AberdeenBikers

as i am looking to get my first bike i will be looking to see what gear i want to get, so what do you guys use?? helmets, leathers or textile?? gloves, boots etc

in advance

mike

Yup, Helmets are a good thing. I have a whole "happened to me" lecture if you want it

I got textile, which has done me fine through the year, just get one with a removable lining. Try an get some jeans as well, but biker ones, not normal ones (Like i should... )

I use Richa leathers, Richa gloves for the fine days, & Frank Thomas textiles and Spidi gloves for the the not so fine days along with Oxtar boots and an Arai lid. The lid was the single most expensive item I bought (apart from the bike). I wouldnt scrimp on a lid though as you have to ask yourself "how much is your head worth"? Thats a personal thing though. I would stay away from second hand lids though as you dont know their history.

At the end of the day, buy what you can afford. Keep an eye in the for sale section as gear comes up now and again and you could get quality gear for much cheapness.

Have you passed your test already? If not, you can usually blag some gear from instructors. Call them first to see what you can get if this is the case.

People have different budgets, but would suggest buy the best you can afford.

One thing not to scrimp on is helmets. Arai, Shoei, AGV, Suomey the better ones.

Frank Thomas stuff is Not bad Quality and yet you don't have to break the bank to get it, I would say however that you buy a descent helmet don't scrimp for cheapest there, pay the price for what ever fits you and is most comfortable. As the saying goes "what price would you value your head"

have passed my test a couple of months ago, just put down a deposit on a bike n will be picking it up in a couple of weeks(typical weather has been fine for a while as soon as I find a bike it turns rubbish!! ) so looking now to get some stuff, going round this afternoon to have a look at some stuff. Not scrimping on a helmet so don't worry about that!

by the way, most of the Shops in Aberdeen can be a bit pricey for gear, I would go to the shops "try" but don't buy, then go online and find the size and make you want, You'll prob's find the stuff will be about 10-20% cheaper. Thats my Tip, buy all my gear online, Execpt the helmet tho, you need to buy that local for obvious reasons.

Cool, any decent web sites or just the usual from the mags? Will be buying my helmet or from Ducati Glasgow as that's where the bike us comin from

blink wrote:as i am looking to get my first bike i will be looking to see what gear i want to get, so what do you guys use?? helmets, leathers or textile?? gloves, boots etc

in advance

mike

If you can wait a while .Lots of the shops will have sales on early in next year
and ask your family to give you money for Xmas that way they dont give you
pressies you dont really want.

Snoop wrote:by the way, most of the Shops in Aberdeen can be a bit pricey for gear, I would go to the shops "try" but don't buy, then go online and find the size and make you want, You'll prob's find the stuff will be about 10-20% cheaper. Thats my Tip, buy all my gear online, Execpt the helmet tho, you need to buy that local for obvious reasons.

You will always find things cheaper on the net but often can't beat the service you get if buying locally. If there is a fault/problem then sorting things out via mail order can be a pain in the ring piece.

Always remember that bartering is still on the go and most shops will usually give at least 10% discount if you buy all your gear at the same time

Newbus wrote:

If you can wait a while .Lots of the shops will have sales on early in next year
and ask your family to give you money for Xmas that way they dont give you
pressies you dont really want.

Gettin the bike in a couple of weeks so can't hold off til Xmas unfortunatly

jbrebel wrote:
You will always find things cheaper on the net but often can't beat the service you get if buying locally. If there is a fault/problem then sorting things out via mail order can be a pain in the ring piece.

Always remember that bartering is still on the go and most shops will usually give at least 10% discount if you buy all your gear at the same time

I agree with jbrebel

Also, on the net you don’t see the actual product until you once the package.

There are manufacturing tolerances with everything, and things are made in batches.
Say you try on something in a shop and it is at the large end of the tolerance, then buy on the net and receive the item that is at the small end of the tolerance, chances are that it might not be the best fit for you.

