Do you use an airbag? D-Air, Tech Air?
Discussion
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Happy days, that's a bargain, I heard alpine starts are taking the hit on all the postage costs, I have a friend with the dainese version, he wears it on the outside and is convinced its better than the tech 5, good luck with him getting that re gassed after an off, it will be ripped to shreds. The only thing they sort of skirt round regarding the tech 5 is you may need to buy new kit
There's no denying its not thin. Hence me having to buy a new one piece suit . Luckily my jackets are fine.
What kit were you wearing when yours went off and how did it fair? Have you tried it with a one piece yet because there is a technique to get the thing on.
It looks massive when deployed .
mak said:
interesting to no about the re gas not having to go back to Italy.
No need to send anything to Italy. Aside from making leathers, BKS M2M is also the UK’s authorised Tech-Air service centre. As you’d expect from BKS, their customer service is excellent. They serviced my Tech-Air, and the whole thing was straightforward by post.Salted_Peanut said:
Rocket. said:
Only Windows laptop I have is a bit old (Windows 8)
I bet Windows 8 is your problem. Microsoft stopped updating it six years ago, and Windows 8 dates back to 2012. I imagine many apps won’t work with such an old operating system.mak said:
I've just spent the morning trying the alpine stars tech air 5 on with some kit, I've never really been convinced about the faff and fit but after popping into wheels ( dealer) strangely enough I ended up buying one, I only went in there for a nosey with a friend.
Rukka jacket a pleasure without its chest protector and back protector in place/ Alpine stars leather jacket no problem . One piece race suit , holy s
t there's a technique to this, it does work but requires some patience .
I won't deny its bulky, it works with my 3 pieces of kit and I guess for me there's no turning back now. Its always going to be worn, currently on charge maybe I will get out tomorrow for a test ride .
i take it with the Astars one you'd only need to wear elbow protectors, the rest can be dispensed with.Rukka jacket a pleasure without its chest protector and back protector in place/ Alpine stars leather jacket no problem . One piece race suit , holy s
t there's a technique to this, it does work but requires some patience . I won't deny its bulky, it works with my 3 pieces of kit and I guess for me there's no turning back now. Its always going to be worn, currently on charge maybe I will get out tomorrow for a test ride .
does anyone have experience with wearing one and heated kit is the air jacket on top or underneath the heated kit
Some info some might find useful. I finally caved in and decided to buy an airbag. I've a couple of jackets that I like, so I wasn't going to replace them so it had to be a separate airbag and not an airbag jacket. And I wanted under-jacket not over.
After much research (OK, googling and looking reading forums and this thread) I decided the Alpinestars TechAir 5 was the one for me. All the descriptions on dealer sites, and even Alpinestars own website says you need 4cm spare circumference on your jacket, and I had this and a little more. Airbag duly arrives and there's no mistaking this is a quality piece of kit - great packaging, and I loved the magnetic zip and the on/off being controlled by the Velcro flap. I was a real happy bunny until I came to read the manual. The manual's way of sizing the airbag says take 1/2 your chest measurement and add 12cm, and that should be no more than the width of the jacket at the chest laid flat. So that means 24cm spare around the circumference!!! And the manual is peppered with 'danger of death' warnings in red if you don't get this sizing right. So having a jacket with 24cm spare is in now way a 'normal'
jacket...it's a bloody tent. I know the proper airbag jackets have expanding panels, but all the materials pre-purchase say 4cm needed. I have no idea where this comes from - certainly not the 'rules' in the manual. End even if you do just go with the 4cm rule on your jacket, if something did go wring you wouldn't have a leg to stand on (assuming you're not dead) as Alpinestars say very clearly in the manual [only!] that 24cm is required.
I bought this from Fowlers (who had a web site discount) and credit where credit is due, they got hold of Alpinestars to confirm. And the Alpinestars guy confirmed that 4cm is not enough and you need to use the measurements from the manual. I pressed the point (more grief from me for Fowlers) and the Alpinestars guy apparently now said you could probably go less than the manual, but you need to be able to take a golf-ball sized pinch of your jacket simultaneously front, back and sides...which again I couldn't manage in my jacket (which has more than 4cm). So back it went to Fowlers, who I have to say were great - these things contain compressed gas so you can't just send them back by post but Fowlers arranged FOC collection. So there we have it - I think the TechAir 5 is a great bit of kit (and Fowlers gave great support), but forget this 4cm spare as quoted, you need either s special jacket with expanding panels or a VERY big jacket. Or take the risk. Fowlers tell me they have an pre-inflated TechAir 5 you can try on under your jacket to see if there's enough space, but they're 500 miles away from me so not an option.
