Three questions as I contemplate changing my gear before the next rally...

[Airportbum]

Ear Plugs - I use green foam ear plugs from Walmart. I love the cone of silence. I have not had too much of a problem with discomfort until this last trip to Texas. So much so that I couldn't wear them riding home. I notice on Justin Long's website that NONoise earplugs caused an eardrum to burst. I have ordered a pair of TheFitLIfe earplugs from amazon. Are there any others I should be looking at? I don't need speakers or anything like that, just quiet ear protection.

Suits - Currently riding with a Klim Badlands set bought in 2016. Been dry through the worst weather I could find in Canada and everywhere else. I have removed a couple of the pads for comfort. The neck is horrible just like everyone says. And it's heavy. I am looking at the Latitude and the Aerostich (both darian and r3). My question: Is there an advantage to the one piece vs the two piece suits during a rally? Or is it simply preference?

Gloves - I use Dearskin gloves. I use Aerostich rain covers, which have been great. Gloves are wearing out. What gloves should I be looking at for summer that are waterproof, or should I stick to the rain covers and what good summer gloves?

 

[CB650F]

I use these earplugs. The roll up foam earplugs always hurt my ears after a few hours and those don't. I also don't like the idea of getting contaminants from my hands onto my earplugs then trapping them inside my ear. I'm probably being a bit irrational there, but it is what it is. You can get the ones without the string for less than 50 cents a pair. I get them by the hundred because I use them every day at work.

I can't see there being a real advantage to a 1 piece suit over a 2 piece, but I've never used a 1 piece so I'm kinda spit balling there.

For gloves, I'd suggest a comfortable summer glove and rain covers. It's not the ideal solution for when it's raining, but you are likely to spend more time summer riding when it's not raining so that's what I'd prioritize. Rain proof gloves will have an extra rain proof layer. That's 1 extra layer of bulk that you don't need when it's not raining.

 

[bikerbill]

I can't answer 2 or 3 but for 1 I like these Mack's Silicone Earplugs

 

[Auburn]

I switched from custom molded ear plugs with speakers built in to Ear Peace they offer great noise protection, come in two sizes, and the filters are amazing. Sound is really good. I can wear all day easily. If I do multiday rides, I use a dab of Neosporin in my ears to protect them too.

For suits, I am a huge fan of leathers. I wore a Dianese 2 piece suit for 15 years. I still have it and it is still very comfortable. I carried a set of raingear from REI. Gortex pants and jacket with removable hood. I would put them on in the rain or on very cold days to cut the wind. I use to not wear heated gear at all.

I replaced them last year with Aerostich Transit Leather since they started offering them again. They can be zipped together so they act as a 1 piece suit for safety. They are waterproof and feed my need for leathers. The leather thing goes to my road racing background. They come with the pads. But they are damn comfortable to start with. I wear LD comfort long johns and long sleeve shirt under them. I did break down and get a Aerostich heated vest to go with the leather. I barely turn it on on very cold days (<35 degrees). EDIT: I replaced the Aerostich heated vest with a Warm & Safe heated jacket. It has more heat zones, including your arms. Works much better than the aerostich vest did.

I got their Elk skin leather gloves to wear. The leathers do need some time to break them in. I also carry a set of Lee Parks gloves, and a set of waterproof gloves in my top case for backup.

EDIT: the leathers are 2 years old now and they just get better with age. Very comfortable, great weather protection. Love mine.

 

[Brenchley]

I use Eargasm Earplugs, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019M576XW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

Rather than just plug the holes in your head, they filter sound. They're comfortable and I can wear them all day. I also wear them during excessively loud music concerts.

I wear a mixed bag of two piece items, Klim, Triumph gear and/or Bilt mesh. Depends on environmental circumstances as to what's worn. Two piece gives me more flexibility.

To keep my summer-weight gloves dry, I wear Aerostich short triple digit glove covers - they haven't let me down. And, the looks amuse my wife and kids.

