Textiles and crashing

P

Phatty

New member
Had my 2nd off yesterday, left hand lowside, slid about 20m on my left knee, with the bike on top of me.

Rather disappointed that the textiles wore right through to my skin. I'm kind of blaming it on the pants being a bit too baggy and the knee pad slipping down my shin.

Likewise the jacket, worn right through but luckily no road rash on me there. Cloth winter gloves also holed.

Is there a practical way of wearing leathers over office wear?
 
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As Sam says - leaving some "posh clothes" at the office is one option - the one I used to use most of the time.

Did your textiles have any armour in? I would have thought that would have added some resistance to burning through to your knee.
 
Sorry to hear about your off but glad you only have minor injuries.

I used to travel to work on the bike and always left a full set of clothes there but also carried a change in a rucksack or tank bag.

A friend was knocked off last year, around 30mph, and was wearing a Hein Gericke textile suit which did its job. She was bruised and the suit was only scuffed. It was one of the top of their range numbers but it worked.
 
Good job you hadn't opted for jeans and a jacket! From the damage to your boot you can see that the surface was rough and the contact extensive. I wouldn't be too disappointed at the performance of the jacket but there is a wide variety of textile material out there and fit is vital in holding the hardshell protection in the right place. We are talking dynamic movement in may planes in a changing environment and whichever way you look at it, that's a designer's nightmare.
At least it's still a buyer's market with really good gear available. Unfortunately, there is only one way to test it....
 
Sorry to hear of your 'off'.

Always a concern, textile vs leather, but your gravel rash would have been worse with 'non-CE approved' Levis.
 
The answer to your question is no.
Leathers have to fit to work, and even if you could get them on over your smart clothes, your smart clothes would look like you had slept in them when you take the leathers off.
The solution is obvious - ride the bike wearing a natty double breasted suit, polished brogues and a confident smile - you'll be fine.
 
Sorry about the off !

Years back a mate of mine ( despite being told " Bob " ) was riding his bike in shorts......fresh gravelled road, inexperienced rider...looked like someone had taken a giant cheese grater to his leg :(
 
Was your leg under the bike?

When Trish got knocked off she was wearing textiles and although bad buffed and stuffed they did their job perfectly and, ignoring the broken bones, she didn't have a single graze anywhere.
 
Yep, left leg was under the bike. Really badly bruised on the inside due to the bike frame landing on it.

They had foam pads in, just took it out and it's got a hole in it, but it appears to have slipped down my shin and allowed the cloth above to wear through.

Will not be wearing them again. There's lockers at work, will try and get one so I can wear leathers. I don't wear a suit, but even my trousers get really badly creased just from tucking them in my boots.

I can't imagine going to the gym then trying to get my leathers on. I'd melt.
 
firstly, to the poster i wish you now good fortune and a speedy recovery,

perhaps i shouldn't involve myself in this matter or even the forum.

I find it somewhat depressing, or challenging, certainly no bravado when people post pictures and stories of what went wrong and what nearly was.

Maybe i'm no macho enough, or merely sensitive to the concept of someone nearly getting the Malky from coming off their bikes,

back to the point


take care man
 
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Cheers

It goes with the territory. If you can't accept that at some point you will fall off, get knocked off or even be killed then I don't know how you manage to ride at all!

My question should really be, should I even think about textiles again? Or maybe just calm my riding down unless I'm wearing my leather and/or on a track.

What concerned me was just how far I slid! Are leathers better or worse for that?
 
stick with your leathers

"If you can't accept that at some point you will fall off, get knocked off or even be killed then I don't know how you manage to ride at all!"

where does this come from ?

you'll never know how i manage to ride ! ( hopefully when the foots sorted)

my first and last line are the most important points to you.

cheers :)
 
Sorry if that came across wrong, was just saying that injuries, or the potential for them are all part and parcel of biking. It's a risky business, and when something goes wrong, it usually hurts. You said you were sensitive to the thought of other people coming to harm, yet you still ride yourself.

What has freaked me out the most about the whole episode is that I saw it happen in a dream a week ago ( it was even a left handed low side on the Helmsley road too), and hadn't rode since because It shook me up a bit (having never had a biking dream before in my life, I took it as being a premonition). Then look what happened the first day I was back out there!
 
Phatty said:
Cheers

It goes with the territory. If you can't accept that at some point you will fall off, get knocked off or even be killed then I don't know how you manage to ride at all!

My question should really be, should I even think about textiles again? Or maybe just calm my riding down unless I'm wearing my leather and/or on a track.

What concerned me was just how far I slid! Are leathers better or worse for that?
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Leathers are way better for sliding, I've crashed a couple of times in them and never gone right through a set. In contrast textile just seems to need to touch the ground to hole, I have a pair of jeans with kevlar etc etc, was out playing on the Smart and whilst hanging off touched the knee down, it was a split second , I didnt realise i was over that far and quickly lifted it out of the way but the jeans were holed through :(. It brought it home just how little abrasion protection they offer.

I was wearing Dainese MTB shorts and motoX pads under Kevlar jeans, these can be strapped into place and not left in the liner of the suit which as has been said is the real problem. I crashed in a set of Dainese textiles and I've got a hole in an elbow where you'd say it was impossible for the armour to move, it was in the suit and the suit must have moved as i slid but it always felt tight. I was wearing leather jeans in that same crash and they were just scuffed, I still wear them. Since then I've tried to buy textile suits with a lot bigger armour or where you can tighten straps to keep the armour in place. I tend to ride in motox boots and use them to hold the knee armour in place.

I now almost always ride in textiles, I know the risks but have slowed down a lot in the last few years, with more goretex leather suits around that might change but I need to be warm and dry and its a balance between that and being too wrapped up with leathers then more layers to keep dry which i find gives less control or i get cold and then make mistakes.
 
Gonna go shopping for more textiles as I do get caught out in the rain frequently. Will just make a mental note not to go tear arsing about whilst wearing them. I've learned a lesson the hard way.

Feel such a clown for pushing so hard on the road. Roll on Cadwell in July.

The thought and sight of folk riding in jeans makes me shudder. Likewise the moped crowd who never seem to wear gloves "because it's not cold".
 
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