Just for this weekend, my tweets will be converting into blog posts. I know not everyone twitters, so hopefully this will keep everyone in the loop! I'm going to be doing Gear seminars in the Women's Boutique (Center) at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. So come by and say hello if you get a chance. :)
IMS San Mateo 2009
This year's IMS in San Mateo was kicked off by a fantastic local edition of the SideStandUp podcast in the heart of San Francisco, at BMW Motorcycles on 6th and Bryant Street. In case you missed it, catch up here (Episode 120)! Carla and I had a great time chatting with Jennifer of Werkstatt, Crystal of Scuderia West and Larry of BMW SF.
Big thanks to Larry for hosting us. The facility is beautiful, if you haven't yet visited them downtown. A customer lounge with a flat screen tv, wifi and espresso. That's so San Francisco, isn't it? As soon as I walked in, a CHP officer was sitting in the lounge, waiting for his Beemer to be finished. I asked him if he likes the new Beemer or the old Harley and he just sat back and laughed. Apparently that was a silly question.
This year's IMS at San Mateo was a little smaller than everyone expected. Although a few manufacturers are missing, I met some fantastic vendors that didn't disappoint. First off, I met the folks at Teiz Motorsports. They're making affordable one piece textile and leather suits. They've recently started doing custom orders in women's sizing, which I was happy to see. You do need to custom order this option, but it seems like a good value given the price point ($219-$500) for the base suit.
If you're a woman and you're looking for one piece suits, it's pretty difficult to find anything except an Aerostitch. I'm a fan of choice and the Teiz seems like a good option. So here's a quick summary of what might be available if you're a woman riding a motorcycle and need a one piece:
1. REV'IT Infinity Suit $1299.99 Although the smallest size is a men's small, if you're roughly a women's size US 10 and up, you may find this will fit you. Take a minute to watch the revzilla video review of this suit. It's freaking amazing. Before you pick your jaw back up off the floor, at least watch the video and see Why it costs so much. A lot of R&D went into the design and construction of this suit. If I were large enough to fit a small, I would so get one. *sigh*
2. AlpineStars 360R Drysuit $599.95 I'm not sure how a men's small would fit for a woman, but based on the video that Revzilla posted, I think you'd have to be at least a size 12 or up to fit this suit. *sigh*
3. Aerostitch Roadcrafter
$797.00 (base)
Good ole' Aerostitch. It's been 'The" one piece for the motorcycling community for the past 10-20 years? Especially since you can order a 34 Short, it should fit a woman as small as me. Actually, I'm 99% sure it would fit me. My friend ordered a 2 piece Darien and she's also my size. It fit her quite well. Wasn't as fitted close to the body as some jackets, but it did fit her quite nice. She did a custom order and was quite happy with it.
4. Olympia Phantom $459.99 The Phantom is comparable to the Aerostitch, waterproof in the shell and has a full length removable liner. I think a small men's wouldn't fit any woman under a size 12 or 14. There's only one size for inseam, so if you're lucky enough to be tall and a size 14, this should be a decent option for you. The cut is fairly generous across the shoulders, arms and chest, so if you're busy too, even better!
5. Teiz Motorsports Lombard Suit $319.00 Teiz has introduced smaller women's sizing, down to a size 34. I've asked for some clarification from the Cofounder and hope to report back in January with more details about the company and their products. Although they've been called an Aerostitch knockoff, for less than $400, it's hard to beat. They're a real company with a genuine interest in the safety and protection of riders. There are tons of companies that live abroad and 'manufacture gear' for less than $100. I've been contacted by companies like that and have refused to even consider looking at their products. You can custom order their suits as well. I saw them at the San Mateo IMS, they will probably stop in at the Chicago IMS since they're based in the MidWest.
If you know of any other companies making one piece suits that fit women really well, please let me know!
Another company that I ran into was Adventure Motorcycle Gear. I met briefly with one of the owners of the website, but unfortunately had no time to try anything on. I'm hoping to see them again in Long Beach and will report back. In the meantime, their winter offerings are here:
http://www.adventuremotogear.com/rukka-riding-clothing-c-22.html
They're quite popular in Europe, I hope to review some of their gear in January.
Special SSU Podcast Nov 17th
Tune in for a special SSU podcast on Tuesday, Nov 17th, 4pm-6pm Pacific, for a Bay Area edition of SideStandUp. Carla King and I are going to have a ton of local guests for the show, so stay tuned for updates on guests and how to tune in. www.sidestandup.com www.carlaking.com
Can't ride, Can't write.
Why yes, that is a Designer Series Snuggie in Leopard Print. You know you want one. I wish I were wearing mine right now.
This not riding thing is killing my motivation to write. It'll probably be another couple months (not sure, my hand surgeon won't give me a definitive answer, which I guess is his job) before I'm back on my beloved bike. Until then, I guess I'll know what it's like to live somewhere that you have to 'store' your bike for winter. How do you people do it? I also hate NOT having my own method of transportation, not having to ask anyone for a ride to get somewhere. Losing that kind of independence, especially if you're a motorcyclist can be tougher than it sounds. I deeply value my ability to ride wherever I want, whenever I want. Just having to think about it makes me want to scream. As a result, I feel totally disconnected from the riding community. I know for many of you it isn't a big deal. But for me, it is. Riding every day is pure joy to me. It makes me so happy and motivates me to express my thoughts, feelings and emotions about riding through my blog. And finally having a bike that I absolutely LOVE to ride makes it that much harder. I feel like I've finally figured out what riding is all about, in terms of why I want to do it. It's not just a hobby, or a recreational activity. It's a real part of me and having to give it up even if only for a short time has been far more depressing than I thought it would be.
This month is going to be a tough one. So I'm going to ask some friends to help out. First, my wonderful friend Linda is going to submit a ride report from her trip to Alaska on her DRZ! She's sexy, smart and fun to be around. I think her ride report will inspire many of us out there to just get out there and RIDE.
Check out this recommendation of Icebreaker Wool products that my friend Rain Hayes submitted to me recently. If you're looking for a good option for winter baselayers, they're worth checking out. The features seem particularly useful for riding as well. Thanks Rain!
**** Just wanted to let you know about some IceBreaker merino wool products, if you don't know that brand. They make several 1/2 zip shirts in various weights- 190 is thin, 240 medium, 360 heavy,etc. I love this brand of clothing like no other. In fact, I express the weather in terms of what I'm wearing from them. "Cold out. 190 AND 360."
I like their shirts because the neck comes up high enough to keep me warm, but not so high it bunches under the chin. They have thumb loops, and are cut longer in the back, perfect for leaning over on the bike. Some also have great in-seam pockets that point toward the back so you're not scrunching over your wallet.
They also make a pullover neck scarf called a chute. I never leave home without it during the winter. It's double layered, awesomely warm, and not too bulky. (Their scarves are of the same double-layered fabric; I buy one, cut it into 4 chutes, serge the raw edges and give away to friends.)
The best thing about IceBreaker is that it's Merino wool, which in my opinion is the best garment fiber on earth. Warm in winter, cool in summer, breathes, doesn't get smelly like synthetics, and lasts forever.
Lombardi's carries a large selection and has frequent sales. Twice a year or so, they have a party with the IB reps. If you get on the mail list (they send coupons via text message), you get a special invite, free socks, and 30% off all IB products. And some good Australian wine.
No, I don't work for them. But it's a great brand.
www.icebreaker.com www.lombardisports.com (local SF shop) ******
