Went up to the Cat & Fiddle last night and as I was leaving the pub I saw this bloke on a naked bike of some sort (not sure what) - wearing jeans, and leather jacket, now that to me is bad enough for riding what is reknown as being the most dangerous road in Britain. However.... He had his missus on the back. She was wearing jeans and a tracksuit top! Unbelievable!!!

I would agree

Mind all things are not always as they appear these days I have chino trousers with kevlar lining, (great for commuting and not getting changed at each end) and a mate of mine often wears combat style trousers and jackets with the amour from his race gear underneath.

Then again its also down to how you ride and your idea of risk a push bike can reach the top speed of most 50cc's and we don't kit up that much for a push bike. (their is a hill in Northumberland where a bicycle can top out at 80 mph. I know cos I did it . . . 16yrs old and immortal!)

It's their choice not ours . . .
my choice is full kit just to pop around the corner, but then I've seen a friend loose a finger cos he left his gloves off to travel to the other end of the street.

My experience . . . my choice.

My opinion . . . idiots!

Yes, there are plenty of idiots around, even if they are riding just a scooter, the tarmac is still as hard

pppfff.... can't be bothered with that anymore and to be honest we have debated that loads of times...

it's their skin, not mine

Ahhhhh.... sun out ... silly season is upon us.

Its the same I suppose as jumping out of a moving car at speed.....Now you wouldnt do that would ya!

personally i wear leathers no matter how short the distance i am going, this follows a slight spill during training and the ensuing pain, pllus i have Tatts on my legs and don't want them damaged

What anyone else wears is their choice, as said above, it's their skin not mine, though i do feel sorry for the health workers who have to put them back together.

my daughter on the other hand is quite vocal to anyone not wearing the full kit which can be a bit embarrasing at times but then she is only 14 and hopefully will learn tact as she gets older

..................weeeelllllll................

Christ here we go............summer.
pontification about clothing threads.........feck me...........bored and depressed.
bring on the speed camera threads.

personally i cant wait for the shorts and a t shirt weather!

Actually, i'm with JP on this one!

History does have a way of repeating itself...... every year on here eh?

I still swear by flip flops (with white socks of course), speedo's and my trusty old string vest! For head protection, I prefer best Arron wool tea cozy on my bonce! If its wet, on with the armbands too!

What? No surgical gloves?
If you come off, you'll be sorry...

Aye, dunna bother with them, heard there overrated!

Sorry for the facetiousness; it's a serious point that of course all responsible riders are aware of.

I wear a proper jacket, gloves, lid and boots all the time but I also wear jeans all the time unless it`s raining then I have trousers to go with the jacket. I am responsible for my own actions and will live with the consequenses if anything happens ,but quite frankly riding the bike is not even a hundredth as risky as my job and I don`t worry about that. Mostly everyone who rode a bike when I was young only wore jeans and a bike jacket and lid,some wore gloves but not all and I don`t think tarmac has got any harder than it was then. Let people wear what they want to wear while it is still a relatively free country and forget all the buts and what if`s. Risk is a part of life and the more we wrap ourselves in a coccoon of safety the more the pc idiots of this world get their own way. If we want to minimise all risk we might make ourseves just ride slowly or just have a 50cc ped or worse not have a bike at all. I think I will buy a challenger tank so the family and I will be safe in case of an accident. Come on now

Uhh..I've a confession to make! Three bikes and four years riding, I've never ridden in anything but jeans as well! My skin, my choice.

But that is all changing, and a nice pair of skid resistant trousers should be with me 4 the weekend!!

Got all the other stuff though!

My biggest complaint about the Cat and Fiddle pub is the high average age of the bikers who stop there. The boring old farts sit around, togged up to the nines in full piece this and armoured that, chatting aimiably over a coffee, and if they have female company (riders or pillions) it's too damn rare that we get a leggy 20-something in skin-tight phwoaarr gear.

I dunno...bikers these days. Far too bleedin sensible if you ask me

Here here

Oh boy the endless fun you could have with a statement like that!

Bornagains eldest daughter is 24 and she hasn't learnt yet! so you might have a long wait

I've just come in from the 'Sunday 100 miler' and while out (in full gear and back protector) I came across a gixxer with the rider in a one-piece while his girlfriend (hanging on for dear life) was in jeans, light jacket (cropped to show tummy flesh), pumps and no gloves!

I got past fast so I didn't have to see the result of any accident .....

I cant comment as my riding kit is only strong cotton (if you remove all the wax) I also cannot wear a full face helmet either. Whilst we still have a shred of freedom of choice on these things I say wear what you want but dont whinge about the consequences or what others wear!

