With clever magnetic hooks on the foldup chest vents and decent sized back of shoulder vents , combined with the fact that Gore-Tex breathes , this kit will be doing plenty of summer rides . With cunning magnetic catches making use a breeze with gloves and rear vents ( jacket off for those ones ) giving extraction , the versatility means it is a genuine all-season jacket .
HANDS The Revit ! Gloves I chose , the Livengood GTX , have what I refer to as a flush or flat gauntlet , which is a real gamechanger for the insideoutside-inside sealing baffle . By that I mean jacket sleeves inside the gloves ’ flat profiled gauntlet to provide an almost watertight seal and the wet kit over top of said gauntlet to finish off . Not always ideal with higher uphill cruiser ‘ bars but for level or downward slope , it works . Water will make ingress due to wind and capillary action with a single non-sealed overlap .
What the double-baffle technique will do is mean any rain that sneaks past is low pressure , and that is something that next U-turn can usually cope with . The gloves are Gore-Tex as well , so rain has to try to go around , not through . The Seesoft knuckle armour is soft and pliable yet gives great CE 2 protection and insulates , so cold knuckles in winter are a thing of the past . So , during winter , when that extra double-glazed effect of wearing wets helps with my toastiness , that ’ s job done . The fastening system is a welcome variation in touring gloves , using a twoin-one double fastener / release for ease of use . The wet kit I use ( yup , I will do that ...) also has a tallish collar that reaches up into my helmet , again preventing direct access to the elements . Riding sans wets does mean that you will eventually feel the cool drips of rain sneaking past your defensive line . In summer ? A few drops getting past my gear is not the end of the world and Gore-Tex breathes better than most , even with vents closed to stonewall the H2O . I hate wearing non-breathing wets when it is hot and humid , so naked Gore-Tex all the way . And what suits your riding position may be different . Do you have a screen ? Riding a naked bike makes getting that watertight thing running is always harder . The wind and rain hit at full force , making the seal challenge more intense . The wet overjacket fits snugly in the massive rear lumbar pocket of the jacket .
DOWN BELOW With my wallet aching already I conceded a touch on the pants . Not much though , and I was curious about the new adventure-type kit . The Revit ! Component H20 utilise a Hydratex membrane , and to be honest , has defied every drop of rain thrown so far . Weirdly , the temperature drop is more marked on my legs than my Gore-Tex clad upper bits . The difference being the Gore-Tex shucks from the surface more than the membrane immediately beneath does . The pants do have panels to deflect wear and tear on the inside of your lower legs plus effective quad vents , so with wets on the really crap days , they were purchased with versatility in mind . It took a wee while to sort getting dressed with
KIWI RIDER 35