy their gear 2 or 3 years ago and weren't able to wear it because of the way it fits, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the changes they've since then. Now, the overall fitments are shifting to an American woman's body, with the benefit of European styling, construction and design. A really great combination for many women seeking real gear for their real curves. 

 

The Legacy jacket and pants are the only offerings so far, but as the market grows, I hope that they'll keep watching and listening to what women riders need and want. 

 

For more info about this outfit, see my recent blog post here which include my first impressions and more pics. Look for a review on this outfit before end of this month. 

 

 

 

You may or may not know that Held makes some of the best riding gloves on the market. Made in Germany, these gloves are the best of the best. In the motorcycle world, you're either a Held lover you're a Racer lover (I'm the latter).  

 

Not only does Held make great gloves but they also make great gear. Here's what they have to offer:

 

Held Davina

 

MSRP $599.99; on sale for $399.95
Colors: Black, Gray/Red and Gray/Black
Sizes: US M-XXL
Fit: Unfortunately I haven't seen this one in person. If the fit is anything like their men's jackets, and it appear similar, it's a longer 3/4 length than the others above. I'm also going to speculate that the shoulders aren't too narrow but average in terms of width. It looks like they no longer have any XS/S sizes (which I'm not surprised by, given the way average clothing sizes are growing in this country) and the size availability depend on the color options. It doesn't look like they offer any gore pants just yet.

 

Held Tortona

MSRP $899.99; on sale for $629.95
Color: Black
Size: Small 
Fit: Unfortunately I haven't seen this one in person, but one thing that sets it apart from any of the other jackets, as well as why it's priced so much higher is because it features a GTX pro shell textile, laminate mix. Since I haven't seen one with my own eyes, I can't really say for sure. But I think it sounds comparable to a Klim Latitude Jacket. And, from what I keep hearing, Klim is coming out with a women's line next year. Anyone else hearing what I'm hearing?

That's it for now, let's keep telling dealers and manufacturers what we want/need so we keep getting more options!

 

What I Do

More often than not, people ask me what exactly it is that I do. I help women like Nicole figure out what gear she needs, what fits, what doesn't and what she should look for as she gets herself back up to a healthier weight. Nicole, you rock and I hope I was able to help point you in the right direction.

Women's Lingerie and Motorcycle Gear

Who knew shopping for a bra was like shopping for women's motorcycle gear? 

Last night I went to the mall to return something. Somehow I ended up in Victorias Secret. 

Having lost weight recently, I was a little excited to see if my sizing had changed since I noticed a significant difference in fit with my current bra stash. As soon as I walked in I was approached by happy, friendly girls dying to measure my bust.

They told me that I was a size larger than I had expected, due to the fact that VS' sizing runs smaller than its competitors. For some reason, I didn't believe them at first, but I figured what does it hurt to try stuff on and see how they fit? I kicked my ego to the curb and hit the dressing room with an array of lace, silk and satin. 

Sadly, I don't have photographic evidence of my fitting session (well I do, but those pictures are the property of Mr Donn). But it went really well. I didn't expect any of their fancy bras or outfits to fit me. 

 I was pleasantly surprised and realized that seeing how things Fit for myself was the only way to be fully convinced that they were indeed the right size. Numbers often lie, as least when it comes to clothes. Unfortunately, you have to know that one size with one company might mean something completely different with another. In the case of VS, they run one full size larger than anyone else. Go up one full size from another brand and you'll notice the difference. (just remember to squash your ego back into its box, otherwise it'll make you miss out on some really sexy lingerie).

The last time I was fitted for a brassiere was over 5 years ago. And I've never had that done at VS. I have been to a few different department stores, but everyone carries something different and every (company) seems to have a different way of sizing you up. They were pretty knowledgable and I walked away with a couple of comfy, cute pairs in my hand.

If you walk into a motorcycle dealership and walk out without having been properly fitted or sized for your gear, there's a really good chance you're wearing the wrong size, or the wrong fit/shape. 

Whether it's gloves, helmets, boots, jackets or pants. If you're not sure, take a picture and text (415-857-GEAR) or email me and I can help. Or download a copy of my shopping tips and take them with you the next time you go shopping for gear.  

Wouldn't it be awesome if there was an online resource to help identify the right bra shape for your body type? A la GearChic for boobs? :D 

UPDATE 9/22/12

I had to go back to the mall to exchange the sizes for my fancy new bras. Turns out they were too BIG. Yep. too big. The way I figured that out is after 1 day of wearing one, it started to give a little so I had to put the strap on the tightest one. Bad sign. If they stretched out more, (which they always do) I knew they'd be too big.

After losing almost 20lbs, I knew that I should've gone down at least a bust size but thought maybe I was just not good at this whole bra shopping thing.  They were semi helpful in helping me get the right size in explaining that when you go down in the bust, you have to go up a cup. Who knew? Now, the last person who helped me (at a different VS location) was really nice. But she told me something that simply isn't true. That VS bras run a full size smaller than other brands. She was wrong. I tried on the same size at VS as at Macy's and they both fit the same. I ended up exchanging the two that I bought at VS.

I also ended up going to our huge (7 story) Macy's in downtown SF since they have a bit more to choose from. Of course, I fell in love with the higher end, designer ones because they fit so much better. 

I was a little afraid that my new bras would be to tight, but I knew they would break in a little bit. It took about a half day of wearing one to feel it really give. 

Now my girls are super happy, comfortable and look better than ever.  :)