TOP TO TOE
1 Helmet: Shoei Hornet ADV £439.99
www.shoeiassured.co.uk I’ve used this RIDE Recommended lid for two and a half years. It’s a brilliant choice for adventure riders who spend most of their time on the road, but still fancy the odd dirty excursion. It’s extremely comfy with a plush liner, quiet at speed and, crucially, stable at speed — impressive given the prominent peak. No internal sun visor, so I bought a dark visor — fairly quickly changed, apart from having to take the peak off. Venting could be better, even once you’ve whipped out the chin curtain, as it does get warm off-road.
2 Jacket: Weise Dakar Adventure £269.99
www.weise.co.uk A well-priced, decent-value adventure jacket using a 600-denier polyester outer, a back protector, Level-2 shoulder and elbow armour, a removable waterproof liner and a removable thermal lining. It feels bulky with everything in place — for this month’s Group Ride, I left all the removable bits (including the storm collar and pop-on bum-bag) at home, improving it greatly. With all four vented panels (two on the chest, two on the back) and the arm-length zips all opened, it’s pleasingly breathable too. Had it a year but some of the stitching has frayed or come undone, most frustratingly on a Velcro patch that holds one of the front waterproof pocket flaps shut.
3 Trousers: Weise Dakar Adventure £209.99
www.weise.co.uk Super-snug (and slightly sweaty) with both the waterproof and thermal liners in place — like the matching jacket, the trousers feel a far better fit with it all taken out. Knee armour is standard, but hip armour is a £12.99 extra. There are large zip-away vent panels on the thighs, and the ankle cuffs are wide enough to fit over bulky adventure boots. Regular pockets are tiny, but ‘cargo’ pockets on thighs are handy. Full-length waist zip stops troosers falling doon when standing on the pegs.
4 Boots: Sidi Adventure Gore
www.sidiselect.co.uk These are the original Adventure Gores, now superseded by the Adventure 2 Gore (£319.99). I’ve had them five years and they’re quite possibly the most relentlessly impressive and trustworthy bit of kit I’ve got. Yes, they’re a big investment, but after thousands of miles across countless countries on three continents [alright, get on with it — Ed] both on and off-road, with zero maintenance or care, they’re still incredible. Never let in a drop of water, even standing in a stream. Never hurt or pinched. Reassuringly sturdy, with great feel for the controls. I don’t believe any product is faultless, but I can’t come up with any fault for these.
5 Gloves: Knox Orsa MX
www.planet-knox.com Thin textile glove with excellent feel and breathability for off-road use. Mine are getting on for five years old now, the current Orsa OR3 (£79.99) using an updated design. Hard knuckle and scaphoid armour offers at least some protection, though these definitely aren’t for day-to-day road riding. The quirky Boa wrist closure system is a bit fiddly but far slimmer, neater and easier than Knox’s Handroid race gloves (p80). I often get hard calluses at the base of my fingers after wearing them, though in fairness that’s probably more to do with my white-knuckle grip on the bars as I head off-road, rather than a fault with the gloves. MARTIN FITZ-GIBBONS
“Quite possibly the most trustworthy bit of kit I’ve got”