Is This The One Answer To One Of Motorcycling's Oldest Problems?

Read this review in our pdf magazine format.

My Delicate's.

So, I’m sitting here and wracking my brains (what few I have left after rattling around the world on a motorcycle for 14-years) as to how I start a review of an item that looks after my ‘delicate's’ and that I sit my ass on and in, all day.

Getting Comfy

There are a few key accessories we all consider when it comes time to personalize our ride or when we simply want to make our bikes fit us a little better. Hey, the more comfortable you are on your bike the happier you feel and the farther you ride, right?

The Usual Suspects.

Whether your pride n’ joy is a plastic fantastic Japanese crotch rocket, a Harleyesque cruiser or a dual sport beast, when you’re sitting around with your mates, it’s always the usual suspects that come to mind; suspension options, wheel rim choice, lowering kits, different foot pegs and even custom made seat options. But how about custom designed motorcycle-specific undergarments?

Skepticism and Respect.

I’ll confess that when Moto-Skiveez approached Lisa and I with the idea of real world testing motorcycle-specific underwear, well, we both raised an eyebrow. I had flashes of bad Calvin Klein underwear commercials with riders striking awkward poses next to their bikes. As we sat and listened to Shawn (inventor and driving force behind Moto-Skiveez), our understanding of this new concept and approach to one of motorcycling’s longest standing problems quickly changed.

 

Within 5 minutes Shawn had not only peaked our curiosity, he had our full attention and was quickly gaining our respect.

The Long Suffering Problem.

Whatever type of bike you ride, we’ve all suffered at one point or another from monkey butt or simple ‘sore arse syndrome’ from hours of riding. What Shawn and Moto-Skiveez have done is tackle this issue from a new angle. As a rider and inventor Shawn’s approach is not only straight forward, the problem so well understood and the solution so well implemented, that after trying on a pair of ‘Moto -Skiveez’ you’ll find yourself thinking, “why hasn’t this been done before?”

The Moto-Skiveez solution to that sore backside you’ve been suffering from, might just mean that the $500 bucks you’ve saved for that custom seat can now be spent on a long overdue weekend break, party or flat screen TV. Hey, just saying!

The Skiveez Solution.

I received two pairs of ‘Adventure Skiveez’ 3-years ago, the black and red packaging looked professional and struck the right cord. Not a hint of ‘Marky-Mark and his washboard abs in sight.

Out of the box the materials felt more...well, high-tech than I’d anticipated and the custom padding felt well placed and thought through. Trying them on for the first time they felt like old friends from the get-go. The elasticated waistband ensured a comfortable waist fit. I’m 6 4” and I usually have a few issues getting shorts or underwear to fit my thighs, which aren’t small. The skiveez, just slipped on and asked, “OK, so where are we riding?”

Years and a lot of miles later and I’m still impressed. Sure, I’ve tried lesser solutions in the past, but cycling shorts don’t really work when the raised stitches used to join the panels of the shorts rub your skin raw and create a long seam and pressure point on the inside of your thigh where inner legs meets seat. The Moto-Skiveez use a flat pressed seam across the product, so there are no raised profiles in the undergarment and therefor no potential pressure points. I’ve ridden for up to ten hours without the need for a single butt wiggle.

Back in Salt Lake City when we’d initially talked with Shawn, he had shown us his rider pressure point research. Along with the TMF research facility in Verona, Italy, they have identified the differing pressure areas created by specific styles of riding. An enduro rider has different pressure areas than say a sport bike rider on a track. With this in mind Moto-Skiveez has designed and produced 3 separate solutions allowing for the different needs of the Sport rider, Adventure rider and Cruiser rider.

As an adventure rider I’m appreciative of the research and now the final product. The adventure Skiveez are made up of 3 different foam types. Overall comfort is provided by 4mm perforated foam with ‘rider style’ specific protection being dealt with by 6mm memory foam. On the adventure model an additional 3mm comfort foam is sewn into the inner thigh area, to protect us whilst we repeatedly stand and sit in off-road riding scenarios. Even the horizontal and lateral placement of the foam has been considered to ensure maximum air flow along the ribbed foam lines to ensure air flow and correspondingly temperature management. Suddenly there’s much more to underwear than I ever thought possible!

