Re: [ST] Triumph fabric clothing (Long)

["Just Daetrin" <daytrip90@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Andrew,

Here is my experience with Triumph clothing:

Upper Body - Triumph Explorer Jacket
Highlights:
* Keeps me warm down into the 30's with just a t-shirt/sweatshirt 
underneath.  The building where I work isn't warm enought to wear just a 
t-shirt, so I'm always wearing sweatshirts/light sweaters anyway so having 
to wear one as well as a t-shirt isn't an issue for me.  I've ridden for a 
few hours with just this combination and done fine, but if I were to ride 
all day at highway speeds at that temperature (mid-30's), I think I'd like 
to have an additional light layer.
* The rain protection is fantastic, I've ridden in very heavy rain for 
extended periods w/o getting wet at all.
* It can also double really well as a non-motorcycle jacket.  When I went to 
Europe last month I just pulled out all the pads and it became a very warm 
and dry (and non-bulky) jacket, keeping me very warm and dry no matter how 
cold and rainy it got.
* Fully removable liner - extends is usefulness into the warmer weather 
season.
Lowlights:
* The front pockets can be pretty small if you're accustomed to keeping a 
lot of stuff in your jacket.
* In the summer, even with the liner removed it can get hot, as there are no 
vents.  This makes it a fantastic jacket in the cold/rain, but I've found it 
too warm for summer.

Feet - Triumph Explorer Boots
Highlights:
* I've yet to find the rain conditions where water can get in.  Keeps my 
feet very dry.
* They're pretty warm too. It's only been extended riding in very cold 
weather when they've not kept my feet warm.
* Zippers mean you can take them on/off very fast, unlike boots that you 
need to lace up.
* Low profile/comfort - they're pretty inconspicous when worn with jeans, 
and the low sole for me makes it easier to shift gears.  Also, they don't 
feel heavy like, well, most boots but more like comfy shoes, and I can wear 
them all day.
Lowlights:
* In very cold weather while they'll keep your toes from being cold, they're 
not warm enought to keep them toasty.  So if you like your feet to be warm 
as opposed to not cold, it may not be the boot for you in very cold weather.

Hands - Triumph color matched Explorer gloves
Highlights:
* Color matched to jacket, looks cool
* Do a decent job of keeping hands from not being wet
Lowlights:
* At first these gloves did a really good job of keeping my hands dry, but 
they're capacity to do so has diminished over the past year.  On rides 
through heavy rain where the jacket keeps me really dry and warm, the gloves 
are now getting water logged.  Last heavy rain it took three days for them 
to fully dry out.
* The zipper broke on the right glove and now the zipper won't stay zipped 
up.  Between this and the degradation of rain protection, I'm not sure I 
really trust in their quality like I do the jacket and boots.
* They're not very good in cold temperatures.  Without the heated grips, I'd 
be suffering.

Non-Triumph Clothing:
For my chin/neck I use a neck guard from Schampa.  The advantage is that it 
covers the parts of my face where I get cold the most (neck & chin) yet is 
small and inexpensive, and I can pull it off my chin and just have it 
protect my neck if it gets warmer during the ride.  It's great for blocking 
wind, and I use it constantly in from fall through spring.

For pants I'm using FirstGear's Hypertex Overpants
Highlights:
* Zipper goes all the way up to the hip, meaning you can take them on/off in 
seconds.
* With the liner they're really warm.  I can wear normal jeans underneath 
them and stay warm even on very cold days.
* Rain protection - if you ensure that all the velcro is fastened correctly, 
you won't get any leaks.  I've found them to be very rain resistant and they 
dry off quickly.
Lowlights:
* Because the zipper goes all the way up, which makes them a cinch to take 
on/off, it also means that if you don't ensure that the velcro is fully 
fastened (e.g. you have gaps) that in a heavy rain some will get in, so you 
need to be careful that they're velcroed all the way in a heavy rain.
Note:
The reason why I don't wear the Triumph pants is that I found they were too 
short in the leg for my waistsize.  Also, they don't zip up as high as the 
FirstGear pants do, and I'm finding that as much as I'd really like to have 
full Triumph kit and the looks of their gear better, I really do enjoy the 
convenience of how fast & easy the FirstGear pants come on/off.

Misc - skinny pants from Schampus
The same folks who make the neck guard.  You wear them under your 
jeans/pants.  If you don't want to wear leather or it's not cold enough or 
precipitating to necessitate rain pants, I've found that wearing these under 
Draggin' Jeans to be a great combination when I need some warmth but don't 
want the bulk of rain pants.

As always YMMV, but these have been my experiences.

HTH,

Paul


>From: Cunningham Andrew <Andrew.Cunningham@xxxxxxxx>
>Reply-To: ST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To: "ST Mail List (E-mail)" <ST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: [ST] Triumph fabric clothing
>Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 13:42:44 +0100
>
>I'm considering buying some decent winter/cold weather riding gear and was
>wondering if anybody has any experience of the Triumph offerings.  I'm
>thinking in particular of the fabric jacket and trouser combinations with
>built in armour etc.
<snip>

_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com


     *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
      The ST/RS Mailing list is sponsored by Jack Lilley Ltd.
          http://www.TriumphNet.com/st/lilley for more info
   http://www.TriumphNet.com/st for ST, RS and Mailing List info

=-=-=-= Next Message =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=