We have been pushing for making riding jackets mandatory for all our riders. However, considering the cost of the jackets and their unavailability in our market, it becomes hard to get the right jacket. However, armors such as this one is easily available online and is also very cheap. It offers protection to the rider in most areas that a jacket does. So, this is a good piece of gear of have, especially if a riding jacket is yet to make its place in your wardrobe.

Description as given on Snapdeal :

  • Full zipper front closure
  • Adjustable straps throughout the arms and shoulders
  • Removable spine armor
  • Wide elastic waist belt with Velcro adjustment
  • Durable stretchable Lycra/mesh net fabric
  • High impact injection molded plastic
  • Articulating back plate armor is removable
  • Mesh material
  • primarily for protection and safety purpose
  • Available Sizes – Collar size 40
  • Colour – Black
  • Material – Plastic , Mesh
  • And awesome look wise and feel very comfortable to wear.

Pros :

  • Its got protection on all the joints. Although the quality of the armor can be questioned, but may be good enough for usual cruising speeds that we do on breakfast rides.
  • The mesh is smooth and doesn’t itch. In the photos given on snapdeal, it looked rough and I expected it to be itchy, but it isnt. Just wear a full sleeve tshirt under it and it remains comfortable
  • There are straps with velcros at places where it needs to fit well and hold. It takes a bit of time at first to learn to adjust them, but it should get in habit with use.
  • The back protector is long and flexible. A rider who used it over a 350 km ride said that it also supports the back.
  • The back protector is removable, although I don’t see any sense in doing that.
  • Its subtle enough to be hidden under a windcheater or jacket. This is especially useful while riding in rural areas where we don’t want to stand out.

Cons :

  • The straps are pretty flimsy. They are ok at first, but with use, they tend to use their elasticity. At this point the rider can stitch the loose ends together to keep things rolling during a ride.
  • In the piece I had, the armors on the left arm were off their position. The ones of the right arm were perfect. Maybe its a piece specific defect.
  • The quality of course is not up to the mark. But then, for the price these are being sold at we can’t expect much.

Overall, I think that this armor is a good buy, if you can’t/don’t want to buy a jacket for any reason. This is available on various online shopping sites in the range of Rs.1200 to Rs.1500.