Cleaning Hi-Viz Mesh riding jacket

[fish]

I want very high visibility gear when I ride.

Last year I tried machine wash, "hand-wash" cycle with very good soap (Persil)….without much luck in removing the road grime which builds up on my Hi Viz FirstGear armored riding jacket.

So, this year - into the tub ... Worked the jacket for nearly an hour with Persil and a med soft long bristle nylon brush.
Back into the machine for a rinse....then hung dry outdoors in the shade. Washed the 5 pads and their covers.

Very, very nice results. The work with the brush did the trick!

Sleeves before:





The Tub


All Clean!






So, use good soap, and a med soft brush …..and invest nearly an hour!

Fish

[WhiteNoise]

Yes, BIG difference, Excellent!
You ride much more than I do so yeah, truth be told in your Tub!
Flashback...reminds me of washing my dog after he wandered through muddy fields and that was the last mud run for him

I have the same jacket (earlier model). Armor removed, I soak it first with mild detergent, then hand scrub soiled areas, then into the machine with Wool Light. Into dryer afterwards setting it for 1/2 the drying time (comes out damp). Finishing touch, hang to dry the rest of the way. For an older specimen, good enough.

fish......you ride, you do! it's like we're sittin' pillion. We see that. So uh huh, that dirt be yours. A present for yer riding everyday Sunrise.....Sunset (from town to cornfields, we got your back (so to speak).

Hold on....I gotta Get back to armor...whatcha got there? Upgraded I know, but with what and where bought?
Will they fit most jackets? Or trimming involved? Worth the price?

[fish]

Yes, BIG difference, Excellent!


Hold on....I gotta Get back to armor...whatcha got there? Upgraded I know, but with what and where bought?
Will they fit most jackets? Or trimming involved? Worth the price?

D30 armor from ICON
http://www.rideicon.com/gear/mens/protective
https://www.rideapart.com/articles/2570 ... explained/

Yeah, I think it is worth it - move it from summer to winter jackets no problem.




Advantage is it feels softer to wear than the hard black rubber stuff - and protects better upon impact.

Buy it once - used it for years in different jackets. I also have it in my riding jeans.
Purchased from revzilla.

Fish

[fish]

Recommend the D30 CE Level 2 pads.

Fish

[Mel46]

I DO like those upgraded pads! If I were a constant rider, I would definitely want the best protection that I could buy. However, the pads that came in my Tourmaster Sonora worked quite well when I needed them to, so I have to believe that the manufacturers of name brand riding gear want to keep us safe. I like to believe that their name is riding on use, pun intended...

[Old Grinner]

D30 armor from ICON

FWIW I'm very satisfied with the ICON knee pads I bought a while back. Excellent quality. The product was as advertised. Fine attention to detail, good quality materials, and no complaints from me.

[WhiteNoise]

OldG I know you linked us once before to your knee pads, would you please share again?

Fish, thank you for your very thorough reply. I know an upgrade is in the making for me. I now have direction, and Revzilla is my go-to gearshop. Cheers.

Years back I upgraded my back armor in two of my jackets to this:
Sas-tec: https://www.revzilla.com/product/revit- ... -protector

Feels stiff till your body warms it up. Then it gets softer and flex's to a spine fit (more or less).
It can be trimmed by using your jackets back foam as a template. Simple. I did mine to fit both jackets.

The First gear mesh jacket breathes incredibly well but its' armor leaves you wanting Safer. You found that out too

[Old Grinner]

OldG I know you linked us once before to your knee pads, would you please share again?

Here ya go WN . . ..

If you scroll down on the product description page it mentions the D30 that Fish was talking about.

http://www.rideicon.com/gear/mens/prote ... knee/black

And for no additional charge here's a video from your favorite place to get bike stuff . . .. Note it's from 2017 but gives good information.



Granted the knee pads are not as good as full armor pants but they are better than nothing and don't require cleaning.

[davenowherejones]

I currently have about 123,000 km or 76,000 miles on my Olympia Mesh Hi-Vis jacket. I have washed it many times and it is now permanently faded.

Fish, How many miles do you figure you have on your Hi-Vis?

I washed my imitation Goretex rain liner on my Olympia mesh pants the other day. The smell was starting to get annoying. I was surprised how dirty the water was.

Olympia suggests Simple Green grease cutter for cleaning their jackets. It is quite harsh and has probably faded my jacket more than cleaned it.

I asked a police officer how he kept his Hi-Vis so clean? He says he just gets another one every time he gets blood on it. RCMP

I keep busting zippers on my Olympia stuff. They have replaced two jackets.

I busted a zipper from excessive use, not excessive food, one day while on the road. I bought a roll of bright pink duct tape and wrapped my jacket shut. Quite stunning!

