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Keeping safe, staying warm
01 February 2024
Keeping safe, staying warm
As a bike journo and enthusiast, Paul Browne put in the miles, across all terrains and in all weathers.
Wherever he is and whatever he’s up to, he has two priorities when choosing his bike gear: what’s going to keep him safe and what’s going to keep him warm?
I’m frequently asked about what I wear and why I wear it.
Let’s cut to the chase. This season I am mostly wearing Halvarssons.
With winter round trips of up to 500 kilometres on some days it needs to be good. I’m pleased to say the Scandinavians haven’t let me down yet.
My Gruven jacket (pictured left) serves me well in both good weather and bad.
It’s laminated and complimented with a water repellent treatment.
This means the rain flows off it, rather than gathering in the outer fabric.
Hot stuff
Inside there’s a thermal lining to keep me toasty.
This can be detached when things warm up.
Add heat reflection to it and staying warm is simple and very effective.
On the other end of the scale, full ventilation is part of the mix and keeps me comfortable on even the warmest of days.
The raised neck protection is the last word in comfort.
The armour is graded to level two of the CE certification process. Additionally, this is supplemented with company’s own HI-ART exterior protectors. It can, of course, take a back protector or an airbag vest.
Fancy pants
My Wish pants, also from Halvarssons, are once again, designed for all seasons.
They carry the same certification and waterproofing levels. The removable liner is a Thinsulate affair.
My jacket and pants have a long zip to keep them together.
Gloved up
For my hands, I go for the ‘Split’ gloves which are designed for cold weather only.
These are made of a mix of tough stretch fabric and goat leather, lined with Innoborne insulation.
They’re designed to be warm yet light enough for me to operate my motorcycle properly.
They are, as you’d expect, completely waterproof.
All of this I compliment with a Knox back protector as well as a pair of, what would appear to be, indestructible Gore-Tex lined TCX boots. Add in a base layer and all is good.
The jacket is €699, the trousers €499 (€429 in women’s sizes), gloves €139, boots €395 and the back protector comes in at €160.
All of them are worth every cent!
