The kit effect

There is no getting away from the fact that bike kit has come a long way in the past 20 years. Back in 2000 back protectors weren’t as common, riding jeans were an oddity and airbag jackets were fantasy — and the attitude we have to wearing it has changed, too. But the real improvements have come in the last few years, thanks to the EU. Forcing bike kit to be classed as Personal Protective Equipment and rating and testing it for many different aspects of protection has made kit firms work harder to genuinely protect bikers. Expect this to affect figures in years to come.