I’m planning to buy my first bike in the next couple of months (), but right now I’ve got enough saved up to go buy all my equipment. I want to be prepared to ride my bike home should I buy one for cash on the spot. For now I need to get:
Helmet
Gloves
Jacket
Boots
The Store I’m Looking For
Please could you recommend me with a store as close to central London as possible that I could find all this gear in, with a good range of options and good staff to offer advice on what to get for myself.
I looked around on Google Maps, but would love to get some suggestions from anyone that’s had good experiences shopping around London for this stuff, as I’m quite a n00b and want to spend a fair bit of money on my safety gear, so want solid advice on that from staff.
Any Other Kit Recommendations
Any suggestions on any other equipment I should get besides what I’ve listed would be great also! I’m planning to get security accessories and things such as tank bags (etc.) after I get my bike so I can get ones best suited to the bike I get.
Both have loads of kit on hand for you to check out and try on, from basic stuff right up to rather pricey stuff.
A little bit out of town, down South is https://www.helmetcity.co.uk/ who have billions of lids on hand to try. Also have a reasonable amount of kit too.
Personally I wouldn’t try to get it all in one place though I can understand the appeal of that and that it is sometimes the only way.
But be warned, you’ll be reliant on what they have in stock so might be pressured to buy something then and there
A shop that has everything in equal measures won’t have as much of everything and with gear, you probably do need to spend quite a bit of time trying different brands for fit, as well as different designs within each brand. Particularly when it comes to helmets, it takes time to find one that fits right so make sure the shop check it fits properly (as do you)
Is the central London limitation because of where you live?
Personally I bought my lid from helmet city, my gear from bikestop in Stevenage. But I’ve bought from all over the country…
In any case, I’d also go with Gavin’s suggestion… can’t go wrong with some dainese (textile or leather). Good quality and look great. I have their gtx gear (and a set of leathers) and has been great, even after a crash.
If the helmet you buy doesn’t have internal visor, consider getting a tinted one, it’s a lifesaver on a sunny day for me.
I’ve had good experiences in the various Infinity stores, knowledgable enthusiastic staff, happy to recommend them.
I wouldn’t be rushing into buying everything at once. Your taste/needs will change when you get your bike and see what sort of riding suits you. Will you be commuting in all weathers? Will you only use it for sunny Sunday blasts? Will you need to arrive at business meetings in a presentable state? Or will you be doing multi-week tours? These all need different kit.
Even helmets come in different flavours depending on what sort of biking you will be doing.
Another word of advice would be: don’t get fixated on any particular brand. Fit and comfort is king. Try different brands and see which one fits you best.
And yes, I agree with @eezie look carefully at the safety ratings and don’t skimp on it.
I’ll add my support for Infinity here. Always found them great, especially the Chiswick store. In terms of gear itself I am a big Furygan fan, I’ve walked away from some scary stuff that could have been really nasty and genuinely credit the gear with saving my life.
What bike are you getting? Make sure you put aside some money for security. Bike locks are not cheap and you will want something secure. There are some good threads here about security, or just ask. (Abus is my go to here. Anything £100-200 for a lock, but worth it in my opinion.)
You’ve not included any leg protection. However, the majority of motorcycle injuries are lower limb ones. So I’d suggest adding some form of riding trousers or Jean’s to your list, preferably with separately worn knee armour.
Oh, and avoid anything made by Frank Thomas, it really is the most appalling shite.
It is like crack because once you buy one Dainese garment you find yourself buying another because only they use Opti-lon zips and if you want the pants and jacket to zip together they have you addicted to one supplier.
I bought my first leather jeans that way, then a matching leather jacket. A few years ago when I needed to replace my textiles I decided to go the Dainese route so I could zip in the leather pants. Now I find my jeans have - ahem - shrunk and it looks like I’ll have to buy another Dainese pair to keep the show on the road.
You might want to.consider a set of base layers. Can really help keep you warm in winter but also to wick sweat in summer and keep you dry.
Also, a balaclava is really helpful to keep headphones in and also keep helmet a bit cleaner. I have both a very thin silk one and one from Oxford which is thicker and warmer but only really use the silk one.
Thanks all! I appreciate this forum, love how involved everyone is.
Sooooooooooooo
I BOUGHT A BIKE.
I went into Infinity Clapham and bought a bunch of gear and a bike. The worst part is that the salesman probably didn’t have to try that hard because I’ve spent the last 12 months thinking about getting a bike.
I’m really really happy with my gear. Since I felt confident with it all in terms of fit and safety, and the prices were competitive to what I’ve seen online, I purchased:
Shoei GT Air II
Dainese Leather Jacket
Dainese Boots
Gloves (can’t remember the brand)
Kevlar jeans (can’t remember the brand)
And of course… an all black Yamaha MT-07!
900 miles on the clock
1 year old
Datatool alarm and Bike Trac tracker installed
Aftermarket LED indicators
It’s also the bike I did my DAS on
Of course discount was included on both the gear and the bike:
Helmet - 10% off
5% off the jeans and boots
Dainese Leather Jacket was already discounted by £70
iPhone mount worth £90 included for free
£650 off the bike (Paid £5,350)
Going to pick it up in about an hour or so. Will post a photo later!
Hope I made some sound choices, but glad to hear others here are fans of Dainese. As soon as I put that leather jacket on, I knew I was having it.
Don’t worry about having ‘all’ the kit, you’ll slowly slowly workout what you want and what you need. You have a complete set that will keep you safe, so you’re on to a good start!
), but right now I’ve got enough saved up to go buy all my equipment. I want to be prepared to ride my bike home should I buy one for cash on the spot. For now I need to get:
I went into Infinity Clapham and bought a bunch of gear and a bike. The worst part is that the salesman probably didn’t have to try that hard because I’ve spent the last 12 months thinking about getting a bike.
