I was one lucky rider this holiday season as I secured an entire new riding wardrobe for the cold season.

First addition was a pair of the new FIRSTGEAR HT overpants. Wow, are these nice!! They have added a new feature of zipped venting in the crotch so when seated you can get some air flow, if needed. These seem to be better for an all season pants, with the venting feature and the removable inner pant liner. The new liner is now designed to be worn as a free standing pant once the outer layer is removed. I must say they look rather smart though they still have that “riding gear” look, not like “hey, I’m like jeans”. But they are comfortable and well fitting. The bottom of the pants have an inner gaiter liner to keep water from being throw up the bottom of the leg. I though this was another nice feature. The outer pant can be opened from the bottom with a velcro panel and zipper panel that overlaps creating a waterproof barrier. The entire pant is constructed from Hypertex waterprooof and breathable synthetic membrane. They are machine washable and I believe this is the first set of gear that I have bought that actually is sized to normal street wear. Amazing.

The second piece is the FIRSTGEAR Kilimanjaro 4.0 Jacket. This jacket has a full blown inner jacket that can easily stand alone as an additional jacket. It’s pretty nice looking too, although it sports the Firstgear Logo. The outer jacket has several venting areas making the jacket a multi-season jacket as well. The waist is adjustable with a belt that can be set so that when you wear the jacket it doesn’t need to be adjusted each wearing. The neck is lined with a soft material so that it doesn’t rub and stands up much like a mock turtle neck, keep you both warm and comfortable. There is a large across the back vent that also has a reflective strip that can be either exposed or hidden. This jacket is warm without being bulky and if the inner jacket is removed, I can sport my heated Gerbing jacket inside. Ahhhhh.

The last piece added to my new gear was a beautiful pair of gloves given to me by my rider brother. I have desperately needed a pair of warm gloves, having lost my other pair and only having a vented pair and my heated Gerbing gloves, which IMO are a bit bulky. The new gloves are made by Frank Thomas and sport all the latest technology. They are both waterproof and windproof and have several areas of fit adjustment. They have a hard knuckle armor which I really like! They are gauntlet styled to keep the wind from going up your sleeves. They have plenty of reflective surface with would be wonderful when doing any night riding.

I can’t believe how fortunate I was this year! What lovely new gear. Now to get a couple of rays of sunshine and my new tires installed, and I’ll be out test riding my new gear!!