The Girlie Gear Thread
 

Since finding gear that's attractive, functional and sized well is always a challenge, I figured a thread on what we XX bearers wear would be a good knowledge dump.

I have two sets of gear at this point; one textile, one leather. I wear jeans for short rides and the leathers on longer ones mainly due to the heat from my f4i- I've ended up with thigh "sunburn" before on 2 hour+ trips.

The leather set:
Icon Hella Crossbones ladies jacket in Crusader White

http://www.kneedraggers.com/image_st...b3_refined.jpg

Overall: SOOOOOOOO in love with this jacket. Good leather quality, awesome little detailing- zipper pull is a skullie, stitching is nice and tight, there is some perforated leather under the arms. Corset straps on the side for sizing, and it says "Hell Bent, Heaven Sent" on the zipper flap :P Back, side and shoulder vents. Tabs at top and bottom of zipper.

Sizing: runs large. I got a L and returned it for a M; I'm usually a L so I was surprised. Better than the alternative I guess? Very long in the sleeves but once on the bike that's not a problem.

Fit: Awesome. Only felt a little stiff out of the box; lots of room in the chest and the side buckles snug it up nicely. Liner is quilted and removable, there's a mesh liner for hot days.

Functionality: Haven't had a problem at all so far. End up with a little lower back showing if wearing with jeans, but wearing with real motorcycle pants not at all.

Quality: seems awesome. Nice heavy leather that didn't take too long to soften up; smooth zippers, lots of attention to detail. The armor in this jacket is thicker and wider than other jackets I've tried on, I was impressed with the amount they put in given that this is one of the more fashion-sensible jackets out there.

The leather pants:

Alpinestars Stella Cat pants
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...ants_Black.jpg
Overall: took a long time to soften up. Knee pads not adjustable in height up and down the pants and they don't come in a short size, so these are way too long on my 28" inseam legs. The waist fastens with a snap which is an awful idea for sport bike riders- the minute you lean forward and put any pressure on it, it pops open.

Fit in general: these are European pants, size up accordingly. To get them to fit my butt, I had to go up 2 sizes and end up with a too-big waist. It's not too bad when on the bike, just kind of annoying. Pretty high rise.

Functionality: they do their job. Nice thick leather, I don't feel any tank heat when wearing them and they've been through a drop already and came through with just a few scuffs and no holes at all. They're a nice boot-cut so you don't end up with tons of extra fabric around your boots and they cover your laces/zippers nicely.

My big gripe about these pants is that they are lined with taffeta, with no stretch panels. Terrible idea for activewear. Taffeta has zero stretch and really inhibits breaking the pants in. I ended up slitting the lining in a lot of places because it was so restrictive. If they had articulated knees it would help a lot- as it is, I find them a bit too binding for real street riding where you're constantly putting feet down at lights and so on.

Boots:
River Road Double Zipper women's boots
http://www.thehelmetsource.com/image...R_BOOT_150.jpg

Overall: don't be scared that these boots looks too Harley-ish! With pants on they look pretty much like street boots. They're comfortable right out of the box too- I bought them the day before MSF and barely noticed I was wearing them, I've never had a blister no matter how long I wore them.

I really like that these boots have an almost 2" heel. For shorter girls, trying to find a boot with a heel that is actually a rider boot and not a passenger boot can be a pain. These really helped my height situation while still being rugged enough for real riding.

Quality: good leather, held up to dumping a whole bike on my foot ;) Sole is lugged, good traction. The laces are a bit bulky, but I tuck them inside the boots before zipping them and they stay put with pants over.

Fit: true to size. I wear an 8.5 and I got an 8.5, it was perfect.

Textile jacket:
Scorpion nip/tuck jacket in off white/black
http://www.michaelspowersportsonline...htblk_jkt.jpeg

Overall: I liked this jacket from the minute I put it on. Feels lighweight, has mesh strips for increased air flow, and looks really good on. The side toggles size it up perfectly and make for a nice curvy look. The armor in the back is a bit light.

Fit: true to size.

Quality: excellent as far as I can tell. No fraying after several months of weekly wear, held up to a bike drop (are you seeing a pattern with my reviews?), good zippers that stay put, zipper covers at top and bottom of zipper.

