CVO Technical > Riding Gear
Gerbing eXtreme Element (XE) Jacket and Pants review
JCZ:
Terrie and I have had the Gerbing heated jacket liner and gloves for years. However, yesterday we invested in a little more comfort....the Gerbing eXtreme Element heated jacket and pants.
In less than 24 hours I have to say it's probably some of the best riding gear I've ever bought. Some of the specs:
» Rugged 330-denier Cordura
» Ballistic-grade Cordura in the shoulders and elbows
» Polyurethane coating, heat-sealed seams and waterproof zippered pockets
» Reflective piping plus full reflective back panel and on chest pockets
» Additional pockets below the belt line add to your storage capacity
» Zippered hand-warmer pockets are standard
» CE-rated removable Knox armor in the shoulders, elbows and spine
My observations and experience after a short 75 mile day ride this morning.....compared to leathers, much lighter weight yet warmer and dryer. It has a waist belt that loops back at the front opening, to either side and secures with velcro type hook and loop fasterners. The cuffs at the wrist as well as at the ankles have large velcro type bands to cinch up the cuffs to the riders comfort.
This outfit is designed to wear a light undergarment but not jeans (although some wear jeans under them). Wanting to test it in the mode it was designed for, I wore thin sweat pants and a t-shirt to experience it's full effect.
Using our existing dual controller, I have to say it was very, very comfortable. We started out at about 38F and it was 45F when we returned. We were very comfortable the full extent of our ride. The waist belt on the jacket provided us a place to hook the dual controller and so that wasn't an issue and provided us the opportunity to control the pants and jacket/gloves seperately.
The icing on the cake for this outfit is that it serves the dual purpose of a rain suit! So while you're staying warm, you're also staying dry. Chuck rode from San Mateo to our home here in Elk Grove in the rain last night. He was totally dry and the outfit appeared to be dry and had very little water on it. The water seems to bead up and run right off.....it sheds water very, very well!
I would recommend this outfit to anybody that rides year around or has to ride in the cold temps or the rain. A perfect outfit for those that commute on their bike year around (Ernie, Magoo, etc.).
I had opportunity to talk with Jeff Gerbing at length. I asked Jeff if he had any plans for a wireless temp. controller. He said that there is, in fact, a remote controller in the works and will be available for release in Sept. 2012. It is not like the competitors. This controller is a four channel controller. You'll be able to control different temp. levels on four different items (jacket, gloves, pants, boot insoles) at the same time. And each channel will have a memory. So if you set the jacket at 72F and the gloves at 76F, etc. the controller will remember that. Sounds pretty interesting and of course, he was very excited about it just describing it to us.
Also, In the past, if you bought your Gerbing gear from a retailer and not directly from Gerbing, you had to have a receipt in order to get warranty work done on the item. That's no longer the case. Jeff learned about that and put a stop to it. If his name is on it, it has a lifetime warranty......no receipt necessary regardless of who you bought it from!
Here's a link to the XE (eXtreme Element) gear...... http://gerbing.com/Products/Outerwear/extreme%20element%20jacket.php
I'm sure somebody else here has experienced the XE gear and they can share their experience. I thought I'd write this as I'd never seen a review on this forum for the XE. Check it out......it's well worth it. :2vrolijk_21:
JCZ:
I snapped some pics of Terrie during our ride today, to show you the XE outfit being worn by somebody you all know.....
StevesCVO:
Thanks for the reveiw. I've been looking at the jacket liner and gloves for cold weather riding but I'm going to look ino this now. Seeing it also works great for rain gear will mean less stuff to pack when traveling.
MAT:
Looks like a very good choice to add to your options for any given ride or trip. :2vrolijk_21:
Mike
JCZ:
--- Quote from: StevesCVO on November 20, 2011, 07:33:07 PM ---Thanks for the reveiw. I've been looking at the jacket liner and gloves for cold weather riding but I'm going to look ino this now. Seeing it also works great for rain gear will mean less stuff to pack when traveling.
--- End quote ---
One of our deciding factors. :2vrolijk_21: As far as function goes, it just can't be beat. In the fall or spring....when it's cold in the morning but warms up mid day....the pants have a side zipper on each leg that runs the full length. But we're not going to win any fashion show in this outfit.
Roger stopped for a few minutes when he saw us at the Gerbing booth at the show. He said "JC, ten years ago you wouldn't be caught dead in something like that". I agreed......yep there was a time in my younger years when it was all about speed and the "look good" no matter what the comfort (or lack of).....now I'm old enough that I can say that comfort is first priority....the "look good" comes after that. ;D
It felt really nice this morning to go down the road with temps in the high 30's and I was totally warm and comfortable without being all bogged down with layers (I had sweat pants and t-shirt under this outfit). Lots of freedom to move around and much lighter weight than leathers, liners, layers and all that goes with that. :2vrolijk_21:
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