Summer riding

[Rocketman]

I usually am slow to change gear, wearing my summer gear late into the fall, and my winter gear late into the spring, but I think this is the latest I've ever done it.  Going out for lunch at mid-day in winter gear was just stifling today.

Mark

[Willow]

Winter gear, Mark?  In Houston?

Sometimes I'm slow to change my gear also.  In fact I get caught rather regularly by the rev limiter.    

[steve 3054]

Ordered my first pair of over pants, I here you can wear shorts underneath them and stay rather cool in the summer heat and still have amor protection...gonna givem a try!!!

[Rocketman]

Winter gear, Mark?  In Houston?

Sometimes I'm slow to change my gear also.  In fact I get caught rather regularly by the rev limiter.    

(:
Dag's first visit to Houston was when he discovered the difference between what we call winter gear and what he calls winter gear.  He brought what he thought was a nice cool jacket, regular summer gear for Norwegian riding.  It's heavier than my winter jacket.  He rode with us in April, and was roasting before 10AM. 

[Rocketman]

Ordered my first pair of over pants, I here you can wear shorts underneath them and stay rather cool in the summer heat and still have amor protection...gonna givem a try!!!

I have full mesh pants that I wear shorts under.  The pants keep the sun off, let the wind through, and I'm as cool as I can be in August.

Mark

[HayHauler]

The high was 90 degrees F today.  It was HOT on the way home today.  Yea, I wore my JR Phoenix jacket without the liner today. 
Mark, you are rotten. 

Hay
Jimmyt

[Rocketman]

Mark, you are rotten.  

Who, me?

[..]

Written by me in June 2009

Joe Rocket Phoenix 2.0 Mesh pants.

The box arrives and I think this feels heavy. Hope I got the right order.

Yep all that's in it is the pants I ordered. That should have given me my first clue about them.

I unpack them and hold them up in my right hand and for comparison I hold my Draggin Jeans up in my left hand. These Joe Rocket mesh pants are heavier.

OK now to try them on. Yep, they fit OK around the waist but I'll use a pair of Sidewinder suspenders for a bit more support because the waistband doesn't feel very grippy.

http://www.amazon.com/Bucket-Boss-61103-Sidewinder-Suspenders/dp/B000022448

I look down at the pant legs and W.T.F. They are as baggy as a gorilla suit I rented 31 years ago. Maybe I don't have them zipped up correctly. Nope they are all zippered as should be.
The cuff measure 14 inches across, Draggin Jeans 9inches. Oh well, maybe this is part of the design of mesh pants. Baggy to allow air flow?

I take the mesh pants off and turn them inside out. W.T.F There are 2 layers of mesh material. A thinner inner layer so that armor pockets can be created and a thicker outer layer. This results in them being thicker than the area with Kevlar in the Draggin Jeans.

Even standing still I can feel the heat on my legs from the pants. I'm wearing shorts under them. Oh well, maybe they will let the air flow once I'm on my ST scything through the air.

The following day I'm off to join some riders for a ride up to NE GA and other points on the compass.
Mesh pants on over shorts. Long over the calf mixed blend socks and a pair of heavy over the ankle leather boots. The socks and boots are ones I always wear.

I've adjusted the knee armor so that it feels reasonably as if it's in the correct position whilst I'm sitting on the bike.

Out of the garage and away I go. It's 68F outside and the first few miles I have to ride are at 35 to 45 mph. I can feel the cool air coming through my First Gear jacket but not through the Joe Rocket pants (had to buy Joe Rocket to get the fat bastard size I needed). I'm sure this is due to the superior aerodynamics of the ST fairing.

Onto the freeway and now at 70 mph I still can't feel any air coming through the mesh pants. I stick a knee out into the breeze and yep now I can feel the air.

All day I had to put my knees at right angles to the bike to feel any benefit from the mesh pants. THEY ARE HOTTER THAN DRAGGIN JEANS.

My right calf got roasted from the engine heat which OF COURSE passed easily through the mesh construction. My right leg felt hotter than when I rode west to east across Kansa on a 100F + day.
The waist band area is padded and that retains heat. The knee armor pockets allow the armor to flop around like a landed fish.

What a terrible, ineffectual design.

These are being returned and I'll buy another pair of Draggin Jeans.

[Rocketman]

I've had much better luck with mesh pants than that, and wear them all the time in Houston summers.  I like 'em a lot.

That being said, I don't think the original poster had intended for this to be a gear discussion.  I think he is just a jerk who wanted to take a verbal poke at our poor brothers up north who have not seen temperatures above freezing in many moons, and he's bragging about the wonderful spring days in Texas.  Personally, I won't bother to respond to such a mean-spirited jibe from an ill-mannered ass.

Mark

[Rocketman]

Well, I spoke too soon.  I had to put the winter gear back on today.  I think it got below 60!