Comfort.

Since first slipping a pair of Moto-Skiveez on, we've ridden a mixed bag of terrain from US highways, Mexican mountain twisty’s and central American sandy tracks, the Moto-Skiveez have out performed my already high expectations. They fit easily under both my rally suit riding trousers and my jeans alike. The firm but well constructed waist band has meant that after a tough off-road 4-hour ride, they’ve not left their position and disappeared somewhere south of my man-hood, requiring me to stop and adjust! I figure that any piece of great riding gear should do its job and not be a distraction. Anything that detracts my attention from my ride is unwelcome. The Skiveez, fit well and have simply preformed.

Silver Ion Infused Material...What?

An unpleasant aspect of long-term extreme adventure riding is skin rash and hygiene. Your underwear, more than any piece of clothing, fits tighter and in a more personal way than anything we put on each day. Regular boxer shorts and even the tighty-whities you love so much are not designed to repel dirt, bacteria and more especially sweat. The Moto-Skiveez are! I’m not going to pretend I know a thing about Silver Ion infused material, but Skiveez incorporate this technology into every undergarment. What I can tell you since using them, is that in the last 3-years I have not had any skin irritation issues in the waist, butt or upper thigh area and there have been some very long, tough and dirty rides. It’s like asking for the time, I don’t have to know how the clock works, it just has to work and give me what I need. The Skiveez have done just that.

Quick Draw Dry.

Hygiene is of course an issue we deal with on the road and being able to dry our gear quickly and effectively is much more of a consideration than washing. The Skiveez dry in super quick time and the few times I’ve had to wear them wet they’ve dried quickly as I’ve ridden and even when damp have never caused me any irritation or discomfort.

Overview:

A great idea is just that...an idea. A great product is a combination of a great idea, great design, attention to detail, research and finally quality production. The Moto-Skiveez are a great product. My initial skepticism has been replaced with a confidence in the product based on experience. Shawn’s technical undergarment now a much a piece of my essential riding gear as my Adventure riding suit and Enduro helmet and MX boots.

Shawn thanks for seeing the solution and for having the perseverance to see it through. See you somewhere down the road, track or jungle path.

By the way, the fact that I kind’a feel like an X-man in my high tech Skiveez doesn’t hurt either!

Read this review in our pdf magazine format.

The Perfect Boot?

What makes a great set of riding boots? Well, like most items we buy and wear it’s a personal thing. However, for most of us, they have to be comfortable, easy to slide on and of, and importantly, offer a high level of impact resistance and protection. Whilst we’re at it, lets also admit that the style and look of the boots is also a key consideration when we’re choosing where to spend our hard earned money.

Legendary

Sidi’s CrossFire2 MX boots have gained legendary status over the years, with amateur and pro riders alike, singing their praises. So, when Sidi offered me their new flagship boots, the Cross Fire 3’s to test out, it was really too good an offer to pass up. I’d wanted to know what all the fuss was about for quite a while.

I’ve been wearing the Gearne brand of boots for 16-years so, I’ll admit that I’d had a fleeting moment of hesitancy when Sidi made the offer, but that was nothing more than nostalgia tugging on my decision-making neurons.

Sidi announced the CrossFire 3’s back in September 2016 and the boots hit the stores in limited quantity in January 2017.

The New Flagship

The Sidi CrossFire 3’s are a full spec, high-end, technical, enduro style riding boots with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from the brands new ‘flagship offering’. However, more than this, the CrossFire3’s also offer some additional features, which make them a ‘stand-out’ product.

H.E.B.S.

One of the standout features of Sidi’s new boot is their Hyper Extension Block System. Yep it’s a mouthful but, as the name suggests the design of the system is to stop the riders ankle from hyper extension. With more and more adventure riders using panniers and soft bag systems, the number of riders reporting to have suffered from injuries caused by the ankles and feet being trapped under their bags, after falls, has increased. The Hyper Extension Block system could well be the long-term answer. Boot manufacturers take note.

