The gray skies of the past week had vanished when I got up to ride to work yesterday. The sky was clear and the sun was dazzling as it burst over the horizon and illuminated the 26° F atmosphere. I had to stop just to look at the Vespa in light that was gloomy for a change.
At that temperature riding gear is important for protection against the elements. Riding to a few appointments I realized that I had a lot of stuff on and that it took some time to gear up for my ride and felt it worth a few lines here to take a look at the why and what of riding gear protection.
I always wear protective riding gear. This is independent of weather. As protection from a potential fall or crash I always have a full helmet, armored jacket, armored pants, boots, and gloves. For me this is the minimum. I see a lot of scooter pictures and ads showing riders happily zipping along with nothing but a half helmet and tennis shoes. It looks stylish but anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that a style horse I’m not. I’m perfectly content to wear the same thing everyday.
My point is not about safety or protection as much as it is about the ritual involved in gearing up everyday. And with the onset of cold weather I have even more stuff on. Yesterday morning I walked out to the breezeway where I keep my gear already dressed for work. I pull on my Tourmaster Overpants and then put on my Wolverine boots. Over top of my shirt I put on my Mountain Hardware windstopper jacket, push in my earplugs, and pull on a Mountain Hardware ski mask. Then the First Gear Kilimanjaro IV armored winter riding jacket. Off come my glasses, I pull on my helmet, put my glasses back on and last pick up my riding gloves from the toasty radiator and head for the garage. It takes a few minutes to put this stuff on. When I am at work and leave for a lunchtime errand I have to do it all over again. Each time I stop I have to take off the helmet, ski mask, and sometimes the earplugs if I need to hear well. And then put it back on to ride to the next stop. Until I developed a ritual around this it was a chore to gear up. It is a habit now and I am grateful for it.
I’ve spoken to other riders who comment to me about how over dressed I am and they express either their impatience at having to put so much on, it looks weird, or they like feeling “free” when they ride. I’m always left thinking that impatience, looks, and feeling free isn’t a good trade off against an unprotected fall or crash. But that’s just me. So I gear up.
I kind of like the look now. Sometimes when running into people as I enter my office I’ll respond with a hearty “trick or treat” or use Gary Charpentier’s “I’m a Power Ranger” line. That always gets a chuckle. Either way, I’m content with what I’m doing.
I do use earplugs almost all the time. I started because I wanted to protect my hearing but what I really like is the quiet. I can still hear the engine and surroundings fine but all the wind noise and high frequency noise is gone. I find I am less fatigued by a long ride and can pay more attention to the things that matter.
One last thing that was interesting yesterday. When I got to work I was the only two-wheeled vehicle. When I came out at lunchtime I was happy to see a Harley Dynaglide guarded by two Vespa scooters.
Anonymous says
I’m right with you on the gear thing. When I was a kid, minimum clothing to ride the dirt bike was boots, pants, longsleeve shirt, gloves and helmet. No exceptions. Now that I’m grown, I wouldn’t dream of riding without the full compliment. After hearing about a few wrecks where folk’s faces were disfigured, I also switched to full-face helmets. Just makes sense, especially with healthcare costs being so high.
My wife wants to join the Vespa Swarms with a black LX150 w/tan seat. She prefers open-face helmets, but plans on purchasing a full-face or a flip-up when she gets her own scooter.
John
irondad says
Scooters are becoming more and more common here. A popular radio personality recently took our course and she bought a Vespa. She talks on the radio about riding the scooter to work. Just not many ride in inclement weather.
One thing I tell my students is that whatever you bring to the party is what you dance with. People run shorter errands so they skip gear. Most accidents happen within 25 miles of home. Gee, that sounds like a dangerous place. Maybe I should move!
Anyway, the reason things are called accidents is because they’re not planned. There’s no time to call “Time out!” and go get the good gear. Whatever you have is what you have.
Don’t you find that being comfortable also helps you concentrate more on riding and managing risk? That is, if you can still move.
I enjoy the ritual, also. I’m still in my frustrated fighter pilot mode. Gearing up with the final act of snapping the visor down makes me feel ready to do battle.
Thanks for the great posts, lately. Looks like you’ve put a lot of thought into them.
Dan
Steve Williams says
combatscoot: It didn’t take too many stories of wrecks to convince me. Even riding a scooter I knew that the road didn’t discriminate and not choose to maim scooter riders.
I’ve seen a black and tan Vespa. Very nice looking. My wife wants a scooter too and I’m looking forward when we can ride together.
irondad: You’re exactly right about no timeout. I absolutely have to be comfortable when I ride. Even with all my gear I can move fine, walk far. I feel uncomfortable without it now.
And in the cold I absolutely need it all to keep warm!
The Pastels says
when i started to ride a scooter, i was a bit uncomfortable wearing full gears but then education did a lot why i switched to wearing one. some people just trade off their safety for fashion and wrong impression. so just like you, i have come to love the ritual of wearing proper gears.
great blog.
Steve Williams says
The Pastels: Fashion has a lot of sway in people’s decisions. Unfortunately in riding it can have disastrous results.