I've now just had a Klim AI-1 airbag delivered - it was my second choice anyway, and using Klim's measurements (I even downloaded the manual to check how they measure) it's OK for under my jackets. I don't think the bladder is as big as the TechAir, plus it only has a single gas cartridge versus Techair's two (but maybe it's bigger?). But with the Klim it's a DIY recharge for 3 inflations (OK, you have to buy a gas cannister) while the Alipinestars has to go back for recharging after every one. The packaging isn't as fancy as the Alpinestars and it doesn't have the fancy zip, but the jacket itself looks every bit as good as the Techair. I can't comment of relative safety.
The Klim is a fair bit cheaper than the Alpinestars for the 'hardware' at least, but then you have to buy a licence for the software so in the end they work out about the same. I'll probably just buy the licence outright, but I see there is a monthly payments option so I guess if you're a summer-only rider you'd only pay for the months you need.
Anyway - there we have it - both the TechAir 5 and Klim AI-1 look decent pieces of kit, but you need a FAR larger 'regular' jacket if you want to follow the sizing rules for the TechAir.
After much research (OK, googling and looking reading forums and this thread) I decided the Alpinestars TechAir 5 was the one for me. All the descriptions on dealer sites, and even Alpinestars own website says you need 4cm spare circumference on your jacket, and I had this and a little more. Airbag duly arrives and there's no mistaking this is a quality piece of kit - great packaging, and I loved the magnetic zip and the on/off being controlled by the Velcro flap. I was a real happy bunny until I came to read the manual. The manual's way of sizing the airbag says take 1/2 your chest measurement and add 12cm, and that should be no more than the width of the jacket at the chest laid flat. So that means 24cm spare around the circumference!!! And the manual is peppered with 'danger of death' warnings in red if you don't get this sizing right. So having a jacket with 24cm spare is in now way a 'normal'
jacket...it's a bloody tent. I know the proper airbag jackets have expanding panels, but all the materials pre-purchase say 4cm needed. I have no idea where this comes from - certainly not the 'rules' in the manual. End even if you do just go with the 4cm rule on your jacket, if something did go wring you wouldn't have a leg to stand on (assuming you're not dead) as Alpinestars say very clearly in the manual [only!] that 24cm is required.
I bought this from Fowlers (who had a web site discount) and credit where credit is due, they got hold of Alpinestars to confirm. And the Alpinestars guy confirmed that 4cm is not enough and you need to use the measurements from the manual. I pressed the point (more grief from me for Fowlers) and the Alpinestars guy apparently now said you could probably go less than the manual, but you need to be able to take a golf-ball sized pinch of your jacket simultaneously front, back and sides...which again I couldn't manage in my jacket (which has more than 4cm). So back it went to Fowlers, who I have to say were great - these things contain compressed gas so you can't just send them back by post but Fowlers arranged FOC collection. So there we have it - I think the TechAir 5 is a great bit of kit (and Fowlers gave great support), but forget this 4cm spare as quoted, you need either s special jacket with expanding panels or a VERY big jacket. Or take the risk. Fowlers tell me they have an pre-inflated TechAir 5 you can try on under your jacket to see if there's enough space, but they're 500 miles away from me so not an option.
I've now just had a Klim AI-1 airbag delivered - it was my second choice anyway, and using Klim's measurements (I even downloaded the manual to check how they measure) it's OK for under my jackets. I don't think the bladder is as big as the TechAir, plus it only has a single gas cartridge versus Techair's two (but maybe it's bigger?). But with the Klim it's a DIY recharge for 3 inflations (OK, you have to buy a gas cannister) while the Alipinestars has to go back for recharging after every one. The packaging isn't as fancy as the Alpinestars and it doesn't have the fancy zip, but the jacket itself looks every bit as good as the Techair. I can't comment of relative safety.
The Klim is a fair bit cheaper than the Alpinestars for the 'hardware' at least, but then you have to buy a licence for the software so in the end they work out about the same. I'll probably just buy the licence outright, but I see there is a monthly payments option so I guess if you're a summer-only rider you'd only pay for the months you need.
Anyway - there we have it - both the TechAir 5 and Klim AI-1 look decent pieces of kit, but you need a FAR larger 'regular' jacket if you want to follow the sizing rules for the TechAir.
tvrolet said:
Some info some might find useful. I finally caved in and decided to buy an airbag. I've a couple of jackets that I like, so I wasn't going to replace them so it had to be a separate airbag and not an airbag jacket. And I wanted under-jacket not over.