Adjustable Calf System

This is a new and innovative feature from Sidi aimed at “improving both fit and protection”, claims the manufacturer. On the outer front, inside and rear of the boot, Sidi offer a muffler guard plate, aimed at increasing rider protection from impact, while also protecting the rider from the extreme heat of the engine and the exhaust system. The inside and rear of this guard is constructed from a high density rubber, which I’ve found provides plenty of extra grip when I need to clasp my bikes chassis with the inside of my boots. What is clever though, is that the ACS (Adjustable Calf System) allows for a substantial amount of personalization. With just a few tweaks of adjustment, the CrossFire3’s openings can be increased or reduced to accommodate differing calf sizes or the need for extra space to take into account knee braces or other protection ,which often fall below the point where MX boots extend up the shin. This is smart design. I’ll confess that the CrossFire 3’s are easily the best fitting boot I’ve worn in the last 15 years.

Toe Box

The Sidi is designed (in my opinion) to fit normal to narrower feet, which also means that the toe box is thinner than the boots of old. One huge benefit here is I can reach under the gear shifter with my foot for accurate controlled changes, instead of having to simply ‘snag’ the gear lever with the outside of my boot. This is a very welcome change to my riding style.

Replaceable Components

Our boots take a daily beating and having to replace an entire boot because one or two elements have worn out was always frustrating. Again, Sidi have addressed this issue. The entire boot leg is assembled with screws not stitches, which means it can be easily replaced, as can the sole of the boot along with an array of other boot elements, from the legendary buckles, to the foot peg guard on the inside of both boots.

Favourite Feature

Of all the new features of the CrossFire 3’s the articulated ankle is at the top of my favourite list. As a rider, being able to comfortably walk around and explore my days destination is crucial. The articulated ankle makes walking a breeze and negates that uncomfortable ‘breaking-in’ period like normal MX boots. Like an old pair of friends, the CrossFire 3's fitted straight well, from the moment I slipped them on and allowed me to move with a full range of motion and have never impeded my mobility like the old leather MX boots of yesteryear.

Conclusion.

After just a few short months in my Sidi Cross Fire 3’s I can finally see what all the fuss has been about, and at last understand why, the CrossFire series boot has gained such a loyal and enthusiastic fan base. With the launch of the CrossFire 3’s Sidi has guaranteed it’s continued success and set a new standard, which will be hard to beat.

Well thought through, well designed and perfectly constructed. The CrossFire 3 is the real deal.

Highly recommended!

Is the new Tacpro Jacket the ultimate mid-layer adv jacket? Its upper price point certainly suggests it could be.

After 4-months of living in the Tier 1 Tacpro jacket, we’ve learnt a few things about this new offering from the start-up clothing company TACRIDER.

Supersonic Design

There is no doubt that the style and overall design of the TACPRO jacket has a strong military pedigree, and so it should. The company TACRIDER, was founded by three professional aviators, whom spend their time piloting helicopters or buzzing the earth as US Air force jet pilots. Each of the founders clearly knows a thing or two about functional apparel. At MACH2, what you wear has to perform at the highest of levels. At supersonic speeds, a snazzy designer branded logo on your sleeve doesn’t mean squat!

Words To Live By

TACRIDER’s website proudly displays the companies powerful motto, “Invenium Viam aut Faciam - Find a Way or Make One”. So, I asked one of TACRIDER’S founders, Jesse, what inspired the three brothers to create a product that would launch into an already crowded market?

“We wanted to provide the riding community access to the quality and style of gear we use as professional aviators. There’s nothing in the market right now that comes close to the performance and functionality of our Tacpro jacket.” Jesse, TACRIDER FOUNDER

Simple, Functional, Utilitarian Design

The Tacpro jacket caught our attention at the Overland Expo West, after we’d seen a few of the ADV movers and shakers strutting their stuff in the understated olive coloured jacket. At a friends address, ours arrived a few days later.

Pulling it on for the first time, both Lisa and I were impressed and surprised by the luxurious and smooth feel of the jackets lining.

The Tacpro’s style is intentionally minimalist and sleekly utilitarian. Contrary to creating a dull look, the Tacpro is instantly, visually unique. After my (Simons) first outing around a US mall, I had three total strangers, approach me, each asking after the jacket and its details.

Materials - Construction

The Tacpro is specifically designed to be used as a mid layer garment. Its tailored cut allows it to be easily worn under your riding jacket or waterproof outer shell. The 10% spandex construction adds to the jackets flexible feel and contoured fit.

