And today's commuting highlight is...

[Dr Jekyll]

Chiselling ice off my car windows at 6AM and seeing one of my neighbours ride past on his Triumph Triple. Respect.

[Snifflytooth]

Nottingham to Derby commute every day, on the coldest day for ages saw loads of bikes out and about. Nearly made me forget how cold my hands were - first time I've ever thought heated grips might be a good idea

[kiethton]

That was a bit wet!

Shows off the inadequacies of my suit too - a wet crotch was a source of laughter as I walked into the office this morning!

[SteelerSE]

Angrybiker said:

I've not had a prolapsed disc but I have had nerve related back stuff before. In your place I would leave the bike until I can push it around or at least prevent a drop if it happens to get to that critical angle.

Thanks. I have another week on the train just to be sure. Badly missing my bike but I think it's the right thing to do.

[sjtscott]

kiethton said:

That was a bit wet!

Shows off the inadequacies of my suit too - a wet crotch was a source of laughter as I walked into the office this morning!

You'll learn quickly to buy the good stuff which unfortunately is not cheap in the motorcycling world. Sadly the most affordable of the decent stuff which I've used for years Hein Gericke no longer really exists in the guise that made it popular with myself and others. They lost their Goretex license I have 2008 vintage/aging goretex trousers that somehow are still going strong.. and currently waterproof.

A boil in the bag plastic all in one oversuit will keep you dry 'cheaply' at least as another option if you can't take out the mortgage some gear requires.

Working at home today so magically appear to have picked the correct day to do so.. its not normally the case though.

[2ono]

308mate said:

Yesterday's highlight, hunting a radio presenter across London and winning concert tickets.

Today's: there wasn't one, it was fking cold but the RT kept me toasty. Still struggling to think what I'd ever replace it with, given my current use-case.

Was that Cold Play tickets? I heard them talking about you on Absolute Well done you!

[kiethton]

sjtscott said:

kiethton said:

That was a bit wet!

Shows off the inadequacies of my suit too - a wet crotch was a source of laughter as I walked into the office this morning!

You'll learn quickly to buy the good stuff which unfortunately is not cheap in the motorcycling world. Sadly the most affordable of the decent stuff which I've used for years Hein Gericke no longer really exists in the guise that made it popular with myself and others. They lost their Goretex license I have 2008 vintage/aging goretex trousers that somehow are still going strong.. and currently waterproof.

A boil in the bag plastic all in one oversuit will keep you dry 'cheaply' at least as another option if you can't take out the mortgage some gear requires.

Working at home today so magically appear to have picked the correct day to do so.. its not normally the case though.

That'll be the xmas list mate, currently using some ~2009 vintage Frank Thomas hand-me down kit from my dad which is past its best I reckon

[Pothole]

J&S appear to have picked up the Hein Gericke dropped baton. Keen prices and decent service in the shops I've tried.

[sjtscott]

kiethton said:

That'll be the xmas list mate, currently using some ~2009 vintage Frank Thomas hand-me down kit from my dad which is past its best I reckon

You mention the magic brand name... you do know the 'Fr is silent and actually pronounced with a W sound? Every piece of FT kit I ever bought was a waste of money. e.g. £120 Gore tex boots where the gear change pad holed in less than a year. FT kit wouldn't me last remotely long given the level of battering my HG kit or Daytona boots have with year round all weather daily commuting use! I'm on multiples purchased now of each coming to the close of my 16th year of London commuting.

Edited by sjtscott on Wednesday 9th November 14:56

[sjtscott]

Pothole said:

J&S appear to have picked up the Hein Gericke dropped baton. Keen prices and decent service in the shops I've tried.

These guys are my port of call soon.. they took over the Gants Hill HG shop on the A12 not too far from where I live. New Goretex trousers will be required next.

[Tall_Paul]

My Furygan textile kit is waterproof, but that amount of water is going get in eventually. Neck holes/arm holes/connecting zips etc.

Wet crotch this morning wasn't fun, I was standing in the office with water literally running off my jacket, that's the wettest commute I've had in a long time.

[Fleegle]

Looking forward to putting my damp gear back on

[Andy XRV]

I picked a bad morning to try and get in Croydon I started off in the car but ended up heading back to the office to jump on the bike. It was like a northern summer, cold and very very wet.

My condolences go out to the families of those who lost their lives, very tragic indeed

[308mate]

2ono said:

308mate said:

Yesterday's highlight, hunting a radio presenter across London and winning concert tickets.

Today's: there wasn't one, it was fking cold but the RT kept me toasty. Still struggling to think what I'd ever replace it with, given my current use-case.

Was that Cold Play tickets? I heard them talking about you on Absolute Well done you!