After much research (OK, googling and looking reading forums and this thread) I decided the Alpinestars TechAir 5 was the one for me. All the descriptions on dealer sites, and even Alpinestars own website says you need 4cm spare circumference on your jacket, and I had this and a little more. Airbag duly arrives and there's no mistaking this is a quality piece of kit - great packaging, and I loved the magnetic zip and the on/off being controlled by the Velcro flap. I was a real happy bunny until I came to read the manual. The manual's way of sizing the airbag says take 1/2 your chest measurement and add 12cm, and that should be no more than the width of the jacket at the chest laid flat. So that means 24cm spare around the circumference!!! And the manual is peppered with 'danger of death' warnings in red if you don't get this sizing right. So having a jacket with 24cm spare is in now way a 'normal'
jacket...it's a bloody tent. I know the proper airbag jackets have expanding panels, but all the materials pre-purchase say 4cm needed. I have no idea where this comes from - certainly not the 'rules' in the manual. End even if you do just go with the 4cm rule on your jacket, if something did go wring you wouldn't have a leg to stand on (assuming you're not dead) as Alpinestars say very clearly in the manual [only!] that 24cm is required.
I bought this from Fowlers (who had a web site discount) and credit where credit is due, they got hold of Alpinestars to confirm. And the Alpinestars guy confirmed that 4cm is not enough and you need to use the measurements from the manual. I pressed the point (more grief from me for Fowlers) and the Alpinestars guy apparently now said you could probably go less than the manual, but you need to be able to take a golf-ball sized pinch of your jacket simultaneously front, back and sides...which again I couldn't manage in my jacket (which has more than 4cm). So back it went to Fowlers, who I have to say were great - these things contain compressed gas so you can't just send them back by post but Fowlers arranged FOC collection. So there we have it - I think the TechAir 5 is a great bit of kit (and Fowlers gave great support), but forget this 4cm spare as quoted, you need either s special jacket with expanding panels or a VERY big jacket. Or take the risk. Fowlers tell me they have an pre-inflated TechAir 5 you can try on under your jacket to see if there's enough space, but they're 500 miles away from me so not an option.
I've now just had a Klim AI-1 airbag delivered - it was my second choice anyway, and using Klim's measurements (I even downloaded the manual to check how they measure) it's OK for under my jackets. I don't think the bladder is as big as the TechAir, plus it only has a single gas cartridge versus Techair's two (but maybe it's bigger?). But with the Klim it's a DIY recharge for 3 inflations (OK, you have to buy a gas cannister) while the Alipinestars has to go back for recharging after every one. The packaging isn't as fancy as the Alpinestars and it doesn't have the fancy zip, but the jacket itself looks every bit as good as the Techair. I can't comment of relative safety.
The Klim is a fair bit cheaper than the Alpinestars for the 'hardware' at least, but then you have to buy a licence for the software so in the end they work out about the same. I'll probably just buy the licence outright, but I see there is a monthly payments option so I guess if you're a summer-only rider you'd only pay for the months you need.
Anyway - there we have it - both the TechAir 5 and Klim AI-1 look decent pieces of kit, but you need a FAR larger 'regular' jacket if you want to follow the sizing rules for the TechAir.
I have the Tech Air 5, I am 99% you are reading the calculation wrong and getting the measurements reversed, re do them reversing the numbers you used, it all gets a lot smaller, I have c4cm around me in my jacket and its perfect ...After much research (OK, googling and looking reading forums and this thread) I decided the Alpinestars TechAir 5 was the one for me. All the descriptions on dealer sites, and even Alpinestars own website says you need 4cm spare circumference on your jacket, and I had this and a little more. Airbag duly arrives and there's no mistaking this is a quality piece of kit - great packaging, and I loved the magnetic zip and the on/off being controlled by the Velcro flap. I was a real happy bunny until I came to read the manual. The manual's way of sizing the airbag says take 1/2 your chest measurement and add 12cm, and that should be no more than the width of the jacket at the chest laid flat. So that means 24cm spare around the circumference!!! And the manual is peppered with 'danger of death' warnings in red if you don't get this sizing right. So having a jacket with 24cm spare is in now way a 'normal'
jacket...it's a bloody tent. I know the proper airbag jackets have expanding panels, but all the materials pre-purchase say 4cm needed. I have no idea where this comes from - certainly not the 'rules' in the manual. End even if you do just go with the 4cm rule on your jacket, if something did go wring you wouldn't have a leg to stand on (assuming you're not dead) as Alpinestars say very clearly in the manual [only!] that 24cm is required.
