What's the difference between leather and material? Im a newbie!

littlelady · 05-04-2008, 1:08 PM

Hi, i've just passed my CBT and was wondering which jacket would be best to get, leather or material?

CBR929RE · 05-04-2008, 1:13 PM

leather because it offers superior abrasion resistance compared to textile.

Carolina_954 · 05-04-2008, 1:15 PM

your major differnece between leather and textile, is abrasion resistance. A good thick leather jacket will hold up much better than textile jackets. The trade off is weight and heat. Leather jackets are very heavy and you stay very warm in them. There is one exception to this rule. I was in my local cycle gear shop looking at jackets a few months back. They showed me a Dianese textile jacket that had been proven by an independent firm to outlast leather on their abrasion resistance test. The jacket was very light, but cost just as much as a leather jacket. For most road applications, your main concern is impact protection though, as you will not be doing 300km/h very often. you want good protection at the shoulders, back, elbows and forearms. I personally wear a textile jacket, as I don't plan to be racing around town too often. I guess it also comes down to personal preference on this one.

leatherken · 05-04-2008, 1:55 PM

leather has saved my hide more than once you should also have elbo, shoulder and back protection

slickwill · 05-04-2008, 3:21 PM

I had a mesh jacket and a fully armoured textile jacket that were given to me with the bike. They were both brand new and fit perfect so I didn't see any reason to go with anything else. Then I decided that I wanted to ride on the track so I started shopping for leathers. Once I wore my new A-stars leather just once I've never been tempted to put on the other jackets even though the mesh would be cooler in the summer and the touring jacket would be warmer in the winter. The leather is so much more substantial and the armour is top notch.

daveyboy · 05-04-2008, 3:55 PM

Leather will give you far better protection than textile . Saying that i had a
textile jacket when i rode a 125cc but it had all the shoulder /elbow protection in it . Then got leathers after passing test it,s just individual
chioce and what you can afford

daveyboy · 05-04-2008, 4:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveyboy

Leather will give you far better protection than textile . Saying that i had a
textile jacket when i rode a 125cc but it had all the shoulder /elbow protection in it . Then got leathers after passing test it,s just individual
chioce and what you can afford

Excuse my manners as i forgot to

you aboard

LoopyLee · 05-05-2008, 7:19 AM

Welcome to the forum.... congratulations on passing your CBT.. I did mine last year and passed my test this year...
With regards a jacket I'd suggest you go to a bike shop and try a few on and see which you prefer... with the summer (supposedly

) coming up its going to get warmer and you might be better off with a textile jacket.. but leathers are better in the winter (at least I think so) and do offer better protection.. but at the end of the day its your choice as to what you buy..
I saved a ton of cash by buying both my leathers on ebay.. I paid £10 for one of them and £12 for the other..... and both were in very good nick...

HondaGalToo · 05-05-2008, 7:53 AM

Leather will give much better protection than most textiles (Cordura). If you are going to be commuting, etc., another good option is a suit like the Aerostich Roadcrafter, which is a good cordura suit with elbow and knee padding. You should consider pants in addition to a jacket, as jeans don't hold up very well should you fall. Don't forget good boots and gloves and helmet, too!

Welcome!!

jrocket · 05-05-2008, 9:01 AM

I bought a textile jacket when I got my bike and rode that way for a year. I felt like I was fairly well protected. It has somewhat adequate ventilation for warm-weather riding here in Texas, but sitting in traffic I'd still get hot. For Christmas, my lovely wife got me leathers and now that I've ridden in them I'll probably never go back to textile, regardless of the heat. I feel so much better protected and safe.
Ditto on HondaGalToo's advice...good gloves, boots, and helmet!
J

FB1000inPA · 05-09-2008, 2:14 PM

Leather is the best. Don't save on your gear. Get good stuff. Hopefully you never will test it but if it happens give yourself the best possible chance for survival.

littlelady · 05-09-2008, 5:03 PM

Thanks everyone, i'll go with your advice, Leather all the way! It seems like the safest option

TattooedGQ · 05-09-2008, 5:48 PM

Absolutely. Like most have been saying, I got a textile jacket with all the armor when i first got my bike. I saw a sick deal on a leather jacket on kneedraggers.com (it was actually less than my textile) so I bought it. First time I wore it it felt so much more substantial than my textile. I rarely wear the textile anymore unless i know i'm not hitting any major highways or parkways, and its daytime. The textile is black with some red grahics, the leather is bright, Michael Jackson, Thriller, red.(I could have gotten the black for the same price, but I wanted to be visible at night) Make sure whatever you get you keep visible.