Hot weather commuting

With the purchase of my third bike I have decided to start commuting to work regularity since it’s impossible to ride 3 bikes over the two day weekend.

But first I needed to get some gear that I could wear over my work clothes, that I could remove easily and wear in very hot temperatures and also cooler temperatures and in the rain.

I didn’t want to spend too much money

I didn’t want anything black or dark colored

I wanted mesh or vented textiles

I wanted the zip-out liner to be waterproof, not the jacket itself

I liked the looks of the Olympia Airglide and I found a pretty good deal at motoliberty.com on last years model. It looks close to this years, my jacket has stripes down the sleeves, this years doesn’t and the liners are different.

BTW, superb service at moto liberty, including a nice e-mail letting me know when the stuff would ship and really quick service. I placed the order on a Monday and I got the stuff on Thursday.

As for the gear, I got to test it out today in 90+ degree weather. I wore jeans under the pants and a t-shirt under the jacket, I was comfortable even sitting in traffic. The gear is pretty comfy, the pants are size 4 and a bit too big on me, but considering that I’m wearing them over jeans, I think I like them a bit loose, plus once I zip the liner in, they will be snug and puffy.



Airglide jacket and pants

I’m actually confused over thickness of the material on this jacket, it’s says it’s 500 denier, like my Marsee jacket, but in reality it’s thinner stuff. The jacket is a small and fits nice when the liner is in, without the liner the sleeves are a bit too wide and flap in the wind a bit, not too bad.
The only issue I really have is with the armor. It moves around in the jacket too much, since the armor just sits in these hanging pockets. The armor is CE approved Motion Flex, it’s thicker stuff, not that foam stuff, but I just think it could be secured better so it doesn't move around. Another thing, the pants ride up on me a bit, the bottoms are kind of narrow, not the biggest deal I guess.



Back of jacket

Over all I can’t complain for the price I paid, it’s pretty decent and the thin-sulated waterproof zip-in liners for the jacket and pants are really convenient. I do think thing I look like a dork wearing it though, I feel like an astronaut or something, I think I’ve been wearing leather for too long.

Olympia Ladies Airglide
Outer shell constructed in 500 denier DuPont Cordura® with ballistic airflow mesh panels.
Waterproof, Thermolite® insulated liner jacket
Removable CE approved Motion Flex armor at elbows and shoulders
Removable CE approved Motion Flex articulated back protector
Cool mesh airflow lining
Custom Fit detailing at collar, cuffs, elbows and waist.
Comfort neoprene collar and neck inserts
3M Scotchlite® reflective piping at front, sides and back.
8” connecting zipper for pants
Five storage pockets