Safety gear and helmets

[hamstar911]

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Hello folks. I am in the Milton area, but can get in and out of GTA easily. Can any one point me to some good information on buying the gear I will need with my bike. I need to get my hands onto a helmet soon as I am going for my training at Hershey center(humber). Any recommendations on what are the main pieces of safety gear I should be purchasing and what my expected money burn should be. I want to have good gear but so confused because I am seeing helmets for 100 and 1000 and don't know what happens in between. Any info is much appreciated - thanks

 

[RetroGrouch]

If you just want something quick and cheap for your course, find a helmet on Kijiji. Then afterwards spend more time deciding what helmet you really want.

 

[skip]

Helmets, generally comfort happens in between those prices. Assuming you are getting a full face normally you would look for and ECE or SNELL rating on it. Next make sure it fits PROPERLY. Read some of the guides to figure out what that is.

 

[conundrum]

Information on helmets & how to fit them properly:

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/arai-helmets/283819/

Note, since the guy is from Arai he pushes them heavily, but essentially watch it for info, and find a helmet that fits your head/head-type. Also as stated don't worry about the cheeks at first -- find a helmet that fits your head, and work from there (since a loose helmet is a useless helmet). Also try to measure your head in advance, and if possible look up online some helmets you might like and what size you should be trying on, as most don't seem to list what S, M, L, etc works out to (I know Shoei does though).

Aside from that, a good purpose-made textile or leather riding jacket and leather gauntlet style gloves are the basics. I'd also say boots & riding jeans/textile overpants, but you could potentially get those a little later if you are tight on cash (although I wouldn't wait too long).

 

[cknowles]

Royal Distributing Tent sale is on until the end of the week. http://www.royaldistributing.com/main/

Went there last saturday. The tent sale stock is typically one or two seasons old, so if you don't mind
being fashionably out of date, there are deals to be had

 

[spray____]

I need to get my hands onto a helmet soon as I am going for my training at Hershey center(humber).

I know this is not what you're asking, but Studio Cycle Group rents gear.

I'm just mentioning because buying was something I was considering when I was about to take the course, and I'm glad I didn't. It's not something you want to rush. You're should be dropping a good amount of money on all your gear, so it's something you want to take your time with to get the best fit, quality, and price.

 

[hamstar911]

awesome thanks a lot for the info !!!

 

[beiko]

if youre interested in buying a helmet im actually selling mine, which is brand new only 3 days old, and only used twice in the course. it just doesnt fit my head type properly. just pm me for details.

 

[bboySushi]

This is what I think:

Helmet: $150-300 (can get some decent Scorpion/HJC, Shark or Icon helmets in this range). Just make sure it fits well.
Jacket: $150-300 (probably looking at textile mesh here, leathers are more expensive but I think they look much nicer and protect better)
Boots: $120-250 (you don't need a full race boot, but something that covers your ankle is great. There's a couple brands, Shift for example which has some 'street wear' looking stuff. I definitely would count foot protection as one of the important things to have)
Gloves: $50-120 (I would recommend not to get 'shorty' gloves, get something that at least covers your wrist though and has armored points. Gloves aren't too bad so you could get your 'dream' glove for $300+ if you really wanted)

Additional gear:

-Knee guards or pants - $50 (for guard) - $250
-Back Protector ($100-300) - you probably won't need this if your jacket has something built-in


Once you've had your first spill, you will understand why people wear gear, and what gear is important - I had a small spill and was wearing zero gear - converse, dress pants, dress shirt, no gloves. Could have ended badly but didn't. Learned the importance of gear from that. Especially the boots. Grommets from the converse shoe (which got ripped up) tore into my foot when I slid. It was slow speed, short slide, and on a 125. I can only imagine if I was on my 600 at street speeds.

 

[daisoman]

I say either rent or buy used. If you buy new get generic colours until you buy a bike. All my gear is black and white cuz I change bikes like once a year. Smh.

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