I bought this from Fowlers (who had a web site discount) and credit where credit is due, they got hold of Alpinestars to confirm. And the Alpinestars guy confirmed that 4cm is not enough and you need to use the measurements from the manual. I pressed the point (more grief from me for Fowlers) and the Alpinestars guy apparently now said you could probably go less than the manual, but you need to be able to take a golf-ball sized pinch of your jacket simultaneously front, back and sides...which again I couldn't manage in my jacket (which has more than 4cm). So back it went to Fowlers, who I have to say were great - these things contain compressed gas so you can't just send them back by post but Fowlers arranged FOC collection. So there we have it - I think the TechAir 5 is a great bit of kit (and Fowlers gave great support), but forget this 4cm spare as quoted, you need either s special jacket with expanding panels or a VERY big jacket. Or take the risk. Fowlers tell me they have an pre-inflated TechAir 5 you can try on under your jacket to see if there's enough space, but they're 500 miles away from me so not an option.
I've now just had a Klim AI-1 airbag delivered - it was my second choice anyway, and using Klim's measurements (I even downloaded the manual to check how they measure) it's OK for under my jackets. I don't think the bladder is as big as the TechAir, plus it only has a single gas cartridge versus Techair's two (but maybe it's bigger?). But with the Klim it's a DIY recharge for 3 inflations (OK, you have to buy a gas cannister) while the Alipinestars has to go back for recharging after every one. The packaging isn't as fancy as the Alpinestars and it doesn't have the fancy zip, but the jacket itself looks every bit as good as the Techair. I can't comment of relative safety.
The Klim is a fair bit cheaper than the Alpinestars for the 'hardware' at least, but then you have to buy a licence for the software so in the end they work out about the same. I'll probably just buy the licence outright, but I see there is a monthly payments option so I guess if you're a summer-only rider you'd only pay for the months you need.
Anyway - there we have it - both the TechAir 5 and Klim AI-1 look decent pieces of kit, but you need a FAR larger 'regular' jacket if you want to follow the sizing rules for the TechAir.
dibblecorse said:
I have the Tech Air 5, I am 99% you are reading the calculation wrong and getting the measurements reversed, re do them reversing the numbers you used, it all gets a lot smaller, I have c4cm around me in my jacket and its perfect ...
Let's say your chest measurement is 110cm (A). We have to half that, so 55, and then add 12...so 67. Now we take the jacket and laid flat (so HALF it's circumference (B)) has to be 67cm or greater...thus 134cm circumference total. Which is 24cm greater than the chest measurement.
In fairness that's reading the formula as B > (0.5 x A) + 12. You could argue it should be B > 0.5 x (A + 12), so that would mean 122 / 2, so 61cm greater for HALF the circumference, thus 122cm total so 12cm greater/overlap - certainly not 4cm.
But I emailed my [first] interpretation of the calculation which I gather was forwarded to Alpinestars for comment and they didn't dispute it,
My jacket has well over 4cm overlap and 'fitted perfectly' over the airbag - it just didn't match the criteria you posted from the Alpinestars manual. 4cm, as advertised, is just plain wrong.
Edited with possible answer?
If we take the my interpretation of the formula as correct and we need 24cm extra in the circumference, then with a bit of Pi the radius would need 3.8cm spare all round (which kind of matches the Alpinestars guy saying a golf-ball sized pinch all round). I wonder if this is maybe where the 4cm came from, because it sure can't be from the formulas above. Maybe they mean 4cm extra radius in the jacket and not 4cm overlap?
Edited by tvrolet on Wednesday 18th May 17:22
After much thought I ended up buying an RST Sabre Leather Airbag jacket. I think it looks good, so far I have no complaints.
I needed to upgrade from my cheepo Texpeed textile jacket, it made sense to me to get something designed to work with an airbag and I wasn't keen on the look of the vests.
With the subscription it works out relatively expensive but I think it's worth it to benefit from the added protection.
I needed to upgrade from my cheepo Texpeed textile jacket, it made sense to me to get something designed to work with an airbag and I wasn't keen on the look of the vests.
With the subscription it works out relatively expensive but I think it's worth it to benefit from the added protection.
tvrolet said:
Some info some might find useful. I finally caved in and decided to buy an airbag. I've a couple of jackets that I like, so I wasn't going to replace them so it had to be a separate airbag and not an airbag jacket. And I wanted under-jacket not over.
SNIP
Wow, that is a faff. I started with the RST built-in jackets which does simplify the whole process - just buy a jacket that fits, job done.SNIP
In fact, two of the three I have are fairly close-fitting (the GT leather and textile), and I can confirm from a "test inflation"
that I wasn't overly squished.I guess there are pros and cons both ways but it sounds a lot more straightforward to go for an integrated as a starting point.
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