 

[EricV]

Earplugs are a personal thing. What works for one person, may not work for another. TheFitLife plugs you mention are 23dB rated rather than the more common 29dB - 32dB rating of many foam ear plugs. I've used that style while in the military and didn't care for them. They did have a big advantage for some in that they come in different sizes.

There should be a Safety Supply company somewhere near you. They typically carry a multitude of both throw away and re-usable ear plugs. It may be helpful to buy a handful of different styles and brands, (they are cheap for a pair or two), and see what fits and works best for you. I like these 3M industrial ear plugs and my wife prefers Howard Leight Laser Lite plugs. Both are available in corded or un-corded style. I buy them by the 200 qty box as needed.

I've used Now Hear This custom earmolds www.plugup.com that can be had with or w/o monitors. My experience with them was mostly positive, but I found them to not be as quiet as foam plugs and more likely to case irritation during multi-day riding. Some also suffer from conductive noise with earmolds. There are hard designs out there as well as silicone versions.

Suits - I see a big advantage with one piece suites if you need to wear them over street clothes. Beyond that, it seems more like a preference. No belt to restrict is a bonus for some shapes. Nothing to separate or leak in between jacket and pants. Quick on and off for mid rally hotel stops. Sometimes super nice to be able to strip to base layer w/o removing your boots. (Many riding pants offer that too, with longer leg zippers)

I put about 200k on a Darien and changed to a Latitude, which I still ride in, with a bit over 100k on it now. It leaks sometimes, but I may be guilty of not washing it as often as I should and forgetting to put it in the dryer to re-activate the Goretex. I have sprayed it with external waterproofing a few times. The Latitude is much lighter and more comfortable than the Badlands. If I was buying today, I would look at the Klim still, but might go back to the Darien since most of the issues I had with it's design have been corrected/updated. (collar flapping, collar abrasion, etc) I loved that I could zip/unzip the pit vents on the Darien while riding. I rarely succeed in doing that with the fussy waterproof zippers on the Latitude and it's mesh lining that gets caught in the fine zipper teeth when trying to zip up.

Gloves - Like a lot of riders, I'm a glove whore. I always have 3 sets with me. A lightweight, no gauntlet perforated pair for summer riding, a pair of elkskin gauntlet gloves that can work from 40F to 80F comfortably and a stupidly expensive, but really waterproof and lightly insulated pair of Klim gloves for rain and cold. Finding insulated waterproof gloves that fit your hands can be a challenge. When I found some, I just bought them. No regrets. Heated grips and hand guards help that too.

When you look at gloves, consider retention and knuckle guards as part of your process. We tend to roll when we crash and hands flop sometimes, which is when that knuckle guarding really helps minimize injury. I prefer elkskin over deerskin since it's tougher in abrasion resistance and still comfortably soft and flexible. If you prefer non-gauntlet style gloves, consider the Competition Elkskin Roper version with it's better retention strap over the standard elkskin ropers. All are shown at the link in the paragraph above.

 

[Tep_52]

I have had both the one piece road crafter and the two. The one piece is quicker to get into and out of while the two piece give you more flexibility. Ie. When I stop for a meal and rest break with my two piece I can take the jacket off and I am still wearing pants to walk into a establishment. Also when I am close to home I am more likely to grab the jacket for a quick run down the street

 

[Stephen!]

Anything stuck in your ears in a high vibration environment will eventually become uncomfortable without some mitigation. We use these: https://www.earfuze.com/collections/frontpage/products/fuze-music

A couple pointers to make these the most comfortable possible:

1. While waiting for them to set up after molding, chew a large wad of gum. That way they form to the actual shape of your ear. Otherwise the area where your jaw meets your ear will get very sore after three or four days at 20 hours a day..

2. Before daily use, coat the inside of your ear, where they make contact, with something like neosporin. Keeps things lubricated and keeps them from rubbing you raw.

 

[DrNeo]

When I went on a search for what ear plugs work best for me I ordered the 32-pair "Foam Ear Plug Trial Pack: Just The Highest NRR!" from the Ear Plug Store. I then spent some time riding with each in, seeing what I liked and didn't like - take notes! I now have a several different pairs that I can use for multi-day, long rides (12 hours+), that don't cause any problems.

