Expanding on the Pulpmx Show debate…
Expanding on the Pulpmx Show debate…
The Great Gear Debate!
Mix and Match Your Way To Being Best Dressed At Your Local Track
The tweets that I get about gear are astronomical! If you remember a while ago on The Pulp MX Show, JT$ and I gave Matthes crap about wearing different brands of riding gear (when riding) and how that wasn’t “cool”. Now by no means am I cool or ever have been and if you don’t give a crap about what gear you wear then this article really will not interest you. You don’t need to match head to toe to have fun on dirt bikes and you definitely don’t need all the right matching gear to go fast. However, if you’re interested in the unspoken rule of motocross fashion that has been in circulation that past 10-15 years then these helpful guidelines will set you in the right direction. If you don’t wear one company head to toe, follow these steps to the proper way to “mix and match” your complete on track moto look.
Helmets:
The rule on helmets is that you can wear any “helmet only” company with any gear manufacturer. This is ok people! For example it’s ok to wear a 6-D, Shoei, Arai, Bell, HJC helmet with any gear company! Even if Fox (who makes helmets) has a complete kit (yes, I said kit and I threw up in my mouth) it is “ok” to wear any “helmet only” brand. It is rare to see a FOX rider in any other helmet besides FOX, but it does happen and is OK to wear a “helmet only” company with FOX.
Pant, Jersey:
IMPORTANT!!!!!!! This has to match at all times people. If there were a motocross bible this would be in chapter one verse two (right after goggle strap placement). It’s right out of the How Not To Be A Glamis Goon handbook. Unless you are on the Housewives of Orange County please DO NOT mix these up. By no circumstance should you wear a Thor jersey with Fly pants. Ever! Unless you give zero F’s and then you can tell me to “go to hell”. I am trying to help you if you want your closed course game to be stepped up. You will see most of this horrible mix and matching going on at your local OHV park. If you are taking your chic to the track and you put on a FXR jersey and a pair of Answer pants you will lose your chic. FACT! Don’t risk it.
Gloves:
Now this is the tricky part since there are “glove only” companies out there these days. You are allowed “barely” to wear a Deft, Novik or a company that is “glove only” with your set up. But please if you are confused please refer the “pant and jersey” section. If you are ever in doubt and thinking to yourself “should I be buying these Novik gloves with my Fly pant and jersey” always try to remember to color coordinate to your boots and or helmet. More on that later. You CAN NOT wear Alpinestars gloves with your FLY pant and jersey. “But Keefer Alpinestars is now distributed by WPS now isn’t that ok? Stop it please, just stop! I am giving you these guidelines please follow suit. If ever in doubt just match your gloves with your pants and jersey. If you listen to me your chic will still love you and not leave you for some kid that is some Instagram banger sensation, that rides at Pala while cutting the track throwing whips.
Boots:
Another tricky one here folks. Yes, Alpinestars makes gear now, but there should be an asterisk next to their boots stating, “This product is ok to wear with other brands of gear”. Why you ask? Alpinestars is grandfathered into the “boot only” category ok so don’t get lippy. The have made “boots only” for years and most of us American motocross people know them for that only. They are fairly new to the gear game here in America (as it wasn’t available in the USA for quite sometime) and when you think Alpinestars you should be thinking boots first (but their gear is actually pretty good). SiDi, Gaerne, Oxtar or whatever is also ok to wear with your gear.
Chest Protector:
Must match the jersey and pant company you’re wearing. Sorry bro’s. If you have a different brand here is a tip: Put it under your jersey! Boom!
Goggles:
This is a free for all for all you guys and gals. Go nuts!! I am sure Matthes would want you to wear EKS brand however.
Full Set Up:
This is like a finding “THE QUAN” (Jerry McGuire reference) and is the best way to go for a complete “knock it out of the park” look. If your favorite gear company makes a quality helmet and boots this is the way to go for sure! The tough part I have found is some companies make cheesy boots and it can be tough to complete the look.
Extra Tips:
If you can get your glove and boot color to match this is extra credit. If you look at some of the best-dressed factory guys they almost always try to match their glove and boot combo together. Trey Canard, Josh Hansen and James Stewart all have done this with success. If you can’t get your boots and gloves to match try for the helmet and glove combo, this is always second best. If you can get all three then you for sure will be winning best dressed award even though you got last in your moto.
Trust me in that people will take notice at the track of your color coordination and matching skills. They might not say anything to you because they are either jealous or haters and haters never say anything nice. Self-satisfaction is guaranteed here! I hope this has helped you moto fanatics out there and this calms down my twitter feed with questions. Like I said it doesn’t matter if you do all of this or not, because all that really matters is that you are having fun on your dirt bike, but if you are concerned with your look (as some motocross guys are) please follow these un-spoken rules of the gear game. Hope to see some of you looking sharp at the track soon!
