When off to work, I wear my Draggin' cargo pants rather than my jeans. The jeans get a touch warm in traffic whereas the cargo's are a little lighter but still kevlar lined so are a little better in traffic.

My RST jacket has removable liners so I can adjust it to suit the weather.

I can count on one hand the days I was actually too hot in my gear in traffic on the way to/from work. It's about a 20 minute trip each direction.

Quote from: mustangGT90210 on December 22, 2012, 08:40:14 PM
Do they look or feel overly bulky? And do they offer good protection in case of a crash?

What kind of protection do you want?

The looser the pants the more they can move around on your skin. You'll get rash but it will be fabric rash instead of road rash.

Michael

Quote from: mustangGT90210 on December 22, 2012, 02:47:22 PMI wear it all when I feel it will be worth it.

Do you have some sort of system to let other road users know this feeling?  Whether its a 2 minute, 2 hour, 2 day or 2 week ride other road users will be dicks and care not for whether you are geared up or not.  I have been nearly cleaned up less than 50 metres from home from a woman just shooting through the roundabout, she even just waved me off when I drew next to her.  She regretted that at the next red light (700 metres away) as she had nowhere to go when I lectured her about my lack of tin shell to protect me from her stupidity (I had ATGATT on).  These are the people you need to account for, so for me it is always worth it to wear ATGATT no matter how short the ride.

Quote from: SAFE-T on December 24, 2012, 12:52:09 PM

Quote from: mustangGT90210 on December 22, 2012, 02:47:22 PMI wear it all when I feel it will be worth it.

That is why I love my car  , and when I'm not in a hurry or have far to go I love to ride my bicycle.

My 15mpg truck, soon to be a 12mpg truck with the next step in the lift + 33x12.50 tires, is a blast to ride in, but not as often as I want to! At 300-400 miles a week my bike is the main form of commute now, truck only comes out when it's raining or I want to drive it. It's a toy now

Sorry about the double post guys

Quote from: mister on December 24, 2012, 01:36:34 PM

Quote from: mustangGT90210 on December 22, 2012, 08:40:14 PM
Do they look or feel overly bulky? And do they offer good protection in case of a crash?

What kind of protection do you want?

The looser the pants the more they can move around on your skin. You'll get rash but it will be fabric rash instead of road rash.

Michael

I want something I can move in, while not feeling like I'm wearing a snow suit! Fabric burn is alright, I just don't want the road taking my skin off. I've been thrown over the handle bars of a bmx bike above 20mph and that's enough to know I don't want it. The butt of my left hand is all scar tissue, and I'm scarred up my lift thumb, knuckle, wrist, and on my shoulder where I rolled. So road rash... gotta avoid that

Quote from: ThatOtherGuy on December 24, 2012, 03:29:54 PM

Quote from: mustangGT90210 on December 22, 2012, 02:47:22 PMI wear it all when I feel it will be worth it.

Do you have some sort of system to let other road users know this feeling?  Whether its a 2 minute, 2 hour, 2 day or 2 week ride other road users will be dicks and care not for whether you are geared up or not.  I have been nearly cleaned up less than 50 metres from home from a woman just shooting through the roundabout, she even just waved me off when I drew next to her.  She regretted that at the next red light (700 metres away) as she had nowhere to go when I lectured her about my lack of tin shell to protect me from her stupidity (I had ATGATT on).  These are the people you need to account for, so for me it is always worth it to wear ATGATT no matter how short the ride.

That's where I get away easy. When I ride through town to class or my job on the pier, I have to worry. When I ride out to one of my other jobs out in the country, if I see 2 cars on the road between my house and there, it must be a busy day. I feel you completely though, you can't account for the idiots on the roads. I live in Florida, we get the entire country's old retirees that can barely walk but still think they can drive and see what's happening around them. I've almost been taken out, crushed, rear ended, curbed, etc all on one ride.

I guess I can just explain myself as loving to ride, but not wanting to have to put on a bunch of stuff to do so. OF course if I had all the gear I could make a full judgement. As of this christmas I've now got armored Joe Rocket gloves and some good boots to go with my Vanson jacket and brand spankin new Icon Alliance helmet. The pants are all that I have left to cover, I wear the rest of the stuff all the time

Only going by what we see in TV shows, but living in Florida, you're insane riding a motorbike with those old people around.

It's a matter of what you are used to. Grow a set and man up to the discomfort of the heat! You can aclimate. And do you care what you look like? I look like a freaking dork because I go ATGATT. Don't care.

I did explain it to a coworker who asked: I love to ride. And if I go down, I want to get back to riding ASAP. The best way to do that is to wear all the gear!

I work outside... Going from 90 degrees and 150% humidity in gym shorts and a wife beater, then getting all the gear on after work to ride home, I might not make it. It's absolutely awful out here

Quote from: ThatOtherGuy on December 25, 2012, 12:41:08 PM
Only going by what we see in TV shows, but living in Florida, you're insane riding a motorbike with those old people around.

The craziest part about it all... TV makes their driving look better!

Mustang is absolutely right it is a balance. Yes, I am a proponent of ATGATT when it is safe. Unfortunately, some days ATGATT is not safe due to the weather. I have days of multiple errands in stop and go traffic on 192 or forget the I-4 parking lot. I used to wear the pants all the time but both of my textiles are just too hot. On an average day I lose about 6lbs of water weight and that is with a camel back on. I had one day where I forgot it. I lost 13lbs of water and barely made it to my doctor. I had heat exhaustion and was close to stroke. So, I believe a little less gear and no dehydration is a risk I have to take in my situation. Now that I have a reliable car if it is over 90 and humidity above 85% I won't risk it I'll take the car. I did pick these up at Cycle gear a couple of months ago and they are a nice compromise!
http://www.cyclegear.com/eng/product/Charger_Off-Road_Knee_Guards/web1008837
I still always wear a jacket, ff helmet, boots and, gauntlet gloves. But, I've got a pair of Riggs jeans that I wear and can get the knee guards off relatively easily. Now I need some hip protection and I'll be content. But, I'm happy with the trade off for now.

Mary

Sitting anywhere sucks really. My truck is a '91 with non-functional AC. Wanna cool down? Open them vent windows and hope you're doing at least 30 all the time!