Only real note I have about this jacket is that though it says "white" in some ads it's actually "off white". It'll look grey next to true white gear. Other than that, like it a lot.

Helmet 1:
SevenZeroSeven (cyclegear house brand) Vendetta Stryke
http://www.cyclegear.com/images/Stre...yke_blk_LG.jpg

Overall: eh, it's a helmet. Nothing bad, nothing wow. I picked it up cause I needed one right away for MSF and haven't replaced it since. The usual d-ring closure, removable cheekpads, different color visors available.

Quality: the face vent shield broke off just last week for no reason, the screws had broken through their little plastic holders. It cleans up well. Seems a bit on the heavy side, lot of noise/resistance when doing head checks at speed.

Fit: I ended up with a S, since as with all helmets, they don't come in men's and women's sizing. Typical chipmunk cheeks ensue, you know how cheek pads are. That's why we get tinted visors, lol.

It's a pretty noisy helmet and the top vents don't do much for air flow. Overall, fine for jaunting around town etc and it's not a *bad* helmet, but there's definitely better out there.

Gloves:
Icon Women's Pursuit Perforated gloves
http://assets0.revzilla.com/product_...jpg?1235160255

Overall: I *love* these gloves. Very sexy look, good knuckle protection, lots of airflow. They're definitely warm weather gloves, though they make a non-perforated version. They're very short, so unless you're wearing a jacket that covers your wrist bones you'll end up with a gap between the end of your sleeve and the top of the glove.

Fit: I ordered a L even though I supposedly fit M by the sizing chart, it was a good move. Even after loosening up the L is a good fit.

Quality: Not a ton of padding in the palm, but they are warm-weather gloves. I put them through meeting the asphalt and had some scuffs but no busted seams or anything.

Other gloves:
Icon Women's Merc Short Gloves
http://assets1.revzilla.com/product_...jpg?1235160238
Overall: nice heavy leather, good palm padding, very good knuckle protection. Took a bit to soften up but really like them afterwards, they really reduce the vibrations on long trips.

Fit: seems about the same as the Pursuit, they seem to run a bit small. Maybe not a whole size but just be prepared if you're ordering online.

Quality: seems great so far. BF has the full gauntlet version of these and loves them as well.

Helmet 2:
Icon Airframe Crossbone Racer Helmet in White Rubatone
http://www.revzilla.com/product_imag...atone_zoom.jpg

I'll fill in the review later this week- I just caved and ordered this to match my jacket this weekend :P The Airframe series got a lot of positive reviews, enough to make me confident it'll stand up to how I like my other Icon gear.

REVIEW:
Overall: pretty much love this helmet. While I don't think any helmet is going to be blissfully quiet at highway speeds, the Airframe was tons quieter even with full vents open than my previous helmet. The vents provide actual airflow- you can really feel it going through the inside of the helmet. I did notice some whistling in full crouch at interstate speeds with the top vents all the way open but it wasn't loud, just definitely there. Head checks much easier, nice light helmet too, didn't make my neck tired. I have gotten *so* much attention wearing this helmet (which may or may not be your thing, but people will definitely not find you invisible in it!)

Quality: so far, a+. The rubatone finish is gorgeous, silky to the touch and cleans up beautifully. Really looks nice with gear. The hydradry wicking liner is *awesome*. Even in Florida full summer heat, kept me from feeling like I was nothing but soaked in sweat. Standard d-ring fastener, standard visor release. I got the light smoke fog-free visor and it's terrific- barely notice it's tinted, but it's dark enough for people to not really see inside your helmet. The liner is fully removable for washing. You will need a second pair of pivot covers for your visor if you want a fast swap between clear and tinted visors, as they make a difference to the design of the helmet (they finish off the eyes of the skully).

Fit: spot on. Icon's small and medium helmets use the same size shell, so it's all up to the cheekpads. They're easy to swap in and out.

i love these gloves! try them urself to fall in love too but i would buy them online, ive seen better deals online than in the store

I really love this thread - do any of the other girls have reviews on their gear? I'd love to hear what you ladies are wearing while you ride :).