Understated riding gear to keep you casually safe, and a stunning new helmet range from the minds behind the now-defunct Ruby. Looking sharp on your bike’s never been this easy.
Veldt Helmets The demise of Atéliers Ruby two years ago was mourned by fashion-forward riders with deep pockets. But Ruby co-founder Jean-Etienne Prach has returned with a new range of premium helmets in both full-face and jet styles. Many of the former Ruby team have rejoined him, but this time the company is based in the Isle of Man and has enlisted the help of Simon Crellin, the Head of Communications for the TT races.
The Veldt range is already ECE certified and they’re expecting DOT certification within a couple of weeks. The lids are unusually close fitting, to avoid the bobble-head look, and if you pay a little more over the €390 base price you can get plush leather interior trim. The off-the-shelf standard styles look good, with some innovative copper and silver options as well as more conventional gradients—but there’s also a configurator that allows you to create a custom design for yourself. And each Veldt helmet contains a small ‘NFC tag’ with its unique credentials, to make counterfeiting virtually impossible.
Production is already under way and Prach tells us that the company is ‘fully funded.’ Order via the Veldt website.
Knox Venture Shirt If you’re adamant about wearing that old leather or waxed canvas jacket that looks great—but has no armor—Knox has you covered. Their $142 Venture shirt is essentially an armored base layer, built on a lightweight mesh and lycra chassis. With CE Level 1 armor in the elbows, shoulders and back, it’s a bit more heavy duty than its sibling—the Urbane shirt. The armor is also easily removable for washing. It’s a simple, yet brilliant, concept, and we’d even consider running it under a MX jersey for some light flat track fun. [Buy]
REV’IT! Intercept Jacket We salute REV’IT! for making the least biker-looking motorcycle jacket we’ve ever seen. The $207 Intercept is a baseball-style jacket, with an abrasion-resistant outer shell made from Cordura Denim, and reinforced with REV’IT’s ‘PWR Shield’ knitted fabric. There’s more protection lurking inside, in the form of SEESMART CE Level 1 elbow and shoulder armor, with a pocket to fit an optional back protector.
The Intercept’s also kitted with strategically placed pockets, a couple of discreet reflective strips on the back, knitted cuffs and a zipper for attaching it to Rev’It pants. The fabric has some stretch to it, for comfort’s sake, and has a Coolmax element that takes care of moisture wicking. [Buy]
ICON 1000 Axys glove We featured ICON 1000’s new Axys jacket in our last round-up, but today we’re looking at the next piece in the range: the $78 Axys glove. The design is quintessential Icon 1000—equal parts brawny and classy, with a short cuff and a two-tone leather construction.
The leather itself is French cowhide, with a quilted goatskin overlay on the palm. There’s a pull tab and Velcro closure to help get into the Axys, and accordion panels for comfort. Your knuckles are protected by flexible D30 inserts. Best of all, branding is kept to a minimum—there’s just one, black metal logo on each glove. [Buy]
Stylmartin Chester waterproof motorcycle shoes The lines between casual footwear and functional riding shoes are blurrier by the day. But if Red Wings aren’t your style, Stylmartin has a number of riding sneakers on offer.
This is the $152 Chester—a waterproof shoe with all the right features. The upper is full grain, water-repellant leather, with a fully waterproof and breathable liner. The cut is high enough to cover your ankles, with malleolus (the bones on each side of your ankle) protection as standard-issue. There’s also a non-slip rubber sole and an anatomic, breathable footbed. But more importantly the Chester is refreshingly toned-down—with some discoloration mixed into the sole and laces to give it ‘that distressed look.’ [Buy]