Hi there! Time for me to stop borrowing and invest in my own gear for pillion. Initially I dont want to spend the earth. As as winter's coming, I'm thinking warmth and comfort over style (not mad about looking like a courier tho!). Any tips?

I've thought about looking on ebay or waiting for good prices at the Birm NEC (I'm told that's cheaper than shops).

Helmets: is it the case that they're equally safe and you pay more for comfort? About £150 do it?

Back protector: been advised that this is essential for a pillion rider like me - £80 for Forcefield

Boots: Is it important to have biker boots? I had my eye on MBT boots (about £200) because they're good for your posture, but they're made for walkin' and don't have a heel. Is it good to have a heel for grip?

Jacket and trousers: Is Buffalo Endurance a good make?

Gloves: any favourites?

Suspenders: joking!

Any advice much appreciated, ladies!

Hi there   Up till this year I was pilly my wears consisted of   Helmet ...exlite .. £135 Jacket ... Revit (with back shoulder & elbow protectors) £125 Trousers ... Aldi over trousers with knee & hip protection & thermal removable lining £40 Boots ... Akito .... £50 Gloves ... Frank Thomas leather ... £60   All did me fine as a pilly & kept me snug, I suffer from Raynauds so end up in extream pain if I get cold (which I do very easily), & are still doing well as a rider ... tho its getting close to the time for heated grips if I want to continue to wear leather gloves   My boots are ladies Akito so they do have a little 'dip' in the arch of your foot for grip rather than a heel, I found as a pilly heels got stuck or hit the exhaust pipe.   Hope this helps you                                                                                                                                                                              

e-bay like crazy.  LOADS of women' stuff on there where girlies go pillion and then give up when the bloke becomes the ex.   I picked up £300 Daytona boots when my old ones gave up after five years of all year round daily riding.  Price on e-bay and totally as new - no marks on them at all.....£98 delivered.  Too good to miss.   Try Richa too - do well fitting women's gear.  All my leathers are HideOut as they are local to me - bloody good kit. The main thing ius to keep leathers in good condition with regular celarning and feed the leather too.  Get the seams checked out regtualrly too as its often the seams that go first.  

  As with any other style of clothing bike gear price and quality varies, depending on where you shop and what brand you buy, as do peoples opinions and preferences.   Best thing to do is try as many products til you find one you're comfortable with. Don't pay too cheap cos it could mean you're buying inferior quality, besides we're talking about your safety here and you can't put a price on that.   Don't buy a second hand helmet, you don't know if it's damaged inside, and a helmet that's damaged aint goina be much use to ya if ya come off. Some people say get a helmet with a D ring chin strap as it needs tightening to your chin each time you do it up, but I prefer the seat-belt style, even tho it can work loose and need readjusting, cos I've never been able to do the D strap up without a faff. Again it's personal preference.   Always buy clothes that can be adjusted, like velcro fastening belted trousers, that way you can adjust them if you need to without having to go to the tailors to have them altered.                                                                                                                                                                                 

I went looking for women's gear earlier this year after my daughter said she wanted to go pilly. As GigglyBB says, plenty of women's stuff on eBay going for very reasonable prices.
We've always been told to avoid second hand helmets for the reason Kwak says, though I often wonder how a helmet can be damaged inside if it's as new outside. But there's plenty of under-£100 new helmets that get the maximum safety rating under the new system, anyway.

  The inner membrane/material can be cracked even tho the outer has no serious visible damage? I guess it depends how hard they hit the deck when dropped   All helmets have to reach a certain safety standard so whether you spend £40 or £400 they should equally protect your noggin. It's not necessary to spend a lot on a helmet but I have found that the more expensive a helmet the more comfy and a better fit.   When it comes to protective bike gear just think of the job it's meant to be doing, saving your SKIN, literally, if you should come off. The more protection you have hopefully the less the damage should you fall off, it doesn't mean you can't get hurt just lessens the pain.                                                                                                                                                                               

  See below                                                                                                                                                                                

  OH F G S!! I've just posted the same post TWICE cos it disappeared the first time and it's still not showing up the second time. What's up with the system/ my computer?!!    EDIT!!! and now they've all shown up!! PML                                                                                                                                                                              

Don't skimp on the trousers.  So many people spend good money on jackets and then leave no money for trousers.   This is despite the fact that you are more likely to suffer an injury to the legs than any other body part.   Modern textiles are very good but many, myself included, do not believe you can beat the abrasion levels of leather.   Responding more specifically, I'd say £150 is likely to get you a perfectly safe helmet, if not a terrifically comfortable one.   Forcefield back protectors are very good and you can't beat the protection of a proper back protector.  However, I'd ask whether you are likely to be on a bike often enough to justify the extra £80 over the cost of a protector you'll get in a jacket?   Speaking of jackets.  I've never owned a Buffalo jacket, but they've been in production for a long time now, so they must be pretty good.   And finally, Hein Gericke tend to do good gloves.  Plus if you sign up on their website, you can get a pair of winter gloves for half price right now if you buy a pair of winter boots.                                                                                                                                                                             

