Textile or leathers????

[Day7936]

In an attempt to kill my cabin fever Im looking ahead and looking to get new protective kit ie trousers/ jacket and such. Only I can't make my mind up which would be the best for me and I thought I'd ask you guys what your thoughts where on the pros and cons of leather gear against the textile kit cheers kris

[snoopy]

Textiles warmer and more water proof for winter ...

But alot of it is personal preferance  ... Just make sure they fit well before you part with the cash ... if you can, sit on a bike when you try them on .... if you wear a back protector make sure you have it when you try them on ..
Remember too, leathers do give a bit after being worn.

Try lots .... good luck   

[Rhosyn]

Textiles here to, warm enough in winter and cool enough in summer.

 Leathers, Ive found are only warm enough to wear in the summer and then when your parked up for a coffee or what ever you tend to roast in them. This is just from my experience.

But I do see many wearing leathers in the winter so like Snoopy says, everyone is different, Good luck anyway.

[sdwboss]

I normally see that textiles tend to be cheaper too 

[garyboy]

neither are all that good for impact protection
you need to supplement with protective equipement, obviously

for protection (sliding along road) leathers got to be best.
for versatility, I agree, textiles are better.
for either, the quality (make) makes all the difference.

cheap leathers can be draughty, get sodden wet, cold, uncomfortable, and give little protection.
good make expensive leathers will keep you warm and dry (in average rain) have a waterproof lining, are draught proof, removable thermal lining, zip together top and bottom, and have good quality built in protection. 
a thin layer of nikwax or similar will keep them supple (but not recommended for waterproof types? .. just a wipe clean) .. they will stretch a little bit, but not a lot, so buy bigger, I would say, tho they DO, as mentioned, give a bit.  make sure you can sit on the bike and bend over to the bars .. do like I did, in the shop, in the middle of the floor, assume the position (Hah) and do the goolie test (especially the ladies hah)
some leathers (HG) have a reflective  layer that.. reflects.. sunlight.. and works well to some extent, but eventually u get hot in the sun, drinking tea in a layby

textiles CAN do all of that, but u pay a fortune to get the same result, and i think the protection is not so good

some gear has air vents, great for summer

some tourers wear a combination .. leather trousers, textile top
the nearer the ground, the more protection you need, remember. (so good boots! as well)

I got my stuff from HG, expensive but no comparison with the previous draughty wetty gear
dont even need waterproofs over the leathers for light rain

... yes sdw, textiles are cheaper but u get wot u pay

[sdwboss]

Good advice Unfortunately I'll be in the market for new leathers/textiles myself soon haha 

[garyboy]

I think most bikers would say
get the best riding gear you can afford

HG I think, are very good
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

there's loads of shops online, as you know, shop virtual than go see, go try on.

M and P were very reasonably priced (are they still in full flow?)
Bikegear seem ok
Thunderroad are very helpfull and have reasonable stuff at reasonable prices
I'm sure people will give lots of suggestions

[red]

i seem to have a large collection of bike gear

for on the road I have a set of textile and leathers
I only wear the leather in warm dry weather (not when really hot) I didn't buy a size larger and while Tim seems to like the snug fit  I find them uncomfortable around the knee's for any length of time on the bike. they haven't really stretched much and I would recommend that if buying leather trousers you have some with stretch at the back of the knee's.

I was lucky enough to be able to buy a never worn second hand Rukka jacket for about a £100 on fleebay and would buy the trousers is i could find them cheap enough. but in the meantime i buy my trousers from

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
as they are one of the few places that do trousers long enough for me - have to say I have had 2 pairs of textile trousers from them and they have been really comfortable and as waterproof as you can get and at a good price

[Foody]

If you go to the website of Infinitymotorcycles. Co. uk and put in the discount code word 'THINK'. You will get 10% off and a free ruck sack.  So whatever you decide that might help.

There is no infinity shop in Cardiff anymore and it is always good to try the stuff on before you buy but the online discount might help.

Also Bikegear in Bridgend are very good and if you mention 1st Class Rider Training' you will get 10% off. A great crew down there. 

I wear a Hein Gericke Gortex jacket. (£400) but I can't fault it.

I ride 'professionally' so good kit is important. I've used HG for years with no complaints.

I've used both leathers and textiles over the years and now prefer textile for comfort, convenience and weather protection.

Happy shopping! 

[Day7936]

Thanks for the help guys think I'm gonna go textile just a case of finding a good deal now cheers everyone

[Jason]

The ideal scenario is not to come off 

I bought this for last years spain trip -

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

Excellent quality, good enough for 'Ghost Rider' to wear :)

I dont believe in that you get what you pay for saying, if you check some of the helmet safety ratings you'll find some of the cheaper helmets get better scores than some of the more expensive ones.

[trafford davies]

I've had a Heine Gericke Tuareg  Goretex textile suit for about 10 yrs & still as good as new.
I recall I paid around £400 for it . £40 per year & still very good.

[pugsly]

Foody didn't mention - the real reason he uses Heine Gericke is because their gear has loads of pockets.

One for sandwiches

One for burgers

One for biscuits

One for the kettle

One for the toaster

[NH]

All good sensible advice in the posts above. 

I've got both textiles and leathers. I wear the leathers in the summer when dry or reasonably dry. I wear the textiles in the winter for warmth and to stay waterproof.

Touring abroad, or for anything more than a days riding over here, I wear a textile jacket and leather trousers. That mix is the most versatile I find, the textile jacket is warm if the weather gets cold, cool if you open the air vents in hot weather, and keeps you dry in rain. The only drawback I've found is that with the leather trousers the rain runs down into your boots...  If it's that heavy though I've always got one piece waterproofs with me as well so no problem.   

Only fried in a leather jacket once in summer really and that was on our Weston rideout last year. Luckily though I'd chucked my textile jacket in the top box as a precaution that day and was glad I did. I had to change when we stopped at a petrol station to fill up as I felt like a boil-in-the-bag meal...

[123taff]

I always wear leather bottoms but usually textile tops.

In my line of work, I have seen too many bikers leaving a LOT of their skin behind on the tarmac, and in my experience of attending such RTCs, leather definitely gives the best abrasion protection.