What is your favorite piece of gear?

[snydes]

Not saying which is the most important, but what one thing do you say "man I like this" every time you put it on? For me it's knee brace socks, I have a pair of Fox Racings product and I love them. Keeps the knee braces (and even knee guards!) from rubbing against your skin and the socks stay put. Leatt also has a pair and I'm sure there are others. If you wear knee braces and don't already have a pair, I'd highly recommend them.

 

[Philip]

My favorite piece is the Oakley Airbrake googles.



They were expensive, about $200, but after a short while I realized they were worth it. Very clear vision, easy lens cleaning, best eye protection, and most importantly for me -- they do not squeeze my nose and let me breath much better than any other googles that I tried or owned.

A word of warning - you can wipe the lens with a damp or even dry cloth from the outside, but do not do this from the inside -- this will scratch up the inside of the lens.

Under my knee braces I use neoprene sleeves. The brand is Tru-Fit, but I haven't seem them around recently. They are just simple neoprene, and they help my bad knee tremendously by keeping it compressed and more stable than the knee braces alone. They can be hot, but some heat is better than pain later. I also started using either Mobius knee brace sleeves under the neoprene sleeves, or Nike Mens Pro Hypercool Tights as knee brace sleeves and underwear (do not laugh!).

Another great purchase was Fox Instinct boots. They were very comfortable right out of the box, and quicker to put on than the Alpinestars with their booties.

 

[Oded]

Are you all using knee braces? I'm using simple knee guards, and not sure if the inconvenience of braces is worth it.

For me, the Airoh Aviator helmet is by far the best purchase I made. Weighs only 1000 grams and very well ventilated. Fits like a glove.

 

[snydes]

Actually I am not currently using a brace, I just use Leatt enduro guard knee guards. They are pretty good on there own but unless you have all the Velcro straps perfectly in place after you pull your pants up over them they will be a constant annoyance. The socks take care of all that.

A good fitting light helmet is a great thing, the less stress on your neck the better!

 

[Philip]

Thanks for reminding me about helmets, Oded. I love my 2013 Airoh Aviator 2.1 Six Days. Best color scheme that I have ever owned. It is light and comfortable. But I have still been looking for something that vents as if I am not wearing any helmet at all.

Leatt GPX 5.5 was a candidate, but I am not sure if it vents significantly better.

So, this LS2 Subverter came up on my radar a few months ago.

It has huge honeycomb covered vent holes everywhere, and it claims to have an "ultimate ventilation" with 35 vents. I just ordered it, it was just a hair over $200 from Revzilla. I will let you know how it goes.

EDIT: Oh crap! It weighs 3.4 lbs (1.6 kg) and is made in China. Dammit. I still want to try it though. Returns are cheap.
EDIT EDIT: Do not buy this LS2 Subverter helmet. The vents are semi-fake, mostly for styling. The cheek pads are not as supportive or as comfortable as in the Airoh.

 

[Oded]

LS2 helmets are considered to be the the best value for money over here. These are solid helmets, although 1.6kg is definately on the heavy side.

Actually, helmets (and boots) should be fitted before purchased. Glad to hear they can be returned.

Knee braces vs knee guards is an ongoing debate over here, with no definite conclusion...

 

[Philip]

Knee braces vs knee guards is an ongoing debate over here, with no definite conclusion...

No such debate where I am at. Knee braces incorporate knee guards, plus they keep the cartilages and ligaments protected, which is something that, once damaged, cannot regenerate itself like bones can.

I was an idiot that I didn't spend $2K on custom knee braces earlier.

 

[Elite Motorsports]

No such debate where I am at. Knee braces incorporate knee guards, plus they keep the cartilages and ligaments protected, which is something that, once damaged, cannot regenerate itself like bones can.

I was an idiot that I didn't spend $2K on custom knee braces earlier.

I second that! I had ACL surgery a little over a year ago (hockey injury) and can without a doubt say that knee braces are worth every penny! I prefer the POD knee braces as they are low profile, fit in your boots, and have a removable knee cup allowing you to use them for other sports (skiing, running, hockey, etc.). The PODs are also user serviceable which drastically increases their usable life.

 

[C5tor]

My favorite piece of gear is my Sena 20s wireless intercom setup. It makes riding with my kids SO much simpler, enjoyable, and safe. When I was first teaching my boys to ride, I would have to yell at them over the noise of the bikes, gesticulate wildly to articulate my directions, and they would of course still ignore me. With the intercoms in place, I could simply speak in a normal voice to tell them to give the bike gas, or that it was time to shift, or that it was time to finish up. On the trail, it is really nice to be able to tell them what to do (like "Take a left at the next fork" or "Riders coming on the left" or "I'm running low on fuel, so we need to head back to the truck.") I usually ride at the back of the pack to keep an eye on them, and I can give them directions verbally from there, instead of having to lead the pack and not know what was going on behind me. On open ground, I can talk to them over 1km away. I can often still talk to them even if I can't see them. In hilly terrain, the range is a bit more limited, when hills can block some of the signal. The added bonus is that I have it linked to my phone, so I can place calls via voice command, get turn-by-turn directions, and listen to music. While the setup is more focused on street bikes, I think the application on dirt bikes is highly overlooked. I haven't used it beyond my family group, but I could definitely see this working great for a larger riding group. I think it can connect up to 8 or more riders, depending on the model, and I think there is a way to expand that by linking to other grouped intercoms. It can even work with other manufacturers intercoms. Overall, the best investment I made for our families riding enjoyment and safety.