At the shop, you know what you are getting, plus you can check it out for anything that might not be correct, like stitching that is not a straight as it should be.
Buy it on mail order, and you probably wont go thru the hassle of returning it.


Once you add shipping costs, the shipping time, with some suppliers the lack of info if the product is in stock or not, then sometimes the net is not as good as some make out.


The net is good for some stuff, and I do use it often.

But in my opinion, the service and advise is most shops are better.

Any of this : http://www.aberdeenbikers.co.uk/ any use to you ?

yelloisfriedegg wrote:Any of this : http://www.aberdeenbikers.co.uk/ any use to you ?

??????

Big Kneed Al (master of the emergency stop & "stand up" comedian) on the other hand buy's all his gear from the Thrift shop and hand me down from Willie.

Agree with what all have said about local Shops V's Internet, It realy depands on what you are buying, Bottom line shop around there are deals to be had out there. Lidi had on offer not so long ago, aprarently they were not bad quality gear. So keep yer eyes open for deals.

ARAI Viper GT is prob the best lid on the go right now in my opinion ,

alpinestars dainese + richa all do good leathers an textiles too

shop around an find out what u like an take a note of sizes then go online an look for the stuff u like an u might save a few quid as there is some sites out there that are offering huge discounts

Hat: anything that fits yer heed well will do. (most manufacturers opt for a set heed shape, different manufacturer = different shape Shoei = caveman heed = me
Suit: anything with armour, decent stitching / plent of depth of materiel
Boots: anything that fits and is dry
Gloves: thin overpriced cauld things that let me feel the controls.

Ask in the bike shops, tell them you are poor and on a budget and hope they are kind to you.
Go into Hein Gerike and expect a second mortgage to pay for the gear (nice but no cheap)

Shop around for your gear. Shirlaws saved me £130 to £150 on a helmet recently. although decent helmets could cost about £50. You don't need a flip up. Internet is not always the best--you can always haggle locally.
Textile jacket was about £60 and the same for leather jeans from Ecosse Honda.(sale)
I have two pairs of boots costing about £30 each and they'll last forever.
Best gloves I've had were from Aldi and cost about £10.(textile). Thermals about £5 from either Lidl or Aldi. But just now Cost Co have thermals for under a tenner,incl.vat.
Disposable plastic gloves from the petrol station- UNDER your bike gloves will keep out the cold.
Go for budget gear and as your experience grows, you'll have decided what's best for you.

Welcome to biking.

Also check the sharp rating for helmets. There is one with 5 stars that I think is about £70 or maybe cheaper, can't remember the make but do a search through http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/ and you'll find it.

For me I got started with frank thomas textiles from Ecosse, got the jacket and trousers for a reasonable price (round about the £200 mark). Really good kit only downside is overheating when on warm days. So got leathers to sort that, but use the textiles mainly especially commuting.

Bought my lid, gloves and boots from CMS (king STD), I did my CBT and DAS there so tend to go there first for equipment.

But like everybody else has said, buy what you can afford and build it up.

I always use the best gear

Bydand wrote:I always use the best gear

I saw a house with your name on it on saturday, what does it mean?

BIGSTEVE wrote:

Bydand wrote:I always use the best gear

I saw a house with your name on it on saturday, what does it mean?

Im sure its got something to do with "The cock o the north"

BIGSTEVE wrote:

Bydand wrote:I always use the best gear

I saw a house with your name on it on saturday, what does it mean?

What Walter??

McWullie wrote:

BIGSTEVE wrote:

Bydand wrote:I always use the best gear

I saw a house with your name on it on saturday, what does it mean?

What Walter??

Yeah WALTER that was it

Googled BYDAND and came back with "Byde and Fecht" good name!

BIGSTEVE wrote:

McWullie wrote:

BIGSTEVE wrote:
I saw a house with your name on it on saturday, what does it mean?

What Walter??

Yeah WALTER that was it

Googled BYDAND and came back with "Byde and Fecht" good name!

I saw 'BYDAND CAROUSEL' on an old green truck in cults. Does he have his own fun fair?