Moose Racing Agroid Gear (Pant, Jersey, Gloves)

Editors Note: Ben wrote to us via email about trying out some gear and even though we normally DO NOT use readers tests we thought it could be a cool way to give you an outside perspective on a set of gear that is not tested by myself. Ben is just your average guy that loves to ride and race on weekends. -KK

Written By: Ben Ingold

The podiums of Monster Energy AMA Supercross and FIM World Championship, Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship and the MX Sports Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s are typically filled with large gear brands such as Fox, Thor, Fly Racing, Troy Lee Designs and Alpinestars. However, the podiums of off-road racing series such as Grand National Cross Country, World Off Road Championship Series and Kenda AMA National Enduro series are often filled by riders wearing gear a little different than riders who stick to motocross tracks.

The Moose Racing Agroid line is marketed as a lightweight, flexible and high-quality line of gear and the jersey, pant and glove msrp for $49.95, $139.95 and $24.95 dollars, respectively. Agroid is Moose’s entry into the lightweight gear market currently filled with lines like the Fox’s Flexair, Fly Racing’s Lite, Thor’s Prime Pro. I recently purchased a set of Moose Racing’s 2021 Agroid gear from Rocky Mountain ATV/MC and have ridden and raced in it multiple times. I race the 25+ C class in the Mideast Hare Scramble series located in the Carolinas and am 6 foot 2 inches and 205 pounds. I wear a size large jersey and glove with size 34 pants.

 The Agroid jersey is exceptionally light as advertised. It is made of a softer material than my pervious jersey, the Fly Racing Lite, and has a drop tail in the back to stay tucked into the pants. The sleeves on the jersey are noticeably longer than other modern jerseys in the market and taller riders may appreciate the full coverage the Agroid provides. The jersey does not have ventilated side panels like competitors, but air does flow nicely through the material.

 The Agroid pant is also lightweight and flows air well. The fit is looser than the Fly Racing Lite pant, but is still very much an athletic cut. The pant has a buckle closure in the front and two Velcro straps on the sides. The pants do their job of staying in place while allowing good mobility on the motorcycle. The fitment of the pant was true to size with plenty of room in the knee for my braces. The leather on the inside of the leg of the pant is larger than I am used to and is wearing out quicker than I had hoped. Lastly, the length of the pants is on the long side, like the jersey. 

 The Agroid glove has a Velcro closure system and the first thing I noticed was the thicker palm than competitor’s gloves. The gloves provide good grip on the handlebars and do not bunch during riding. Air flows well through the gloves and picky riders should be happy with the Agroid gloves.

 Moose Agroid is a solid set of gear and comes in at a price point below the mainstream motocross gear companies for a similar product. The jersey and pant flow air very well and do not feel like a cheap set of gear. This gear is for the blue-collar rider that does not want to break the bank but still wants the latest technology in fabrics and fit. This gear also is for the taller rider who is tired of jersey sleeves and pants coming up while riding and not fitting their larger body how they would like. Additionally, the Agriod line has a “retro” theme for two of the sets of gear and it is quite eye-catching. 

 I think Moose getting into the lightweight gear game is a good sign for the company. Moose is expanding their racing effort and their gear has also been seen recently on the Pheonix Racing Honda team in supercross and Kicker AMA Arenacross. Kyle Peters took Moose to a podium at the Arlington 2 250 West round. I look forward to the next big thing from Moose racing. 

Learn more about Moose Racing’s line of products at: https://www.mooseracing.com

Thor Terrain Off-Road Pant And Jersey

Although I ride year around, winter in Southern California is my favorite time of year because it means wet dirt, awesome traction, and prime trails. To me there’s nothing better than taking off from the truck on a cold morning into the unknown of a good trail ride. This time of year also gives me the chance to try some new off-road riding gear form various companies. Thor’s original roots may be in motocross, but they also have a long history in off-road racing and trail riding. I was pleased to see that they hadn’t thumbed their nose at us off-road riders and had a new line of off-road specific gear called “Terrain”.  I received the gear just before a good rain, and when the sun came out the next day, I was on my way to Kris’s house to put it to the test.

The Terrain jersey is made from a four-way stretch material and has abrasion resistant sleeves to minimize fraying when riding through thick brush. The paneling is vented to promote airflow, and raglan style sleeves have only one seam underneath the arm to try and minimize snagging. The pants are made with rip stop paneling in the high wear areas, use double and triple stitch seams and have full grain leather inside the knees for grip/durability. There are two external pockets with waterproof zippers and one internal hip pocket. There are waterproof zippered vents for better airflow when needed, and the waist uses a dual clinch to keep everything snug. 

