HEY! I'm one of those elitist f-ckers!

I can't ride without my gear. I feel naked pulling my bike out of the driveway or its spot at work before I get my gear on. At worst, you might catch me riding with my jacket mostly unzipped. I ran outta cigarettes earlier and was feeling too lazy to walk the 1.5 blocks to the store. But gearing up for 1.5 blocks was a waste too. So... I rode from West Philly to South Philly to justify it But that's me.

There are some people round here who wear gear and deserve the squid moniker more than someone that skips the gear for a quick ride to the store tho.

 

Semantics doesn't mean that people shouldn't be wearing gear.

I don't care if I'm taking a 5min ride or a 5hr ride.. I always wear a helmet, armored jacket, gloves and boots at a minimum.
I can't predict when a car is gonna cross the center line and wipe my *** out.... and I'm not trying to.
And I'm not gonna suggest that anyone else does, either.

If you think you can predict that, you're more squidly in my opinion than the guy who realizes they can't.

A good buddy of mine rode 5miles to his mom's house with a girl on the back. They ****in' wiped out. Wasn't his fault, either.
They both were geared up. She broke her wrist, but that was it.
And SHE didn't want to wear his old jacket and gloves because they were "just going down the street."
Right here, I guess. ???

Like I said before, it's more semantics than anything. Does it make you a total squid like the guy doing stand-ups through town?? Obviously not.
Is it a good idea to not wear gear? No, in my opinion it's a stupid idea. Like something a squid might think is a good idea. Make sense?

 

i never said wether it was a good idea or not, infact my exact quote was "if you want to protect yourself, good. if not, prepare for consequence. simply put" from earlier in the thread.

i commend you for always being geared to the fullest. however, good idea or not, it isnt practical for me. if i go out for an actual "ride" where im going in excessive speeds and swooping through curves, then i will obviously be wearing as much gear as possible to avoid a potential serious accident. but using my bike everyday for every trip i make, i dont want to deal with all that. i *do not* wear shorts on my bike. at the very least im wearing jeans, gloves, and helmet.

yes, that means at some point i could have an unfortunate accident while going around the block, but would not change how i feel about it. atleast for where i live now. the humidity here in florida is pretty incredible sometimes. of course thats just an excuse. i guess its enough for me. plus, who wants to go meet up with a girl and be sweating profusely hoping you dont smell? and lugging a huge suit around with your helmet etc. or any other multitude of places. sometimes after just a short trip around the block to the store, in my regular jeans helmet gloves, i will get back home and have to immediately strip my clothes and stand under the fan in the a/c in order to cool down. lol i TMI i know, but thats how unbearable it is.

one other note -- compared the usual Joe Gixxer cruising down the beach in flip flops, board shorts, tank top, and sunglasses -- id say im far above the norm LOL

with all that said. if i could find a jacket that was halfway bearable in the florida summers, then id probably wear one.

 

I know a lot of people in Korea who don't get jackets for whatever reason, but opt to buy like an exoskeleton type of top. Easy on, easy off, uber ventilation and you still get more protection than your standard t-shirt/hoodie. I think this is more of an off-road style, but I don't know much about the dos and don'ts of riding fashion.

 

when i crashed my busa i was wearing my scorpion exo-700, smx a*star gloves, icon merc hero leather jacket and normal blue jeans.. and dress shoes... the only damage to me was my right ankle from the low cut of the shoe and some "friction burn" on my knee.. deffinetly makes me think twice whenever i ride now without boots though..

 

Bro you are pretty much like me. Except I always wear my under armor to keep the sweat down.

 

so um..imma go with no...first of all i don't live in the bottom of the ocean..secondly i don't have a beaked mouth, and lastly..i cant shoot ink and propel myself with water...so i dunno what the hell you guys talking about..../scratches head..

 

Well, I think it may.... but whatever.

And I don't understand the whole idea of geared up riders who believe in ATGATT being "elitist" or "throwing other riders under the bus" etc for calling someone a squid. Hell, I could make a good argument that riders without gear throw us all under the bus by making us look irresponsible.
The bottom line, tho, is convincing people to be safe... all the time.... even when it's not convenient.
Have I made little trips without proper gear? Sure. Do I think I was stupid for doing it? Yep.

A good friend of mine isn't really into wearing gear all the time, either. The other day, I think I called him a "squiddly motherf*@#er".
And I get the whole "Yeah yeah yeah... f%#@ you" back at me... . (But I think I'm wearing him down. )
Anyway, I'm not gonna waste any more time on this subject. You all are gonna do what you will.
Ride Safe.

 

You called?

Many years ago I fell off my pushbike and went for a bit of a slide down the big black file. The palms of my hands healed over time, but I still have the scars on my forearms and the one on my side where my hipbone poked out. So now its ATGATT for me. My CBR goes faster than that old treadly, even just to the shop, and as far as I know they haven't invented softer roads ...

My question to the OP would be, Where do I buy some of that kevlar skin you must have?

 

I think said statement spawns from when people say things like "... that's why s/he shouldn't ride". In general, it's cool that people are concerned for the well-being and safety of fellow riders, but it might come off as a bit smug to make it sound like just because someone doesn't believe in ATGATT riding that they don't deserve to ride (giving the connotation that it is some kind of elite club, hence elitism). You may not have that attitude and there may be plenty of people who are simply giving friendly advice, but there are plenty of others who believe otherwise.