I have the Olympia Moto Sports gear: GT Air All Seasons Transition Jacket and the Men's Airglide 2 Mesh Tech Over Pant (http://www.olympiamotosports). I have found this gear to be very versatile and comfortable. However, I became interested in the CyclePort gear based on feedback from some fellow riders. That gear can be found at http://motoport.com/.
I purchased the Kevlar Air Mesh Jacket and the Ultra II Kevlar Pant. I chose the option for the Quad Armor upgrade. Since I didn't find a detailed report of the gear, I thought I would post my initial review.
Summary for those of you who don't want to read a lot:
Overall impression: Good
Pros:
Excellent Protective Features
Well constructed
Reflective tape easily seen at night
Cons:
Heavy apparel (but you don't really notice it when wearing it)
Needs a breaking in period
Won't fit in your scoot storage
Pants to Jacket Zipper difficult to connect
Jacket with thermal liner is tight in the arms
Description and initial impressions:
I selected the Air Mesh Jacket for use during most weather conditions: summer to winter temperatures. The air mesh material is rough to the touch, but it provides great protection while still letting the air flow through. I have a TourMaster mesh jacket that feels like nylon, too baggy, and little protection. The CyclePort jacket beats this hands down.
For the pants, I elected to go with the stretch kevlar and not the air mesh. The pants do not have an insulated liner option, so I chose fabric that does not have as much air flow. In addition, the Air Mesh is rough to the touch and I saw posts that the Air Mesh pants scratched some paint on motorcycles.
Both fabrics are a Kevlar blend designed to have a high abrasion strength and tear threshold. I have worn the gear under a variety of temperature conditions: 50 to 75 with just a wicking T-shirt and light shorts underneath (no liners in the gear), low 40's with the thermal liner in the jacket, no liner in the pants but wearing light cotton kahki's, and waterproof liner (thermal omitted) in the mid 60's. The only time I approached being uncomfortable was when I was riding in the low 50's with no liners and just a T-shirt/shorts on. I was chilled in the arms and chest, but not so bad that I couldn't ride. The pants kept me warm throughout the ride. I did have trouble connecting the jacket to the pants with the connecting zipper. The starting point of the zipper is around my right side, and you hsve to lift the pants up to mate with the zipper connection. It is awkward positioning.
The instructions say to wear the gear without the liners for at least two hours to "break in" the armor. My initial break in period was about 4 hours of riding. I found the armor stiff, particularly in the back of the jacket. However, the next day I went to ride, the gear felt comfortable. I can see that over time, the armor will mold to my body shape, but even though clearly stated on the web site, I didn't appreciate the break in that would be required.
The Quad armor is as advertised. It is soft enough to provide impact protection, but not too soft that it fails to do the job. In fact, it is much better (to the feel) for protection than the C-E armor in my Olympia gear. (I know, feel is not a scientific test of armor protection, so don't chide me about that.)
Putting on the pants seems awkward at first, because you have to put your left leg in the partially opened pant leg, then wrap the right side and leg around you and then zip up the entire right leg. The pants are heavy, and the waist is constructed higher than where I wear my pants, so they tend to drop down a couple of inches. I understand the high waist, because it gives overlapping coverage with the waist jacket, but it is difficult to keep the pants up so that the knee armor fits. The knee armor (particularly the left leg) tends to rotate to the outside of my leg; something that needs to get fixed. I'll let you know how my conversation with CyclePort (Motoport) goes on altering the pants. Even with these minor deficiencies, the pants are comfortable and provide great protection from the kevlar material to the armor for the shins/knees, the thigh, and the hip padding (hip padding is not armor). The only thing I wish I had was butt armor to wear at work, but that is another story altogether.
The website advertises that the gear can be put in a washing machine, armor and all, to clean. When you get the instructions, however, they say to only wash it in a front loading machine (which I have). I assume that they would need to be washed by hand otherwise. Given the construction of the gear, I'm not sure why you can't put it in a top loader unless it is the weight of the gear that could cause problems during the spin cycle.
The following pictures show the features of the gear.
All in all, I'm pleased with the purchase. The gear is pricey, but is definitely made to protect. I'll report back regarding any corrective alterations to the pants.
The first picture shows the Air Mesh Jacket. The gray material is the Air Mesh; the black material is stretch Kevlar.
This picture shows the inside of the jacket with the armor. The back armor is broad in the lower back. The “side†armor actually covers the ribs and part of the chest. What is not shown is the armor inside the sleeves. The shoulder, elbow, and forear
The next picture shows the back of the jacket. The reflective tape is glowing from the flash of the camera.
The pants picture shows pockets that are actually on the side like cargo pants. There is a velcro/zipper flap on each pant leg to give you access to the inside of the pant leg, reaching the pockets of the pants worn underneath.
The inside of the pants have armor for the thigh (upper armor in picture) and the knee/shin. The photo is of the right leg, with the zipper opened up fully.
The last picture shows the edge of the Quad armor. It has a three ply dense foam covered by a thicker armor padding.