The Tacpro jacket is advertised as both versatile, and extremely weather resistant. On the inside left of the jacket, the The Polartec® and WindPro® logo tags clearly identify the fabric technologies that are utilized to create the jackets climate control features.

Weather Protection

Windproof? “Ok, lets test that” was my first thought! 5-minutes after slipping the jacket on, and on a cold, wet and grey day in North Carolina, I headed out on my R1200GSA without my riding jacket and only wearing the Tacpro jacket for insulation. I only felt a hint of cold air penetrate the jacket and reach my chest, when doing above 70mph. Twenty minutes later, I returned to our friends address more than impressed by the jackets performance. In an age of over promise and under delivery, it’s refreshing to use a product that actually does what it claims.

It’s worth mentioning that the jacket is not sold as waterproof, but it did a great job of keeping me dry in the light drizzle of rain I hit during my 20-minute road test. Bear in mind that you would normally use the Tacpro as a mid-layer, underneath your riding jacket.

The high and lined collar is an especially nice feature, and does a great job of fighting neck chills during long cold days in the saddle.

The jacket is comprised of sections of material, each double flat stitched together to form a highly functional garment. The tailored style of the sleeves ensure they do not bunch or create pressure points when worn under a riding jacket. I also enjoyed that the sleeves taper nicely toward the forearm to minimize cold air ingress at the wrist.

Pockets

With many designer jackets today, sporting more pockets than any of us really need, the Tacpro bucks the trend. The well-placed left chest pocket of the jacket is large enough to be useful, but not so big as to get in the way.

Both sleeves sport useable upper arm zipped pockets, which are easily large enough to hold documents, key or other essentials.

Two more deep (hand warmer) pockets have been added on the lower left and right sides of the jacket, ideal for walking around town on cold weather days.

Zippers

It’s great to see that the TACRIDER team have paid attention to the details. Quality YKK zippers are used all-round.

Earlier in this review, I used the word “understated” in my description and for a reason. After using the Tacpro as our only mid-layer jackets (and walk-around jackets), we are both left feeling that the jacket is clearly designed to quietly perform, rather than visually “yell” for your attention.

I must say how much we really like that the colour of both the metal components of the YKK zippers and their fabric, perfectly matches the colour of the jacket. This simple design choice goes along way to create the utilitarian and functional look of the jacket. It would have been an easy decision for the designers to have followed the crowd, and create a false sense of function with coloured accents around the pockets or jacket liner. I’m glad the TAC team didn’t go this route and stuck with what, I presume, was their original end-goal brief.

Nice Touches

I’m the kind of guy that appreciates the details. I like the simple inclusion of a pen pocket in the inside left chest area of the Tacpro jacket. It might sound crazy but I can’t tell you how many borders we’ve crossed, where we’ve frustratingly searched for a pen in order to fill out the border/visa paperwork and info.

The small Identity tag sewn into the inner lower left portion of the jacket adds to that military special ops, feel of the jacket, and holds the individual serial number of each jacket. TACRIDER proudly state that each jacket is carefully hand sewn in the USA. This feature will speak to anyone not wanting to support the continuation of Asia’s sweatshops and the abuse of child labour.

In true military fashion, both sleeves sport Velcro backing to accommodate personalized patches, rider names, moral patches or group affiliation patches. I can’t help, but want to share with you how much I really like this inclusion. Hey, it’s just a piece of fun that speaks to the designers goal of giving the wearer that mil-spec feel.

If patches aren’t you’re thing, then TACRIDER do offer the jackets “sans” Velcro.

Conclusion:

If you’re looking for a mid-layer garment that simply performs, offers a tailored fit, is super comfortable and yet flexible and stylish enough to be used a walk-about town jacket, then the TIER 1 Tacpro Jacket, definitely needs to be on your radar.

Lisa and I have chosen to use the Tacpro Jacket as our essential (and only) mid-layer. We can only carry one and it has to perform.

Recommended? Yes absolutely.

Retail Price: $235.00

Manufacturer: TACRIDER
Available from: https://www.tacrider.com

The more Lisa and I use and shoot with FUJIFILM's X-T2, the more impressed we become.

