Bike Shed Resistant Gear Review

[Hugh Janus]

Morgan Gales on the 2021 BMW R 18, wearing Bike Shed’s Resistant gear line. (Jeff Allen/)

When it comes to riding gear, there are generally two schools. There’s the “all the gear, all the time” crowd who puts safety first, commonly referred to as ATGATT, and there are those who choose lighter gear for comfort and style. As a team of riders, the Bike Shed crew knows this well, so the company took a very intelligent approach to its new gear line: Make one of each. And so its new line comes in two forms: protective and resistant. Today, we’re talking about the Resistant line: a stylish pairing of single-layer protective denim jacket and pants that are lightweight and comfortable, but hide some moto-centric and lightly protective qualities within.

<strong>Left to Right:</strong> The Overshirt is available in black, seen here, or in raw indigo like the jeans; Back view of the Bike Shed Overshirt in black. (Jeff Allen/)

The Overshirt is a classic four-pocket chore coat made of an 80 percent cotton, 20 percent Covec woven fabric. It is simple and unlined, feeling just like heavyweight cotton—strong but soft with no stretch. The front of the jacket closes with a zipper, and then large, sturdy, riveted buttons which are branded “BSMC” over that. The two upper breast pockets are closed with the same buttons, as are the cuffs. Snap buttons keep the collar from flapping in the wind, and there’s an extra layer of the Covec woven protective fabric, made with liquid crystal polymer yarn, over the elbows.

Branded buttons and a small patch are the only visible branding on the Overshirt. (Jeff Allen/)

The jacket fits slim, but not tight. I’m on the slender side and have plenty of room to move around, but it doesn’t flap around in the wind. I can comfortably fit my Forcefield Sport Jacket (an independently armored underlayer) beneath it if I am doing some more aggressive riding or just want some padding. The upper pockets are big enough for my wallet, but not big enough for my iPhone, and as there is no closure to the hand pockets I get a little nervous about putting my phone in there. There is a zipper on each cuff that helps to cut wind when fully zipped, though that one piece does seem a little superfluous.

Bike Shed Resistant Jeans fit slim but not tight, and a little bit of stretch makes them very comfortable. (Jeff Allen/)

A great complement to the jacket, the BSR01 jeans look casual and fit comfortably. Bike Shed’s Resistant Jeans are essentially just a normal pair of five-pocket jeans, but better. They’re made of a similar blended fabric to the jacket, but with only 10 percent Covec, 88 percent cotton, and 2 percent elastane to give them a little bit of stretch. These are an unwashed raw indigo finish, so they’ll naturally fade and look better over time. Fit is slim and tapered with a traditional five-pocket design. There are no pockets for impact protection, so there’s no extra fabric around the knee, just like a normal pair of jeans. Thanks to the stretch of the fabric, it would be possible to wear some impact padding underneath if you so desire, but that’s not really what this pair of jeans is about.

A leather patch on the back of the Bike Shed Resistant Jeans. (Jeff Allen/)

In the weeks that I have been wearing these pants they have stood up to plenty of abuse. Whittling is a hobby I have acquired recently and I once slipped, catching the fabric with one of my knives but not cutting through—I was very glad I had them on. One piece of thread has come out of the back pocket, but I quickly snipped it and it hasn’t been an issue. The indigo has just begun to fade at the knees.

Morgan is 6-foot-4 and is wearing an XL Overshirt, and 32L jeans. (Jeff Allen/)

So are these the most protective pieces of gear you can get? Absolutely not. But they’re an awesome alternative to normal street clothes, if you’re the sort of person who likes to look like you’re not wearing moto gear. The jeans will run you 140 pounds, which is about $180 USD, and the jacket costs 220 pounds, or about $280 USD, so surprisingly they’re actually on the middle-lower side of stylish riding gear pricing. I have been wearing them daily for in-town riding and they’re great for warm days. I have even worn the jacket to a couple of nice dinners, as it’s just that dang good looking.

For more information, or to get a look at the more protective line, check out bikeshedmoto.com.

Source

[Pedro]