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May. 16th, 2005 04:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
noahgibbsHave now purchased motorcycle gear to replace the stuff I lost in the crash last year. I was really hoping to get the same jacket I had before - it did very, very well for me before it got torn up in the crash. However, it appears FirstGear no longer makes that model, nor one quite like it, so I got something comparable from Fieldsheer, in blue.
I purchased all the stuff from Santa Clara Cycle Gear and Accessories, or whatever they're calling themselves lately, down on El Camino between Lawrence and Wolfe. They continue to rule, even if they seem to have slightly different names online, in different phone books and on web pages that refer to them :-)
I also got myself a set of impressive carbon-fiber-and-stuff gloves, also in blue. They *still* only have leather around the big armor plates, same as my last gloves, but they also strap down a lot tighter so maybe they won't do the rip-through-the-leather-and-then-across-my-hands deal that the last ones (which were leather and kevlar) did. In any case, I couldn't get much nicer or more expensive gloves without going for those ridiculous heavily-armored racing gloves that look like they weigh twenty pounds, prevent you from flexing your fingers and probably make your knuckles visible from orbit. My current ones are plenty garish enough.
I got a nice set of black AlpineStar Gore-Tex Web boots, essentially indistinguishable from the boots I lost in the crash except they're new and very stiff. I'd link to them except that AlpineStar's web site is incredibly obnoxious and all flash, so it's unlinkable directly and you wouldn't want to try clicking through to the boot past the various layers of slow-loading animated circle-y things. I continue to maintain, as I have since the crash, that the boots that I got were the perfect level of safe and supportive - any less and my ankle would have been broken, any *more* and my *knee* would have been broken. I'm standing by that and buying the same boots again. They rocked last time :-) And like the last set, they'll break in and soften up after a few days or a week.
For the couple of people who have chided me about this, I've also bought some nice slip-over armored pants. Yes, that's right, armored pants. Take some time to giggle about it. I certainly did. They don't look much like their picture, but I think they'll serve me well. They also restrict access to my pockets pretty completely, so I'm gonna need to start carrying things like toll in more accessible locations. 'Course, I used to put all the stuff that otherwise went in my pockets into my jacket pockets when I wore the jacket constantly (kept stuff from falling out of my pockets onto the street!), so that's probably a non-issue.
[Edit: Forgot to mention the helmet. Fixed.]
Oh, and on the topic of blue and pretty and color-coordinated... I got myself a random but nice Blue HJC CS-12 with funky patterning. It's not a particularly awesome helmet, nor in fact remarkable in any way except for the artwork. I just like the HJC helmets because they don't extend too far down, so you can wear them comfortably with a large backpack and still turn your head. You can't do that with a Shoei, which is why I wear cheaper helmets instead of my Shoei for day-to-day use.
S'pose I should photograph myself in gear at some point. I should have some kind of motorcycling userpic. It just hasn't been an issue 'til lately...
I purchased all the stuff from Santa Clara Cycle Gear and Accessories, or whatever they're calling themselves lately, down on El Camino between Lawrence and Wolfe. They continue to rule, even if they seem to have slightly different names online, in different phone books and on web pages that refer to them :-)
I also got myself a set of impressive carbon-fiber-and-stuff gloves, also in blue. They *still* only have leather around the big armor plates, same as my last gloves, but they also strap down a lot tighter so maybe they won't do the rip-through-the-leather-and-then-across-my-hands deal that the last ones (which were leather and kevlar) did. In any case, I couldn't get much nicer or more expensive gloves without going for those ridiculous heavily-armored racing gloves that look like they weigh twenty pounds, prevent you from flexing your fingers and probably make your knuckles visible from orbit. My current ones are plenty garish enough.
I got a nice set of black AlpineStar Gore-Tex Web boots, essentially indistinguishable from the boots I lost in the crash except they're new and very stiff. I'd link to them except that AlpineStar's web site is incredibly obnoxious and all flash, so it's unlinkable directly and you wouldn't want to try clicking through to the boot past the various layers of slow-loading animated circle-y things. I continue to maintain, as I have since the crash, that the boots that I got were the perfect level of safe and supportive - any less and my ankle would have been broken, any *more* and my *knee* would have been broken. I'm standing by that and buying the same boots again. They rocked last time :-) And like the last set, they'll break in and soften up after a few days or a week.
For the couple of people who have chided me about this, I've also bought some nice slip-over armored pants. Yes, that's right, armored pants. Take some time to giggle about it. I certainly did. They don't look much like their picture, but I think they'll serve me well. They also restrict access to my pockets pretty completely, so I'm gonna need to start carrying things like toll in more accessible locations. 'Course, I used to put all the stuff that otherwise went in my pockets into my jacket pockets when I wore the jacket constantly (kept stuff from falling out of my pockets onto the street!), so that's probably a non-issue.
[Edit: Forgot to mention the helmet. Fixed.]
Oh, and on the topic of blue and pretty and color-coordinated... I got myself a random but nice Blue HJC CS-12 with funky patterning. It's not a particularly awesome helmet, nor in fact remarkable in any way except for the artwork. I just like the HJC helmets because they don't extend too far down, so you can wear them comfortably with a large backpack and still turn your head. You can't do that with a Shoei, which is why I wear cheaper helmets instead of my Shoei for day-to-day use.
S'pose I should photograph myself in gear at some point. I should have some kind of motorcycling userpic. It just hasn't been an issue 'til lately...
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no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 12:45 am (UTC)You might want to just look into getting fasttrak and sticking it on the bike. Dealing with toll booths with gloves and hard to access pockets was what finally convinced me to do it, and I haven't found a downside yet.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 01:58 am (UTC)His pants had pockets in them, so he uses those and some on his jacket for stuff.
FYI: You can get FastTrak for the bike, if you want. No toll money that way.
Zhaneel
no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 03:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 04:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 04:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 07:52 am (UTC)Can you take me for a ride sometime... (I just realized how excited about you getting another bike I am!!)
oh~ and I'll only giggle about the armored pants if you promise to get frousty with me and I get in trouble. *grin*
no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 08:07 am (UTC)I'd be more than happy to take you for a ride. I'll want to scoot around on the bike a bit first, get a feel for it again, before I'm up for taking passengers. But that shouldn't take long. And I'm just generally happy to give rides. I really like motorcycling, and there are some lovely views in the Bay that are best appreciated from the back of a bike.
As for getting frousty and you getting in trouble? We'll see about that bit ;-)
no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 08:09 am (UTC)Great! So~ get the bike and skoot around on it for a bit *grin*
no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 08:22 am (UTC)I love the armored pants. *giggles* All KINDS of bad jokes just begging to be snickered at!
no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 02:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 04:01 pm (UTC)But so good!
AG
no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 04:20 pm (UTC)to mine. Wish I'd had your gloves though...
no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 04:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 07:53 pm (UTC)