Speed and Strength’s True Grit Armored Moto Shirt pulls off the trifecta of trying old skool and informal, whereas additionally being a well-equipped piece of technical using gear.
Back within the twentieth century, bike gear was one among three issues: old skool, technical, or informal. Old college is what you consider with The Wild One and Easy Rider — a number of leather-based, chaps, engineer boots, and so forth. It’s heavy, it’s sizzling, and in the appropriate crowd, individuals will know you’re kinky as hell.
Technical gear got here in lots of variations — typically leather-based (however at all times the lightest and strongest). This using attire was typically produced from nylon, plastic, and aramid fibers, however was at all times just a bit geeky. And to imitate regardless of the type was in sportbike racing, you may also discover vivid colours or fluorescent material alongside the useful grays.
Casual was simply that, informal. At the time, these had been the fellows who made the remainder of our insurance coverage premiums excessive, using in sneakers, hoodies, and denims (or much less).
Thankfully, that was a distinct time. Starting across the 12 months 2000, issues started to vary. Lines had been blurred. There was (what regarded like) basic old-school using gear (jackets, pants) that was truly a technical marvel of safety and visibility, with hidden armor and reflective strips.
Same with informal gear. Sneakers had metal shanks and armored ankles. The denims got here with hip padding and aramid-reinforced impression zones. And then flannels, like this one.
In quick: The Speed and Strength True Grit Armored Moto Shirt ($130) leverages technical supplies and development to supply safety whereas giving off an excellent informal vibe. It trades the burden and expense of a standard jacket for a modicum of security in a stealthy package deal.
Speed and Strength Armored True Grit Moto Shirt Review
While the True Grit Moto Shirt seems like only a flannel shirt from the surface, a couple of key options assist make your experience a bit of extra comfy and loads safer.
Contrary to what you may suppose, street rash is the rider’s worst enemy. Bones will typically heal, however when you’ve acquired unhealthy street rash, an an infection can set in and trigger actual issues, and even dying. Your pores and skin is the primary line of protection in opposition to germs, and high quality using gear just like the True Grit Moto Shirt helps you retain your pores and skin in your physique when you end up sliding down the street.
If you select to take action, eradicating the armor is straightforward and smooths the shirt’s profile for off-bike errands, an evening out, or when you simply need to layer up in chilly climate.
The Speed and Strength Armored Moto Shirt comes with belt loops for attaching your using pants to the jacket, which helps stop street rash in some fairly delicate areas, like your again and stomach. This function additionally helps preserve the shirt from using up within the wind.
Pop the snaps, drop the zipper, and the within of this shirt is a distinct world.
The double fasteners on the entrance present that what seems like a shirt is way nearer to a jacket in construct high quality. The zipper will assist safe your armor the place it must be to guard you. It has a slick poly liner that makes getting out and in of it straightforward. Expansion gussets within the shoulders enable the jacket to remain put or stretch when your arms are on the bars.
You additionally get entry to an inside pocket (like a jacket would have) in addition to all the armor panels within the elbows, shoulders, and backbone.
True Grit Armored Moto Shirt Features
- Fabric: Cotton-polyester blended body with four-way stretch
- Armor: Removable Vault Chain-Link C.E. Level 2 (shoulder, elbow); Level 1 (backbone)
- Shoulders and arms bolstered with aramid fiber
- Reflective trim
- Hidden YKK most important zipper opening
- Snap-down collar
- Shoulder growth gussets
- 2 snap pockets on the chest
- 2 zippered hand-warmer pockets
- Internal stash pocket
- Belt loops for pant attachment
True Grit Moto Shirt: Size It Up
The True Grit Armored Moto Shirt has a reasonably tailor-made match, which in-shape riders will in all probability love.
If you’re like me and will lose a couple of kilos, you may need to get it a dimension up out of your standard jacket. I’m 6′ and 210 kilos. The giant dimension was a bit of snugger than I’d want, despite the fact that that’s my dimension in most jacket manufacturers.
Out on the street — on somebody used to sporting the technical/old-school hybrid gear I discussed above — the moto shirt feels virtually like being bare, for higher or worse.
The cotton-poly mix shell blocks the wind at not-quite-windbreaker ranges — undoubtedly lower than a jacket — and weighs little or no. It feels extremely free, however for somebody used to extra weighty attire, I felt barely anxious.
A Technical Riding Jacket Replacement?
Is it nearly as good as a real technical jacket? Hell no. But it leverages the know-how inherent in a single (armor, principally).
Speed and Strength has made this using jacket look tremendous informal and much better than the factor it pretends to be: a informal flannel shirt.
There’s not as a lot safety and never as a lot climate versatility as technical jacket. Leather and heavy Cordura will block the wind (and typically rain) totally, but in addition let it in through vents when wanted. But the True Grit can also be a fraction of the price of a totally armored and vented all-weather jacket, and much much less cumbersome.
True Grit Armored Moto Shirt: Pricing & Availability
One final benefit of the Speed and Strength True Grit Armored Moto Shirt is versatility.
It shines within the summertime, including safety with out a lot bulk. In chilly climate, it may be used as an underlayer, however you’ll have to take out the armor for extra consolation. You can put on it casually and have a safe interior pocket for storing keys, a pockets, and so forth.
As an individual with quite a lot of gear, I solely use this moto shirt for informal using. But in case you have fewer items of package laying round, it could fulfill a number of roles.
The MSRP for the Speed and Strength True Grit Armored Moto Shirt is $130.
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