Posts Tagged ‘sizing’

December 9th, 2009

Plus Size Gear

Real Curves.Real Women. Real Gear.â„¢

I’ve been neglecting the ‘Real Curves’ aspect of my website and hope that this post gives women who are looking for something beyond a size 8-10 when it comes to the real protective motorcycle gear that you need.

So on my final day at Long Beach, I decided to swing by the British Motorcycle Gear booth.  I found a couple of great options for women that I think would benefit my plus sized readers:.

1. British Motorcycle Gear – Mercury Jacket
$249.00
XS-4XL
I’ve always been curious about the fit of BMG motorcycle gear.  I know they make an amazing textile jacket, but I wasn’t sure who I could recommend their jackets to. Now I know.  The Mercury is ideal for those of you who have short torsos and broader arms/shoulders.  Although I found the fit (XS) to be decent in the waist/body, the arms/shoulders were too large for me, as I’m a little narrower than this jacket wants me to be.  It’s also one of the warmest jackets you’ll ever find.  If you’ve ever shopped for a ski or snowboarding jacket, you’ll notice that many of them have a ’skirt’ that sits at the waist, to keep snow and wind out should you fall or crash on the slopes.  They’ve incorporated this wonderful feature into the Mercury (as well as most of their jackets), and it definitely makes for a snug fit around the hips.  Which would definitely come in handy on those cold winter commutes.  The silver piping is reflective around the front and back of the jacket.  At this price point, you can’t beat the features that the Mercury offers you.

2. British Motorcycle Gear – Discovery Jacket
$379.00
XS-4XL
I tried on an XS in this model as well. It was a little too big for me, but if you’re looking for a 3/4 length winter jacket, this is another great option.  The cut is generous across the shoulders and through the arms.  The lining is ridiculously warm and will provide you a really comfortable fit.

3. Tourmaster Trinity 2
$157.49 (From Revzilla.  MSRP is $174.99)
XS-LPL (See the size charts on Revzilla)
The sizing on the Trinity 2 is one of the most generous in all of women’s gear.  Beyond an XL, it goes even higher to Sizes 16-20. The XL is ~14, and seems true to size, at least with the women that I helped in the women’s center.  The fit is generous for those of you who need a little more room in the chest, shoulders and arms.  I highly recommend this jacket as a 4 season option (removable insulated liner), with the venting up the arms and on the back.

4. Cortech LRX2
$159.99 MSRP, $143.99, Revzilla
XS-LPL (See the size charts on Revzilla)
The LRX is another great 4 season jacket.  But this one has a fully ventilated, mesh outer shell. If you need something that will work in the hottest of summers, this would be a better option than the Trinity.  There are two full sleeve, removable liners; waterproof/windproof liner and an insulated liner. The arms are also adjustable, with adjustable snaps at the bicep and the forearm.

And if you haven’t downloaded  a copy of my GearChic Guide filled with shopping tips, make sure you download it here. Happy Shopping!

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August 30th, 2008

Pants and AntiFog

1. Pants.

Wait, what was I going to say? My brain only works for like 30 seconds when I come up with an idea, and then it disappears forever, never to be seen again. That’s why I can’t seem to blog more frequently. This time I had time to text myself these 2 words. Now if I could just remember what pants were. Oh yes!! Sizing.

So I was dutifully working last Saturday afternoon at Scuderia West. And a female customer came in to try out the Olympia Promax overpants. An excellent option for cold weather and/or every day riding. We tried her in a size 4 / Euro 42 (Olympia sizes in US women), which was a little bit too tight for her in riding position. Then we tried her in a size 6. For some reason, the 6 was fitting more like an 8 or 10, fitting really really generous in the waist. The length seemed normal, as a 6 would be but the waist just seemed really wide. I decided to try them on myself and found that they were definitely cut wrong. For most overpants, you may want to try on one size up from what you’d normally wear in jeans or slacks. If you have no idea what size you are, generally a xtra small/small is 0-2-4, medium is 6-8-10, large is 12 and up. Of course, this can vary from manufacturer, which is super annoying, I know. But that’s why I’m here to help.

Since there wasn’t another 6 off the rack for her to try, I brought her mine. They fit her perfectly and more snug in the waist, but not too tight. We ended up sending back the funny 6’s to Olympia, since they definitely weren’t cut right. She ended up ordering a size 6 for herself as well. Hopefully they’ll fit her as perfectly as mine did.

The moral of the story is that sometimes you can’t trust the sizing, or the pants off the rack. If you think something is wrong, or aren’t sure if what you’re wearing is the right size, try on a size up and down. If the store has a good special order policy, order another pair and see how it fits, it may fit differently or the same. You just never know!

2. Anti Fog for Arai Helmets

Apparently Arai has finally come out with a pinlock system for their helmets. This is the one thing that I don’t like about my helmet. It just fogs up like crazy. First, you need to buy the “Arai Clear Pinlock Shield for Astral, Quantum, RX7, Profile, Vector Helmets“. Then you need to order the Arai Antifog insert. I’m still waiting for the insert to come in, so I can test this thing out!

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