The Terrain jersey has a great cut when it comes to fitment (I’m 6’ 175lb and wear a large). Unlike a lot of off-road gear that can be baggy, the Thor jersey is form fitting without making me look pregnant after having that trailside beer. The stretch material on the neck is also a comfortable fit, not being too loose or too snug.  The venting works well, almost too well when its cold out, but that’s where the Thor Jacket /Vest comes in handy (keep an eye out for a review) the material on the sleeves feels a little stiff to the touch, but when on the trail it’s nice to not worry about snagging a bush and fraying your new jersey. Foliage tends to brush off the jersey instead of snagging and caching a seam. 

When putting the Terrain pants on I noticed that the legs from the mid-thigh down were on the snug side and I really had to push to get my leg and braces (Asterisk) far enough down so that the waist would be far enough up on my hips. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and chalked it up to them being brand new and stiff since it was so cold outside. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case because I had to repeatedly fiddle with the mid leg sections of the pants due to them feeling tight enough to hinder my ability to move around on the bike. Since the pants felt sucked down in the knees, it made the waist slightly low and of course the crotch area didn’t stay high enough, so I found myself at every stop stretching out the crotchin order to situate the pants. That being said, the front button and double latch were comfortable and never came undone. Speaking of the crotch area, where there is traditionally a zipper, the Terrain pants have a panel that is always connected and just folds open or closed when buttoning or unbuttoning the front of the pants. When it comes to having a bathroom break on the side of the trail I found it hard to open the pants enough to get my junk (or stream for that matter) to clear the flap. The protective paneling worked well to fend off traditional off-road obstacles, but was no match for the new DR.D head pipe that doesn’t have a heat shield.  While the paneling may have melted, the leather inner knee area hardly showed any wear from the hot head pipe even after many close encounters. The zippered vents worked well and it was nice to have the option of opening or closing them dependent upon the temperature. Pockets are very important when it comes to off-road pants, whether it be for carrying your phone, some gel packs, or some spare tools. The placement of the pockets on the pants was less than ideal for a couple of reasons. One is that they are very hard to unzip in the sitting position, especially when wearing gloves. Secondly, that no matter what I stored in them, whenever I bent my hip, whatever was in the pockets, either limited my mobility, or jabbed into my hip/thigh.  

I didn’t get a chance to try the Terrain gloves as Thor sent me some Draft gloves that were minimal for off-road protection, but very comfortable and although minimalist, they seem to be holding up well. One thing that is always a downside to off-road gear lines, no matter the company, is that there are limited colorways, but that’s simply due to the fact that the volume of off-road gear sold doesn’t justify the cost of investing into multiple colorways.  With the Jersey coming in at $59.95 and the pants retailing for $139.95 the Terrain off-road line of gear is on the pricey side for what you’re getting. With that said, just a few refinements would greatly improve functionality and mobility of the Terrain gear. 

 -Michael Allen (michael@keeferinctesting.com)

Fly Racing Patrol Off-Road Gear

By: Michael Allen

Being a test rider I have had the opportunity to test almost every brand of gear on the market. Doing so has really shown me what works and what doesn’t when it comes to gear design, fit, function, durability and overall quality. Being that I ride moto, but really love off-road, I have found that although most moto gear looks and fits better than off-road specific gear, moto gear never seems to last as long as off-road gear. Why? Because to me off-road gear is designed to be abused out in the elements, most moto gear is not. I was looking at the Fly Racing website while getting information for my review on the new Patrol jacket (https://www.keeferinctesting.com/gear-2/2020/1/15/fly-racing-patrol-jacket) and I came across Fly’s Patrol off-road gear line. I was going to be racing the Tecate Enduro and figured this would be the perfect test to see how the gear would hold up. If you’ve ever raced Tecate you know just how hard the tight Baja single track can be on jerseys and pants. It seems as though the bushes in Tecate reach out and grab you and it almost never fails that I come home with at least a ripped jersey. 

I ordered black Patrol XC pants (they offer an over the boot version also) as well as the Patrol jersey in maroon/black, and the Patrol XC lite gloves in black. When the gear showed up, I tried it on and was very pleased that the size of the pants as well as the jersey is true to size (and also has extra adjustment both ways). I have big hands, so you know what that means (I wear big gloves) and in most cases I order XL gloves, which I did with the Patrol set, but these XL gloves seemed to be a tad on the small side. Just note that they still fit around my hands, but took a little tugging to get on. 