Kind of strikes me that people who constantly bang on about safety gear are either a) scared of their bikes or b) don't have sufficient experience to not feel riding a bike is always going to be a huge risk.
The only way you can overcome either is by riding your bike, regularly, gaining confidence and skills and learning your limits and that of the bike.
Personally I don't usually ride around without a leather jacket, strong boots, gloves and lid but I think it's a poor rider who puts all his faith in riding gear. When I'm working or going at all far I'll have leather trousers on and full 'proofs too.
To be safer on the roads you need to become more critically aware of other road users, never assume what another driver's about to do and not push your bike to levels where you know you wouldn't have a get-out strategy if something unexpected was to happen! By that not I mean ragging it on blind corners, overtaking lines of cars too fast where there isn't space to avoid a swerving vehicle etc etc. It's just making allowances for other vehicles and the road conditions and riding accordingly.
Don't get me wrong - good riding gear makes riding a bike more comfortable, warmer, keeps you dry and means you can put up with worse weather for longer as well as giving some protection but your riding style is more significant and your general 'road consciousness' equally important to your overall safety.

Exactly CB`s I love my old Barbour gear it is totaly wind and water proof and by varying what I wear under it I remain warm or cool in all weather conditions, the lack of armour has never concerned me. If I rode a sports bike towards its limits most of the time then I would wear armoured one piece good quality leathers. But for hi-mileage touring and to and from work I`ve not found any thing better.

i wouldn't totally agree that people who are concerned about wearing good safety gear have little or no confidence in their riding,
It's more a case of being prepared for the unexpected, which as we all know can easily happen when you're running around on two wheels, what about unpredictable events like punctures or blowouts, wild animals, numpty drivers going through red lights etc...?
i think its more a case of valueing your life and a bit of common sense. the tarmac hurts, and i think that anybody who thinks that they will never have an accident because they are such good riders, beleiving that safety gear is for cowards, need their head read.
Of course its to the riders discretion, but most of us wear it because if the unexpected does happen, we want to be as best protected as we can, so we can live to ride our bikes again.
I'm not one to rant and rave about other riders not wearing the right kit, because frankly i dont give a s**t, it's their choice, but i totally understand why i, and other riders do choose to protect themselves.

Totally agree with you fella

Jim

Don't get me wrong, I didn't mean safety gear was 'for cowards' I'm simply saying that I reckon the rider's level of experience and confidence in his skills/knowledge of bike are more significant. Sure, good gear can prevent some but not the worst damage to you in the worst kind of accidents. But, it won't prevent the accident happening in the first place. By all means wear good gear, that should keep you warm, dry and make riding comfortable rather than a pain in the arris but don't expect it to make up for a dangerous or poor riding style as it won't. The best way to be safe out there is to expect the unexpected and never assume you know things when there's not enough information to accurately predict what another driver or even the road is about to do. The only way to become safer really is to gain experience and never ride outside your and your bike's limits, as well as that of the roads you're on. All I'm saying is that I wouldn't make too much of expensive riding gear as if it's the only factor that prevents damage to you.

Personally, I wouldn't dream of going out without leathers/boots/lid/back protector - thats my choice.

There's not a doubt in my mind that my leathers are the reason I still have both arms, the sleeve of my jacket was nearly torn off as I cartwheeled along the road (and we're talking Akito, triple-stitched, elephant's feet thick here ) during my off. That morning I was considering heading out with a hoodie and back protector on instead. However, the bloke who crashed at the same place earlier was also fully kitted out and still died of his injuries.

I reckon it's just your Donald a lot of the time, it's your choice if you want to take the risk and I don't believe it's a choice which should be taken away from the rider. After all, where will it end? Remember the plans for leg-protectors on bikes? Or the "Big Brother" satellites which will kill your speed if you try and go over the limit? Is that really a path which we want to go down?

I wear a combat jacket (no armour) not working I wear leathers (no armour) working I wear overtrousers (with armour) and always wear boots. Went to friends house the other day in my leathers and she beratted me for lack of armour in my jacket. Should I have pointed out that her son goes out in normal jeans and trainers?
I find the armour a pain in the arris, unless it fits in the right place its practically worthless and my body doesnt want to conform to where they put the armour! I just stick to the padding and hope it will work in an emergency

There is a kid near me who carts his girlfriend around on the back of his scooter... I've seen her numerous times on the back without a helmet on and normal day to day clothes. It just irritates me that anyone could be that negligent with another persons welfare!

I find it staggering that they've never been pulled up on it by the police?

If he's a kid what's he doing out on a scooter anyway? If he's 2-up on L plates they should have him.

[/quote] My biggest complaint about the Cat and Fiddle pub is the high average age of the bikers who stop there. The boring old farts sit around, togged up to the nines in full piece this and armoured that, chatting aimiably over a coffee, and if they have female company (riders or pillions) it's too damn rare that we get a leggy 20-something in skin-tight phwoaarr gear.

[/quote]

Oi! I might well be one of the 'boring old farts' you talk about - but I was a leggy 20 something a lifetime ago - and I'm still entitled to enjoy riding, wearing the gear etc. You'll be a boring old fart yoursel one day"!

Can't get the hang of adding a quote - I know, I know, it's because I'm a boring old fart - but what should i be doing?

Your best off just clicking the "reply" button underneith the post you want to quote.

or- by the looks of what you have just tried.

Your first quote tag shouldn't have the / so it'll look like [quote]

The one at the end is fine