My first helmet was a 2nd hand Arai bought off a work friend that I felt I could trust about its history. I decided to get a new one as soon as I could though and ended up with another Arai as I found the cheaper ones were uncomfortable. One (an AGV I think) was so bad that I had to get it off as soon as I got it on! Paid £300 for it but got a free 2nd visor, visor bag, pinlock insert x 2 and a helmet holdall which was handy at the time as I was travelling round from pilly ride to ride.   My first boots were 2nd hand from ebay, goretex Dainese (£60ish), waterproof but not very warm. Often came home with red swollen toe-ends. Also don't have a gear change reinforcement so weren't very good when I started riding myself. I've kept them for pillion use now (with socks). My current boots that I use for riding are Daytona Ladystars and they are brillant but expensive, £259 new - I got mine from ebay again for about £120. Very warm, totally waterproof (even wading though 6in of water across a ford) and the extra height they give are a godsend. Not keen on them for pillion use though as the higher (hidden) heel means my knees are more cramped than they need to be.   My first textile suit was from the Frank Thomas Chloe range. Got it from J&S and I chose the sallopettes as they didn't gape at the waist like the trousers did but the knee armour was never in the right place, always above the knee. Very warm and totally waterproof but as soon as the weather warmed up I was sweating like a pig - not nice. Overall a bit of a disappointment as they retailed at £230/£240 although I got a discount just by asking (always ask, they can only say no). My 2nd suit is Hein Gericke goretex and is much more comfortable in the warm weather, no more sweating and the armour is much better. I feel far more cosseted and protected. Not as warm but I was warned that goretex isn't actually that warm so plenty of thin layers underneath in cold weather. More expensive though at £340 but again, I got a discount.   I've got Hein Gericke goretex leather/textile mix three season gloves and they're good, again, totally waterproof. My hands get very cold and they froze last year, even with coldkiller liners but once I started riding myself, I couldn't get on with bulky gloves so I got heated grips and it's the best thing I did. Doesn't solve the problem when pillion so I'll have to rethink things this winter.   Well that's what has worked, or not for me so far. It's been an expensive hobby but I didn't have to spend the money I have but I've spent a lot of hours out on bikes this year so I'm getting my monies worth out of it.   I expect it's trial and error really, what works for me or someone else will be complete unsuitable for you. Hope you get sorted out with gear that you feel is right for you.                                                                                                                                                                              

Would definitely try things on first as all makes are different.  I went into a few shops to get an idea of what size I was for which make.  Managed to get a Richa leather jacket for £40 on eBay as a result.   I'm still struggling to find boots that aren't costing a fortune as I'm a size 2 but have chunky calves... Trousers I'm having problems with too - small waist, short legs and fat ass - so the protection doesn't sit where it's supposed to.    Richa gloves in two sizes, not of great comfort but will do. Padded ones more for pillion.  Protected ones I haven't tried out yet.    I got my lid from nicholasnoble.co.uk for less than £30 and I find it comfy enough.  He's always very helpful on the phone / via email and sends items out quickly.  I had to return a pair of boots to him and he refunded my account the same day he received them.    Make sure you try where possible before parting with your hard-earned cash.   Good luck                                                                                                                                                                              

Wonderful tips, everyone. Thanks for taking the time to share your expertise. I'm gonna get down the shops and then ebay away!                                                                                                                                                                             

.....ALWAYS try on if possible...........bike clothing sizes tend to be very different from dress sizes e.g. 12, 14 etc plus different manufacturers tend to vary too (not helpful but useful to know to save making lots of mistakes!)  Ebay brilliant, I bought most of my stuff there but always ask for measurements and take your own accurately!!!  Small mens sizes not the same..........we're not only smaller (well mostly!) but have curves in places they dont so you cant always get away with that either!!  Lids - again, I take XS but even so, some shift around like buckets on my head.......differs with manufacturers, style, shape etc so try on first and despite all the varying prices, make sure it has a BS standard kite mark on.  Lids should be replaced every 2 years or so and especially if dropped as likely to affect their ability to safeguard you!!!  Dont rush in, think about what you need and can afford and buy them bit by bit....the more you look and get into it, the more you get to know and are likely to realise you either need or dont and wont waste money on stuff that really is only just for looks and not fit for purpose!  You'll see what I mean as you go along................tc, have fun, stay safe and good luck with it all!                                                                                                                                                                              

Hey jeanzqueen, Akito boots are sold in a size two !!!! I am currently wearing Ian's daughter's boots who is 9 years old as I have tiny trotters too, I find them really comfortable and can't wait untill she grows to a size 3 then I can keep em!!!  chortle
                                                                                                                                                                             

there yours babes....as she is quite happy with yours !!!!!!!!!!!!!xxxxxxxxxxx                                                                                                                                                                             

....yes, there is always Baby Biker for the little uns amongst us.........Ive bought gloves and boots from there too lol!!!