The Patrol jersey uses mesh, multi paneling to help with ventilation while trying not to compromise performance or durability. The cuffs have a relaxed fit in order to not squeeze your writs too tightly while riding. Unlike some off-road gear the Patrol pant/jersey wasn’t baggy and was even slightly form fitting. It wasn't super tight where it looked like Spandex, but had the perfect amount of material for my 6’ 185-ish pound frame. The jersey also features a slightly longer tail to stay tucked in and it did just that for the hundreds of miles that I logged in this gear. For being as vented as the Patrol jersey is, it has held up surprisingly well and has yet to rip. My only complaint about the jersey (and this is going to sound weird) is that it vented too well. Since I have been riding a lot in winter, the massive amount of air flow can sometimes be too much and if I started the ride without my vest, it tended to be pretty chilly when I would stop on the trail. I think it would be great if Fly offered the same style jersey with a little less ventilation for colder climates. 

The Patrol XC Lite glove offers more protection than your typical moto glove, but slightly less protection than the Patrol XC glove. Going on looks alone, they look like they wouldn’t be too comfortable because of the slightly bulbous knuckle protection, but in this case, looks are deceiving. Like I mentioned earlier, the XL gloves were a little on the small side, but once on they were comfortable and I didn’t notice the knuckle protection at all, except when it saved my hands from the harsh Baja landscape. The gloves are secured with a Velcro strap which stays in place even when smacking trees. The area of the glove where the palm meets the writs started to tear after several uses, but I think this could be due to the gloves being slightly too small for my hands and me having to pull excessively hard to get the gloves on. We will be getting larger gloves to examine this further. 

The Patrol XC pants come in either black or grey and are offered in “over the boot” or “in boot” configurations. Inside the pants is a mesh liner for comfort and added ventilation on longer or warmer rides. Also to help with airflow, there are zippered vents that can be opened or closed depending on the weather. On hotter days my “manhood” really appreciated these vents as they really do add some airflow. There are also three zippered pockets integrated into the pants, which came in handy on more than a few occasions. The two front pockets are padded, which work perfect for a cell phone while keeping it protected and easily accessible. The third pocket is just inside the waistband and is just big enough to store an ID, credit card, and some cash. The knee panels are durable leather and have yet to show any signs of wear, but can mark up your shrouds when squeezing with your knees. The knee area is roomy enough to accommodate any knee brace, but also not super baggy and awkward looking so you don’t look like you borrowed your larger riding buddy’s pants. Riding off-road often has me out on the trail for many hours and the stretch ribbed panels make the pants extremely comfortable to wear all day long. To keep the pants secured Fly uses a zipper/ratcheting strap in front and one Velcro adjuster on the side in case you need a little more adjustment (some days I’m fatter than others). Overall, I was very impressed with the pants for two main reasons. The first is that they are SUPER comfortable for long rides and have the great fit to them. The second reason is because the options of having the vents open and closed is really handy along with having very functional pockets. 

The majority of the time when I ride off-road I wear moto gear and just deal with not having some off-road gear amenities. Usually I don’t mind, but the Patrol gear has really opened my eyes to how good off-road specific gear can get. The quality and durability of the jersey is impressive and I have yet to even have a frayed thread. The extra knuckle protection from the gloves really came in handy when my hands met the rugged Baja wilderness. Most impressive of all were the pants; the comfort, quality, ruggedness, and functionality was really a surprise. The Patrol pants have now become my off-road benchmark to which I will compare any other off-road specific gear I test in the future. The only real downside to the Patrol XC gear set is that the color options are pretty limited. Off-road gear that doesn't come in many different colorways? Shocking! I know! If you ride or race off-road, I highly recommend you look into the Fly Patrol gear set and give it a try. If you have any questions about the Fly Patrol XC gear, feel free to reach out to me at Michael@keeferinctesting.com. 