OK confession time: for more than a few years, I'd been the kind of photographer that felt that to capture best images, you need to use the biggest camera, or at least something that looked substantial. Wow, could I have been wrong? But let's face it, without up to date info, it's easy in today's fast moving tech world to loose touch, and to find that your opinion has become outdated, even absurd.

Luckily, today, we can easily all get back up to speed. With the press of a button and the click of a mouse, Google will happily supply you all the new tech info you can possible handle, hey, maybe that's how you arrived at our site today? If so, thank you, we're glad you found us.

We'll be writing a full review on the FUJIFILM X-T2 Camera System in the upcoming weeks, but for now I wanted to talk "Size".

OK, all the obvious "size' jokes aside, when it comes to finding the perfect travel camera, size is a critical factor. Trust me, this comes from someone who's been carrying what now seems like a dumbell around his neck, for the last 7 years. Let's be clear, I still love my Nikon D3 but good lord it now feels heavier than ever.

Let's face it, for most adventure and travel photographers size does matter. Whether your storing your camera in a motorcycle tankbag, a gear bag or even a back pack, we all have very little space.  Those same bags also have to carry all the other travelling essentials we need. For the majority of travellers who don't make money from the images, but simply want to be able to capture and share their experiences as clearly and powerfully as possible, well, convenient size is a critical factor.

We all want a camera with all the bells and whistles; what we don't want is the sheer bulk and weight of most DSLR's (Digital Single Lens reflex). If you 'can't' carry a camera easily and safely, your probalby use it less than than you imaged, or you might just not purchase it in the first place.

Is This The Perfect Travel Camera?

I was inspired to post this size comparison today after a comment left on one of our Facebook posts (facebook.com/2ridetheworld)

I'd posted a few images of the FUJIFILM X-T2 and had casually tagged the post "is this the perfect travel camera?"

In response to my X-T2 FB post, this comment came in from a Facebook user:

...way too big to be a travel camera, most people will leave it in a hotel room and end up using their iPhone.” Facebook user.

Two things struck me about this comment; one was that the poster had probably never seen, let alone held an X-T2 and that secondly they were probably stuck in the same time warp that I'd confessed to earlier.

At first glance, most photos of FUJIFILM's X-T2 simply don't convey this cameras dimmunitve qualities. As someone that now been shooting with this body for several weeks now, let me tell you, It's tiny. The X-T2 is barely bigger than most mid-range point n' click (automatic) cameras. More importantly, packed inside the small housing, is a host of high-end professional features that really pack a punch. If the cliche "don't judge a book by it's cover" was applicable, it woudl be here, when talking about the X-T2.

I wanted to share this post, and what better way to convey the size of the X-T2 than to compare it with an item that the world is familiar with, the iPhone. In this case I've compared it with an iPhone 6s. After speaking with several friends and long term travellers, and asking each of them which iPhone they take on their travels to shoot quality still and video with, the Apple iPhone 6s came back as the most picked model. So, that seemed like a good place to start.

Bearing in mind, while you look over the images of Lisa holding the X-T2, that Lisa's no giant. Lisa stands at respectable 5ft 2" and even in her hands the camera looks small and compact.

Side By Side

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so here is a side by side comparison (with dimensions) of the FUJIFILM X-T2 and the Apple iPhone 6s.

Over the last few days Lisa and I have been walking the jungle near the beach, here in Southern Mexio. Wearing jeans is hot but protects the legs from bug bites. We've easily been able to tuck the X-T2 in our jean pockets, which has saved carrying bags and additional gear. With the stunningly sharp 35mm lens attached the entire unit easily slips into a jacket pocket. 

What really makes the FUJIFILM X-T2 somehting special isn't just it's tiny size, but it's ability to create sharp, clear and beautiful images. The tonal range and detail in the images the X-T2 captures is both incredible and exciting. OK, I know it's not a motorcycle but have a look at the colour detail and subtlety of the Pelican image below.

OK  know you want a bike image as well. This was shot is dim light in the woodlands of Northern Carolina. See below:

As I said above, Lisa and I are working on a full review. But I wanted to share this now.  Check back here frequently as we'll let you know when the review goes live, in the meantime, I hope this post had shed some light on the perfect travel proportions of the X-T2.