It was

Rode in Wednesday as usual. My HG gear and alpine stars boots kept me warm and dry for the full hour and a half. Shoei and accompanying Pinlock failed me dismally though.

Edited by 308mate on Thursday 10th November 09:05

[Angrybiker]

Yesterday's commuting highlight - coincidence of rain and working from home. Ahh, bliss, to watch the rain and feel warm and dry not commuting in it

[CAPP0]

Pothole said:

J&S appear to have picked up the Hein Gericke dropped baton. Keen prices and decent service in the shops I've tried.

The trouble is, the new stuff is not Goretex. As mentioned earlier, they lost their GTX licence and now flog something called Sheltex.

I have an HG Master 6 GTX Pro (which means it's Goretex laminated to the outer shell) jacket and it is 100% waterproof and you never feel wet in it.

I couldn't get any GTX Pro trousers so I bought their Master 7 trousers which they claim are laminated Sheltex. However, when they are wet, they feel exactly the same as "cheap" Goretex, i.e., you are actually dry but you feel wet & clammy. I don't recommend paying out for the Sheltex stuff (it's not cheap, it's not Rukka prices but the trousers were still £300).

There may be better options around at the HG price point.

[Angrybiker]

Just splash out on Rukka stuff. It's worth it overall. I'm on my second set in 15 years so while it's a lumpier initial outlay the per year costs make it more reasonable. Very windproof, totally waterproof and never feels clammy. Also the soft armour is very comfortable and also works very well (I can unfortunately personally testify to that!).
The only complaint I've ever had with Rukka is that the zip pullers can break off. It's not the end of the world because you can still pull the zip up without it, but it's not a characteristic of a premium product.

What I'm looking into now is a decent alternative to my Sidi black rains. Very nice boot and very comfy but again the zip pullers go and after a while the waterproof seal breaks along the crease of the upper.

[MotorsportTom]

kiethton said:

sjtscott said:

kiethton said:

That was a bit wet!

Shows off the inadequacies of my suit too - a wet crotch was a source of laughter as I walked into the office this morning!

You'll learn quickly to buy the good stuff which unfortunately is not cheap in the motorcycling world. Sadly the most affordable of the decent stuff which I've used for years Hein Gericke no longer really exists in the guise that made it popular with myself and others. They lost their Goretex license I have 2008 vintage/aging goretex trousers that somehow are still going strong.. and currently waterproof.

A boil in the bag plastic all in one oversuit will keep you dry 'cheaply' at least as another option if you can't take out the mortgage some gear requires.

Working at home today so magically appear to have picked the correct day to do so.. its not normally the case though.

That'll be the xmas list mate, currently using some ~2009 vintage Frank Thomas hand-me down kit from my dad which is past its best I reckon

Get geared do a 0% deal up to 2 years, which suddenly makes really expensive gear that is fully waterproof, cheaper than a phone contract.

Might be worth entertaining that as an idea.

[Pothole]

CAPP0 said:

Pothole said:

J&S appear to have picked up the Hein Gericke dropped baton. Keen prices and decent service in the shops I've tried.

The trouble is, the new stuff is not Goretex. As mentioned earlier, they lost their GTX licence and now flog something called Sheltex.

I have an HG Master 6 GTX Pro (which means it's Goretex laminated to the outer shell) jacket and it is 100% waterproof and you never feel wet in it.

I couldn't get any GTX Pro trousers so I bought their Master 7 trousers which they claim are laminated Sheltex. However, when they are wet, they feel exactly the same as "cheap" Goretex, i.e., you are actually dry but you feel wet & clammy. I don't recommend paying out for the Sheltex stuff (it's not cheap, it's not Rukka prices but the trousers were still £300).

There may be better options around at the HG price point.

I didn't say to buy HG branded goods, I merely meant that J&S do some decent gear at decent prices. Goretex or not is buyer's choice and an easy detail to spot given the multiple labels all gear has hanging off it these days.

[boxedin]

CAPP0 said:

The trouble is, the new stuff is not Goretex. As mentioned earlier, they lost their GTX licence and now flog something called Sheltex.

I have an HG Master 6 GTX Pro (which means it's Goretex laminated to the outer shell) jacket and it is 100% waterproof and you never feel wet in it.

I couldn't get any GTX Pro trousers so I bought their Master 7 trousers which they claim are laminated Sheltex. However, when they are wet, they feel exactly the same as "cheap" Goretex, i.e., you are actually dry but you feel wet & clammy. I don't recommend paying out for the Sheltex stuff (it's not cheap, it's not Rukka prices but the trousers were still £300).

There may be better options around at the HG price point.

Have a look at the BMW stuff, streetguard etc, as a replacement for the hg goretex master kit.