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I just picked up a Tourmaster Flex jacket the other day, and I was wondering what people thought of it. I don't have a bike yet (finishing my MSF course this weekend) so I've just worn it around the house, but it's pretty comfortable and I really like how adaptable it is. I was deciding between it and a Joe Rocket Super Ego jacket that was on sale, but decided to go with the more adaptable (and not all black) textile.
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Apr 12, 2007 21:43
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What are people's opinion on gear like this: My cousin works at a bike equipment store and he was singing their praises, they apparently fit really well under pants and are pretty comfortable. I know they're not as good as real riding pants, but they seem a pretty good compromise.
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May 10, 2007 02:45
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I got a bag at the store yesterday! I wonder what's inside? Why it's a new Knox Stowaway Spineguard!  I pulled out the back padding in my riding jacket last week(a Tourmaster Flex which I actually really like) and found that this was the only thing protecting my spine:  Not only does it feel like pretty cheap foam, as near as I could tell it isn't CE rated at all, and it looks disconcertingly like a wiener. That was old and busted, this is new hotness:    PI/AI CROSSOVER!   Sorry, no doggles. So I got the Knox Stowaway Spineguard for $50 on closeout from the local bike gear shop (http://www.ironpony.com/ironponydir...REET%20PRODUCTS - awful site, awful commercials, pretty good prices, really nice store). I have yet to actually ride with it on, as I need to pull and clean the carbs on my GS500 and we just got about a foot of snow today, but I've worn it for a couple hours around the house and walking around the neighborhood and so far I'm pretty impressed. I'm a pretty skinny dude (6' and 165 lbs), with a long torso, so I ended up getting the large. It's definitely made for someone with a bit more gut than I, but the waist strap is adjustable on the sides and across the belly, and with a bit of work it fits quite well. The store also had the Joe Rocket back protector ( http://www.newenough.com/armor/back_protector_worn_on_the_body/joe_rocket/speedmaster_motorcycle_back_protector.html ), but I had a hard time getting it to fit snugly. It fits under my jacket pretty well even with the insulated liner, though the bottom might peek out a bit when riding if you don't zip your jacket into your pants. That's probably a motorcycle fashion faux pas. My biggest complaint so far is that the wait belt rides up a bit when I'm standing around, which is kinda annoying and I have a feeling it might be worse when riding.
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Mar 8, 2008 08:43
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So I figured I'd finally get around to reviewing my Tourmaster Flex jacket and pants. They're designed to be adjustable to the weather, so they have an insulated liner and a waterproof/windproof liner that zip and snap into their respective shells, and then the shell has panels that can be zipped off with mesh underneath (but still with textile along the arms/shoulders and around the hips/butt and down the outer side of the leg). Taking the textile panels off the shell is relatively easy and painless, putting in the liners is a bit more of a pain in the rear end, but still doable. The connection points are color-coded to keep you from putting them in twisted, assuming a grade school education. Theoretically you could wear the waterproof jacket liner by itself (or with the insulated liner as well) if you were traveling and/or wanted to look like a dork. There's reflective piping on the back of the jacket and along the outer seam of the pants, and people have told me that it is effective at increasing night visibility. I've had the Jacket for about 2 years now, it's my only jacket. As textile jackets go I think it looks pretty good, not overly garish or anything. It has plenty of pockets, including an interior media pocket over the right pec that can hold a wallet or cell phone, and normal jacket pockets on the mesh when you remove the outer nylon panel. The shoulder and elbow armor is CE rated hard armor, but the back armor is garbage. When riding the armor stays in place very well, and in a 25-ish mph lowside I had everything under the jacket was fine despite coming down on my shoulder. With the waterproof liner in heavy rain I still got some water in, but mostly just through the top of the jacket. I've worn it up to about 100 degrees, where it's about as tolerable as anything can be at 100 degrees, and actually quite comfortable when you're moving. I think today was my coldest day to ride with it, at about 20 degrees on the highway, where there was a bit of leak in around the zippers and up the back of the jacket, but quite tolerable with just a longsleeve t-shirt underneath. I should amend that, it was quite tolerable on the way to my destination today, until I got there. The jammed at the top and was so bad that I ended up having to destroy the pull just to get it off. Luckily for the ride back I could still zip up the liner (and have my backpack belt somewhat hold the shell closed) which worked alright. I got the matching pants a month ago, and so I'm a bit less accustomed to them. One thing I do like is that instead of pockets in the normal position on the side, instead they are in the front which I've found pretty comfortable, and would probably be better if you ended up sliding on your side. The knee armor is CE rated hard armor, the hip armor is foam. It seems that the armor stays in place pretty well when riding with both liners in. With all the liners in they don't go over pants very comfortably, without pants they're not bad at all. Without the liners in they're work pretty well as overpants. There isn't a cinching mechanism at the bottom, so there is a bit of a draft of cool air up the leg, but otherwise quite warm. I haven't worn them in warm weather yet, but they've got a good amount of mesh so they should be quite cool. Overall I'd definitely recommend both as nice gear. I'd say they're nice for someone getting into riding: they're a bit pricier than most entry-level gear, but their ability to adapt to year-round riding (unless you live somewhere dumb like Alaska) is a huge bonus. Alternately they're pretty nice if you plan to do some traveling long distances, as you can modify your gear to the situation and stay more comfortable. I should warn you, however, that the liners can get pretty bulky if you're tight for space, so keep that in mind. Also I'm still pretty pissed about that zipper. 8/10 If there's interest, I can snap some pictures of everything.
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Feb 20, 2009 09:29
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