Patrol XC Pants-$ 129.95

Patrol Jersey- $38.95

Patrol XC Lite Gloves- $29.95

EVS TUG Core Temperature Regulator Vest

It’s already hot here in Southern California so I wanted to get the jump on some product reviews of some hot weather riding gear. EVS has their TUG line that stands for “Technical Under Gear” and in that line up are some cold and hot weather products that could be of some use for you riders out there. Technical Under Gear (TUG) products are built to enhance overall rider experience. EVS says that “TUG products features technical details that are designed to integrate seamlessly with protective riding gear for enhanced mobility and all day comfort”. Soft touch KWIK-DRI® fabrics are put in place to wick sweat from skin and help regulate core temperatures”. I will say that I normally DO NOT wear under gear and just go with the ol' under protector and jersey lifestyle, but I thought, hell, why not try something that may keep me cooler when testing here in the desert, these summer months. 

The EVS Core Temperature Regulator Vest is constructed of thin, strategically placed layers of super absorbent polymer that aid in the cooling of your body’s core temperature. Once saturated with water, the polymer is supposed to retain the cold temperature and slowly disperses around your core to keep you cool. There are elastic shoulder attachment loops for race collar compatibility, along with a four way stretch KWIK-DRI-Fabric that is supposed to wick sweat from skin and helps regulate core temperature. Finally there is another four way stretch airflow mesh fabric on the back panels of the vest to aid movement on the bike. 

Test Criteria:

I wanted to really check the longevity of the cooling benefits with EVS CTR Vest so I chose a couple specific hot weather days to test it in. The first day was a long durability motocross test I had to be at, in which temperatures peaked around 92 degrees with 32% humidity (I rode a couple hours “AKA four motos" without the vest on while testing and then rode another couple hours without the vest “four motos"). The second day was a long trail ride with some friends that had me in some canyons and situations that I would rather not discuss. That day the temps peaked around 96 degrees with 18% humidity.

Now before I put on the EVS CTR Vest I let it soak in my cooler for a few minutes (like EVS recommends) and then put it over my body. This is something I will never get used to! HOLY COLD SHOCK! Once you get over the initial shock (around 20-30 seconds) you will really start to feel the benefits of the vest. 

 I will say that I dislike the light shoulder padding built into the vest as I am looking for a minimalist design to hug my shoulders more. With the light padding EVS has sewn into the vest it will ride up over your shoulder rather than hug your body like the rest of the vest does. If you’re putting an under protector on over the CTR vest than you can disregard that comment, but if you're a “no protector” kind of rider, your jersey will look a little bulky around the shoulder neck area. Once you start riding and air starts going through your chest area you will immediately begin to see the cooling benefits. I noticed increased cooling around my body and although the EVS CTR dried a little over the course of two hours (still damp to the touch), my body was still cool against the vest itself. 

Under longer trail riding conditions, the CTR Vest proved to be better than I thought it would be. While we were gone riding over four hours the vest “almost” cooled me down the entire ride. I say “almost” because the last 45 minutes of the 96 degree ride I could feel less cooling benefits from the vest. As I got closer to our camp I could feel myself start to warm up slightly, but I wasn’t over-heating by any means. As I got to the van I peeled off the EVS CTR Vest and noticed it was completely dry, but also still fairly cool to my skin. I managed to do the same trail ride, without the vest, the following week (with temperatures a little cooler), but immediately noticed that I was warm around two hours into the ride. I could actually pinpoint the differences on the trail where I was warmer than the previous week. You will have to be careful when peeling off the vest if still wet as the seams will stretch out and lose its elastic integrity. You may need some help to pull it off so you will not have to stretch out the neck/arm area openings. If they do lose elasticity the vest becomes baggy and uncomfortable to wear.  

For the rider that likes to ride in the hot months of the year and possibly ride longer durations, this EVS CTR Vest could come in handy. For $50.00 it could be a good investment to ensure that you’re not the guy getting over heated in your motos or on long trail rides. I know I have personally left one in my gear bag at all times, just in case I decide to get all gnarly during the summer months. 

Hidden Gems (Klim Scramble Pak)

By: Michael Allen

For the second installment of “Hidden Gems” let me tell you about a piece of gear that goes everywhere with me, even if it means staying put in my gear bag while I moto. The Klim Scramble Pak has quickly become my fanny pack of choice over the years as I have tried many different brands, but never found one as comfortable/useful. My personal requirements for a fanny pack are simple: it can hold at least the basics (rag, wrenches, plyers, tow strap, crescent wrench, wire, zip ties, random bolts and nuts, quick steel etc), have a few different pouches, and most of all be comfortable! 

