Clothing and Accessories
All my kit here was purchased with my own hard earned cash, although I did get some free lube…
- Rukka suit; Ridiculously expensive but in my opinion worth every penny. I actually enjoy ridiing in the rain now due to the smug satisfaction that I get for being completely dry! Us females are also somewhat limited when it comes to riding gear so it was great to find something that fits, flatters and keeps the rain out. After a few years riding all year in summer leathers, freezing my t*ts off and having the rain roll down my legs and fill up my boots I decided that it was time to invest in some decent kit, especially with such a long adventure planned. They have a 5 year warranty and the knee was leaking slightly, I sent my trousers back to be fixed and Rukka sent me a brand new pair, amazing service! I got the trousers in England but purchased the jacket from Europe as it was about £200 cheaper, definitely worth shopping around!
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Altberg boots; what can I say, these are awesome! They’re predominantly a hike boot with ankle protection and reinforced areas for gear changing. I got these off the shelf at a bike show but if you go to the factory in Yorkshire they will make them to measure. These were snug across the width when I first got them but now they’re broken in they’re near on perfect. He did say if they were still too tight to mark off with chalk where and send them to the factory and they would stretch them to fit, free of charge. Again great service and nice to support a British company.
- C3 Schuberth flip-up helmet; I had a standard Shoei helmet before this one and although it was a great looking helmet it drove me nuts. It was a faf to put on as I wear earplugs so as soon as you put it on the earplugs would move and I wouldn’t be able to get them back in properly. It hurt like hell taking it off and it just ended up being a massive pain (literally!) so I’d end up leaving it on which made eating and drinking entertaining! I love having a flip-up helmet now it’s awesome. It goes on like a dream, I can re-adjust earplugs easily and I can eat and drink without getting in quite as much of a mess. Also great for when you stop to talk to people as you can flip it up and they can see your face, couldn’t get a better helmet in my opinion. Oh and it has a brilliant sun visor and it’s really quiet too! Winner.
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Oxford heated vest – must have accessory if you feel the cold! I purchased this before we rode to the elephant rally in Germany in winter and I can safely say I wouldn’t have been able to do it without this. Lovely and toasty although I did find that when we were riding at night and it dropped below about -5 I wasn’t exactly warm but it did take the edge off it! We’ll see how it goes during winter in Canada…watch this space!
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Oxford heated grips – another must have accessory. Although they did burn my hands at one poin,t once it gets cold they’re amazing and make all the difference! You won’t regret investing in a set of these for chilly days and nights.
- My gloves are a random make and are leather with goretex, they were brilliant until a furry critter decided to nibble through one of the fingers, little fecker… Gaffer tape to the rescue!
Does the bike actually put out enough watts to power this stuff, or maybe just one at a time?
Hey Jim, I’ve got an after market 100 watt generator so can power everything at once. Grips are 25w and lights 10w which leaves 65w for a heated jacket and/or socks if you wish!
Hey Rachel, useful info there for us C90 users about the 100w generator, is this the Ooracing one?
Hi Malcolm, it is indeed! Goes straight on and has been great so far, no problems. If you’re after a bit more power for lights/heated stuff etc I highly recommend it!