[Old Grinner]

I currently have about 123,000 km or 76,000 miles on my Olympia Mesh Hi-Vis jacket. I have washed it many times and it is now permanently faded.

I've got a Joe Rocket Atomic 5 Hi Viz Jacket and it basically say's to Hand Wash (Gently), Do Not Machine Wash, Do not soak, Do not wring, Line Dry, No bleach, and maybe a few other things. I couldn't find anything about what kind of soap to use.

http://www.joerocket.com/textile-jackets/atomic-50

I've also got an Olympia Hi Viz vest.

The vest is great.

What I'm thinking is . . . and this is only an idea . . . I'm not suggesting anything . . . that since the vests are cheaper than the armored riding gear then maybe just get a new vest to wear over the jacket? When the vests finally start to fade out from use/cleanings then just get a new one.

I wear my Olympia vest over my Suzuki, Honda, and Kawasaki hoodies with no problem. They are heavy duty hoodies. I just have to make sure I pull the hood out over the collar and I've removed the strings on all of them for safety sake.

A vest over the body armor jacket . . . just a thought.

[davenowherejones]

I have thought of a vest but they are not that cheap locally. I might try online.

[Old Grinner]

Here's a link to a U.S. supplier . . ..

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/oly ... i-viz-vest

Bikebandit.com sells them also . . ..

https://www.bikebandit.com/riding-gear- ... st/p/48895

It's like comparing a $75 vest to a $300 jacket IMHO.

If the jacket holds together and is fully functional but looking a bit faded then all it needs is a new layer of Hi Viz. Plus you get that huge pocket that comes in handy when mailing stuff or to carry a phone etc. . ..

Again . . . just my opinion.

You do what you feel is best and most safe!

[fish]

I currently have about 123,000 km or 76,000 miles on my Olympia Mesh Hi-Vis jacket. I have washed it many times and it is now permanently faded.

I've got a Joe Rocket Atomic 5 Hi Viz Jacket and it basically say's to Hand Wash (Gently), Do Not Machine Wash, Do not soak, Do not wring, Line Dry, No bleach, and maybe a few other things. I couldn't find anything about what kind of soap to use.

http://www.joerocket.com/textile-jackets/atomic-50

I've also got an Olympia Hi Viz vest.

The vest is great.

What I'm thinking is . . . and this is only an idea . . . I'm not suggesting anything . . . that since the vests are cheaper than the armored riding gear then maybe just get a new vest to wear over the jacket? When the vests finally start to fade out from use/cleanings then just get a new one.

I wear my Olympia vest over my Suzuki, Honda, and Kawasaki hoodies with no problem. They are heavy duty hoodies. I just have to make sure I pull the hood out over the collar and I've removed the strings on all of them for safety sake.

A vest over the body armor jacket . . . just a thought.

I wear a hi viz "POLITE: vest (sold in UK) over black leather ICON armored jack in fall and early spring. Black was only color available.
Fish

[davenowherejones]

One general comment on Olympia Hi-Vis. I have always wondered why about half the jacket is black. The hi-vis is actually quite small strips. Too much black for my liking.

[fish]

One general comment on Olympia Hi-Vis. I have always wondered why about half the jacket is black. The hi-vis is actually quite small strips. Too much black for my liking.

Yes!
Years ago I decided I wanted hi viz - sales girl kept showing me zoomy jackets with some hi viz, mostly black. I kept looking until I worked my way over to the First Gear rack. Alright then! Here we go!

I don't want to be sort of visible - when I could be more visible.What the heck are they thinking?!
Fish

[davenowherejones]

Search and Rescue once told me that Hot Pink was easier to find from the air than Lime Green.

[Old Grinner]

Search and Rescue once told me that Hot Pink was easier to find from the air than Lime Green.

Precisely!!!

Hence why I would never buy a green or blue kayak . . . or camo for that matter.

Bright colors like orange or yellow would work for me.

Hi-viz and a white helmet gives you an edge but still doesn't guarantee being seen by people behind the wheel who are either distracted or shouldn't be driving.

As others have said here just ride like the cagers don't see you . . ..

[davenowherejones]

The leaves are all orange and yellow right now here, none of them are HOT PINK.

[Old Grinner]

The leaves are all orange and yellow right now here, none of them are HOT PINK.

Wow. . .good point!!!

I'm more of a "warm weather" paddler. My inflatable is green but has yellow on it also. Can't wait to get a new kayak though.

I've seen that they sell "Hi Viz" vests now with LED lights built in. I think they are powered by AA batteries or something. Maybe a little better for Autumn riding during the day? or night?

What they need to invent is some kind of vest that is electronically powered and would give the rider "chameleon power" so they could change color at will. Or it could have settings all the way up to "strobe effect". I think I'd choose "strobe effect" all the time.