After years of trying different fanny packs, I came across the Klim when I was at Dirt Rider Magazine and we were going out for an off-road photo shoot. In these shoots most of the time it’s made to look like the rider is fully off-road when in actuality all the camelbaks and fanny packs are empty. After wearing the empty Scramble Pak, I was impressed with how padded the sides were and asked if I could keep it to test for a more long term useful opinion. The most uncomfortable part of fanny packs are the side straps that go around the waist which is where the Klim pack shines. The side straps have large pouches that are padded on the inside and actually hold a good amount of stuff comfortably. I usually put zip ties, a microfiber rag, my cell phone, and usually a snack in the side strap pouches. Even with the pouches full they never pinched my sides or gave me any hot spots. 

The main portion of the pack is large and has a place for pretty much everything. The base of the pack has large elastic loops that hold down tools like plyers, Co2 cartridges and screw drivers. The base also has a mesh zippered pouch where I like to keep quick steel, duct tape and bailing wire. The second flap has more elastic loops that hold smaller wrenches and other various tools. The third flap has a clear zippered pouch which is where I keep random hardware and a master link for trailside fixes. The main pouch closes with a zipper, Velcro, and two buckles, which keeps everything nice and secure. On the sides of the outermost flap there are now two places to put water bottles (mine is an older model which doesn’t have these) which is a nice feature if you need to take some extra water for those really long rides. 

The Klim Scramble Pak has held up so well after five years of abuse. It goes with me on every trail ride as well as always being in my gear bag in case I need something when I’m at the track (yes, I’ve had to help moto guys with “things” that came straight out of my fanny pack). The only small problem I’ve had with it was my own fault… I put my quick steel in the clear pouch and it got smashed into the zipper, so now the zipper is partially bonded closed. Shit! So if you aren’t worried about matching your fanny pack with your gear brand (come on off-road guys, we don’t care) go take a look at the Klim Scramble pack, because although most Klim stuff is expensive, at $69.99 (https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/klim-scramble-pak-p) it’s a great deal!

Fly Racing Women's Lite Gear

Editors Note: Jeannine Labbe and I have emailed back and forth for sometime and she recently reached out to see if I would like a women’s opinion on a few things. As I take pride in being a well rounded testing site, I agreed to let her evaluate a set of Women’s gear for all you lady riders out there. I only gave her one condition however… She had to be brutally honest with her findings. Below is Jeannine’s honest review of the Fly Racing Women’s Lite set of gear.

By Jeannine Labbe:

Finding a high end set of women’s gear is hard to do. Finding a high end set of women’s gear with clean colorways (or even more than one) is nearly impossible. FLY Racing’s Women’s Lite racewear checks both boxes, so, when Keefer offered to let me do a review for Keefer, Inc. Testing, I jumped at the chance. 

After receiving the Women’s Lite gear in Blue/Hi-Vis, we headed out to Little Sahara State Park for a few days of riding in it. Little Sahara has nice mix of dunes and sand trails, so it afforded me the chance to see how the gear worked when riding at speed, when shifting positions on the bike for steep hills, when transitioning from standing to sitting and back again through the trails, and even how well gear holds up to running through bushes and tree branches. 

The first thing that I noticed after putting on the gear is that it is really comfortable. Like wearing a favorite set of soft pajamas comfortable. The materials are soft against the skin and the overall feeling is really light. I typically change out of my riding gear between rides, but kept the FLY Women’s Lite gear on all day just for this review. I’d put in on before our first ride of the day and not take it off until after sunset, well after our last ride, when the temps dropped into hoodie territory. I must also say that I’m also a huge fan on the clean lines and colors of this gear set. The subtle addition of the darker shades of blue on the front provides nice visual contrast while also providing some camouflage if your belly is not as flat as you might want it to be. 

The Women’s Lite jersey features multi-panel construction with raglan sleeves, a tag-less v-neck Lycra collar, an extended tail, mesh ventilation panels down the sides and the inside of the arms, shorty cuffs, and sublimated graphics. The sublimated FLY Racing graphic is well placed to not look weird across the bust line, as can happen when graphics don’t span most of the length of a shirt or jersey. The choice of hi-vis on the blue colorway for the mesh inserts provides a pop of color, but it has the downside of being like a highlighter for belly bulges.