I'd vote that for a timed rally, the one piece is superior - 1.5 zippers and you're out. However, comfortability is more important than easy on/off in a multi-day ride.

I also use the Elkskin ropers with the Aerostich covers and I think that's a great setup. They dry fairly quick if I'm just in a quick passing storm and seem to work well across multiple temperature ranges. Again, gloves are very personal.

 

[Charles H Wright]

Ear Plugs - I use green foam ear plugs from Walmart. I love the cone of silence. I have not had too much of a problem with discomfort until this last trip to Texas. So much so that I couldn't wear them riding home. I notice on Justin Long's website that NONoise earplugs caused an eardrum to burst. I have ordered a pair of TheFitLIfe earplugs from amazon. Are there any others I should be looking at? I don't need speakers or anything like that, just quiet ear protection.

Suits - Currently riding with a Klim Badlands set bought in 2016. Been dry through the worst weather I could find in Canada and everywhere else. I have removed a couple of the pads for comfort. The neck is horrible just like everyone says. And it's heavy. I am looking at the Latitude and the Aerostich (both darian and r3). My question: Is there an advantage to the one piece vs the two piece suits during a rally? Or is it simply preference?

Gloves - I use Dearskin gloves. I use Aerostich rain covers, which have been great. Gloves are wearing out. What gloves should I be looking at for summer that are waterproof, or should I stick to the rain covers and what good summer gloves?

 

[Charles H Wright]

I love the one piece Aerostich it's quick and easy to put on and like my friends that have 2 piece suits I would not separate them.

 

[cjmckay]

Re: Hearing Protection - You might be interested in the following series of articles. After reading, I settled on Moldex Sparkplugs.
Also - if you want hearing protection and audio - I use THESE.

 

[Ctdair]

Was lucky that prior employer paid for custom molded plugs. Do not recall NRR. Almost 25 years wearing all types of hearing protection (Mandatory job requirements) Since I’ve started LDR use the custom molded and although they probably have a lower NRR the comfort to me is the best.

 

[Russ Black]

These are the earbuds I use with my Cardo Packtalk and these are the ear plugs I use with my Sena's that don't have the ability to use earbuds. I have used both on week+ long rides without any issues. Which communication system I use depends on whom I'm riding with. I also ride with just the earplugs when I'm riding solo or with a haphazard group ride.

 

[keithu]

Counterpoint on suits:

I have a two piece Roadcrafter Classic and a one piece R3. I've had the R-3 for seven years now but I still find the two piece easier/faster to put on and take off. The problem with the R-3 is you have to start the main zipper up at neck level which I have never found to be natural. I still struggle with it after seven years.

The two piece is also more waterproof. I still get a wet crotch sometimes with the R-3 in heavy rain. That has never happened with my 26 year old two piece Classic. And it's easier to manage heated gear wiring with the two-piece. I could go on.

The only advantage for the R-3 in my experience is that it's unlined, so it's a little more comfortable in temps above 80F. Otherwise the two piece is better in EVERY way.

I plan to buy a Darien next because it's unlined but has all the benefits of a two piece. It's too bad they don't make a two piece R-3, that would be the ultimate LD suit.

 

[Shawn K]

It's too bad they don't make a two piece R-3, that would be the ultimate LD suit.

They do. It's called "Darien jacket plus AD1/ Darien pants".

 

[Sportsterpaul]

While I second the AD1 pants, great, I have no experience with the Darien jacket.

 

[cacomly]

I love the one piece Aerostich it's quick and easy to put on and like my friends that have 2 piece suits I would not separate them.

One big advantage to separate jacket and pants vs. a one piece is if you need to do any walking you can take the jacket off.

Also, going to the bathroom gets a little more complicated with a one piece. Next time in a bathroom stall take a look at the floor in front of the toilet and ask yourself if you'd want the top of your one-piece riding suit laying there

Just something to consider ...