[MDairheads] Textile Replacement ?

[Brian Kirchhoff]

Hey Alan (and the rest of the MD Hedz')!

I went down a similar rabbit hole a short time back when I retired my
Olympia jacket/pants and bought my current Aerostitch. YMMV, but I hope
this helps...

The best answer I was able to come up about retirement of suits and
composite materials such as pads was "it varies greatly." That said, it
seems clear that most manufacturers admit the pads will all break down over
time and are recommended for replacement periodically, but when seems to
vary based on the materials they are made from. CE isn't anything more than
a certification that the pad/suit offers a level of protection that meets
European standards (there are two levels for these types of motorcycle
protection pads, with track racing requiring level 2, for example). Within
that, there are a bunch of materials that the padding can be made from. My
wife's cheap, Fieldsheer jacket (which we replaced this winter) had CE
level pads that were literally disintegrating (it was an 8 year old
jacket). That was clearly too long to go for those particular pads, but I
am not sure when I should have replaced them and was never able to get a "X
years is the safe lifespan." I just bought her a much better jacket
entirely. I would have thought it best to check manufacturers' websites to
see when they recommend replacing those components, but the most I found
was "they wear out over time, replace them periodically" which is a less
than satisfying guideline.

I did find, when researching the Klim boots I bought last year, that D30
material (the stuff that is fairly soft and stiffens upon impact) is
recommended to be replaced upon "significant impact." It sounds like it
shares the limitations of our helmets (which are always recommended for
replacement after any significant impact -- one time protection).  It's
easy for me to understand the "you crash, you replace" standard. But it's
harder to tell if/when you should periodically replace those pads under
normal use, barring traumatic moments. And since it certainly varies by
material, I don't think a consistent guideline is likely (like we have with
helmets, which seems to settle around replacing every 5 years).

In terms of the outer shell material though, my understanding is that
Cordura does not suffer from too much breakdown over time -- as long as it
still appears in good condition and there are no visible signs of any wear
or weakness, it *should* offer reasonably consistent abrasion protection
over many years. I've never read that UV breaks down Cordura to a dangerous
level. That isn't any guarantee; I've just never found anything that warns
about replacement over a certain amount of time. Gore-Tex loses some
weatherproofing effectiveness over time, but that's a whole different
conversation. Mesh isn't offering any abrasion protection anyway, so I
would imagine it's also fine as long as it's not fraying or showing
other signs of wear. And as far as I can tell, leather basically remains
leather forever with proper care -- it's going to crack or show signs the
stitching needs to be repaired or replaced pretty clearly but I don't think
there's any real time limit on it.

So all that said, this was the set of conclusions I came to:

   - Replace helmet automatically every 5 years or whenever I actually
   "use" it (as I did when I went off in South Africa a couple of years ago
   and replaced my Shoei with my Shuberth).
   - Replace /repair jacket /pant outer shells when there are signs of
   visible damage or wear, especially in key areas like shoulders, knees,
   elbows, etc.
   - Inspect the protective pads at the start and end of each riding season
   to make sure they are still pliable (brittle is obviously bad), replace if
   there are any clear signs of damage such as rips, crumbling, or stretching
   that will not return to original form.

I'm sure some will say I'm overly cautious; I'm sure others will say I'm
not cautious enough. But this is what I decided I'm comfortable with, from
both a safety and pocketbook perspective. :-)

~Brian

brian m. kirchhoff
402.617.2222 mobile


On Wed, May 8, 2019 at 11:27 AM romefelt via MDAirheads <
mdairheads at casano.com> wrote:

> Hedz -
> This riding season marks the 10th for my beloved Olympia Bonneville
> suit.This jacket/pants combination could be among my favorite and most
> comfortable garments.However, in the time that I have owned them, I have
> also retired an Arai and a Shoei helmet.Is there anyone out there with any
> experience with Fabrics ?I am curious to know if the factors that have us
> retiring helmets (sweat ?  UV exposure ? ) are cause to "recycle" our
> clothing ?In the same vein, if the outer garment may still be good, is
> there an interval to replace the "CE" pads in the shoulders, knees, elbows,
> etc ?
> Eager to hear some feedback !
> Best regards,Alan
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