FLY refers to the jersey’s fit as women’s pro-fit. It has a slimmer fit with a cut that complements a woman’s curves. The sizing is close to being spot on, but might run just a bit large. I’m 5’3”, 145 lbs, and carrying about 15 extra pounds of baby weight (despite the “baby” having just turned 4). I fall between a medium and large, a problem I frequently have in street clothes, too. The medium jersey fit, but showed off my extra curves, so I opted for a large. It’s a bit loose, but not baggy. If you are considering two sizes, I’d suggest going for the smaller size if you are trim or don’t mind showing some bulges and going for the larger size if you prefer to better hide your imperfections. The v-neck is small enough to keep most of the roost out, but large enough to not feel tight. Sleeve length was nearly perfect for me, so it could be a bit short if you have longer arms, particularly if you wear a smaller jersey.

The Women’s Lite pant features a lightweight minimalist design, a ventilated mesh liner, 90% stretch panel construction, pre-shaped knees, leather heat shields, adjustable waist belts, leg cuffs with a removable elastic band, and sublimated graphics. The knees have a low profile padding in them that should provide some abrasion resistance and resistance against knee braces rubbing through. I don’t wear knee braces, but the knees are roomy enough that you should be able to run them without them getting bound up in the pants. 

As with jersey, the pants run fairly true to size, but a tad on the large size. I wear a size 10 jean and they are typically a little loose. The 9/10 Women’s Lite pants are very loose. The 7/8 pants fit, but looked like yoga pants. Since I didn’t feel comfortable wearing bright blue yoga pants on a dirt bike, I opted for the 9/10. As with the jersey, if you are between sizes and on the thin side, you’ll probably want to opt for the smaller size. If you opt for a larger size, the side belts gives you the ability to really cinch down the waist. I love the waist belt design. The belts just pull forward and attach with Velcro. They are much faster and easier to use than the old style where you run the belt back and then pull them forward through a loop. Their soft and low profile design is much more comfortable when you lean over, too. The pants also feature my favorite motocross pant closure system of a zipper covered by a Velcro tab. It’s quick to use and low profile. The pants sit below the waist and are fairly short in the crotch. They come with removable hip pad that have large holes in them to allow maximum air flow. The pants have enough stretch that the pads do not affect the fit, but they do add odd looking bulges so I opted to not wear them. The interior of the waistband has silicone grips that grab well enough to be uncomfortable if you try to untuck your jersey between rides.

The pants feel very light. The leather heat shields feel heavy relative to the rest of the pants, but that feeling goes away when you put on boots, which support most of the weight. The mesh liner, which goes to the knees, is soft and comfortable and its hi-vis color actually shows through the pants, giving the top of the pants a slightly more yellow color than the jersey. The pant legs, with their slim fit, lightweight material at the back, and mesh at the front, fit very comfortably into my Alpinestars Tech 7 boots. With my short legs and large pants size, I did have to pull the pant legs up and hold them in place with my boots to get the knee in the correct area. This didn’t cause any comfort or performance issues, though.

The FLY Women’s Pro Lite glove is a minimalist glove with a perforated Clarino palm and heart-shaped silicone grips on the first two fingers. The material on the back is form-fitting, stretchy, and features the same light to dark color pattern as the jersey. Clarino material wraps around the back of the thumb and a Velcro closure allows you to tighten the fit around your wrist if needed.

The gloves are a bit difficult to pull on. The opening is small enough on my size 6 (small) gloves that the Velcro closure is redundant. The unpadded palm is a bit thick for my taste, but only because I have small hands and run small diameter grips or half waffle grips with the waffles removed. The thickness of the Clarino on the palms made the grips feel large and ultimately made my arms pump up. After fighting it for a couple half hour rides, I finally had to switch to my thinner Thor Void gloves. I wanted to get in more a durability test on the gloves, but needed to be able ride for more than a few minutes at a time. 

The pants/jersey retained their comfortable nature on the bike and they didn’t restrict movement. The sleeves of the jersey stayed in place without being tight around the wrists. The pants didn’t catch on the shrouds and didn’t pull when moving my legs forward or up, which I appreciated. My one gripe is that, after an hour or so of riding, the pants stretched out enough that they started to pull down a bit in back in situations where I slid back on the seat. My hips kept me from worrying about them actually falling down, but it was a bit annoying. However, even with the pants pulling down a bit, the jersey stayed nicely tucked in. This could be because the tail is long enough, or it could be product of me being very short-waisted and wearing a larger jersey. The leather heat shields on the interior of pant legs did their job to protect my legs from the hot head pipes the couple times that I low-sided and ended up under the bike. 

While the neckline was high enough to keep the roost out, the mesh inserts allowed in plenty of sand. It was windy out, so most of the sand might have from crosswinds rather than roost, but, regardless, I had a decent amount of sand on my back by the end of the day, which can be common with most jerseys. 

I was impressed by the ventilation of the gear. The temperature never got extremely hot, but I remained comfortable in nearly 80 degree weather. When riding at speed in a standing position, the pants flow a surprising amount of air. I usually ride in TLD GP Air pants with mesh inserts and the air flow was almost comparable. The jersey breathes well, but it doesn’t perform as well as the pants do when compared to a full mesh model. On the flip side, when the temps dropped into the low 60’s in the evening, I didn’t need to change jerseys or add a jacket as I often need to with fully vented gear.

Durability is mixed bag, though mostly good. I somehow got a snag on finger of one glove before I had even started riding. The mesh inserts of the jersey also snag easily. However, the pants and the rest of the jersey held up well to repeatedly brushing up against bushes on the trails. At one point, I even broke a 1” diameter branch with my forearm although my arm was scratched and bruised you can’t even tell that the jersey took a big hit. The pants and the non-mesh sections of the jersey don’t show any sign of the repeated bush strikes neither. Another minor issue is that the stitching has started to stretch out a bit on the sides of the knees and on the shoulders where my chest protector and my Camelbak hit. I don’t know that the jersey would have this issue without the Camlbak, so if you are just riding moto, you would likely not see the issue there. Regardless, it’s minor, but you can just see the stitches; they don’t appear to be pulling out.

Overall, I love the FLY Women’s Lite Racewear. It will be my new go to gear in all but the hottest and most humid weather. I hope to do a follow-up review on its long term durability and the hot weather performance. It could prove to even be my favorite hot weather gear.

The Women’s Lite pant retails for $149.95, the Women’s Lite jersey for $38.95, and the Women’s Pro Lite glove for $29.95. In addition to Blue/Hi-Vis, the gear is available in White/Black and Neon Pink/Black. Over the boot pants are available in White/Black and Neon Pink/Black for $114.95.

If you have any questions, get them to Keefer and I’ll be happy to answer them. And a special thanks to Kris and Keefer, Inc. Testing for giving me the opportunity to review the FLY Women’s Lite racewear.

100% Cognito Glove Product Review

Now that the weather in So Cal is finally starting to cool down I’m now able to enjoy more trail riding time. When I go trail riding I’m almost always a handguard guy, but there are times when I’m at introductions for new bikes that don’t come with handguards (I.E. the 2019 Honda 450X). Most of the riding gear I get is moto based, which is fine when it comes to the pant/jersey, but most moto gloves don’t stand up very well to bushes and other trail riding  shrubbery/roost. This is where 100% comes in; they have multiple glove lines that you can wear depending on what type of riding you’re doing. The first pair I got to test are named the Cognito and they offer more protection than your typical moto glove. The four-way stretch material on top of the glove is very rugged, doesn’t snag on bushes, and is much more resistant to punctures. The top of the glove (on the knuckles) uses D3O® material for additional impact resistance. Admittedly when I saw the gloves for the first time I thought the knuckles looked slightly bulky (like street bike gloves) and would hinder movement, but I was wrong. The first couple times I wore the Cognito gloves the knuckle area was a little stiff but once I wore them a few times I didn’t even notice a hindrance from the added protection. The D3O® material absorbs impacts while keeping its ability to be flexible and well ventilated. This is not only handy for trail riding; I also found it helpful when getting roosted while riding moto. The wrist strap seals well, but in my opinion is a little too thick and bunches, which is slightly un-comfortable when your wrist is at its maximum range of motion (full throttle). 

When compared to moto gloves the Cognito’s are slightly thicker, but still ventilate well because the sides of the fingers are perforated. The Cognito glove isn't for your cold weather riding conditions. The Cognito glove also uses Tech Thread which is supposed to give you the ability to still use your smart phone with the gloves on. While the Tech Threads work for tapping icons on a smart phone, I found it difficult to swipe my finger on the screen and have the phone recognize it. Over the last month of riding these gloves have held up well and shown minimal signs of wear. There are five colorways available, which is nice because you should be able to find something that will go with your gear set. With a price tag of $39.50 they aren’t the cheapest glove out there, but in my opinion, for the protection and features, the price meets the gloves quality. If you have any questions about the Cognito glove feel free to reach out to me at Michael@Keeferinctesting.com. -Michael Allen