BOWTEX ELITE Shirt - extremely light can be worn underneath directly - AAA homologation (120 km/h/75 mph)

[p6x]

https://www.bowtex.store/product/elite-shirt-ce-level-aaa/

Some of us have to ride in high temperatures and high humidity for a greater part of the year.

BOWTEX specializes in motorcycle riding gear, using technical innovation. They presented a few interesting products at the Intermot exhibition in Germany last year.

This "ELITE Shirt" can be worn as a layer or topside, replacing a jacket. Read their narrative. If you consider they ship to the US for free, and that 400 EUR includes VAT which you are exempt from if ordering from outside of Europe, this maybe something to consider.

I attached the description, technical details, shipping details. Follow the link to get more specifications.

 

[p6x]

I received the shirt yesterday. I have not worn it on my motorbike yet.

It looks like in the pamphlet above; a sweatshirt with protections. The fabric feels pretty tough.

Is it going to be better than a jacket in the Texas hot and humid weather?

I will let you know as I am going to start riding with it from today.

By the way, if any of you were to purchase one, the midsection is particularly form fitting ; I guess I am going to have to cut down on French cuisine... I am a medium in the USA, I ordered Large European. The shoulders are spot on, but the abdomen requires a 16 years old body...

 

[PJPR01]

Looks like a compression Jiu-Jitsu snug fit.  With the Texas sun, you'll get to wear a few bandanas to avoid sunburn on the neck...are you planning to wear this under the vented jacket or as a stand alone type item?

[p6x]

14 hours ago, PJPR01 said:

Looks like a compression Jiu-Jitsu snug fit.  With the Texas sun, you'll get to wear a few bandanas to avoid sunburn on the neck...are you planning to wear this under the vented jacket or as a stand alone type item?

This is supposed to be stand-alone. It has all the protections included. This is a brand new item for Bowtex, and after my order, they informed they were manufacturing the first batch.

I intend to wear it directly on one of the SIXS undergarment that I purchased last year from Italy. Those are really lights.

I will give Bowtex feed-back, however I don't think this is going to be the solution for the Texas weather.

True re the bandana requirement. Although my helmet may help, I will verify everything after my  first test drive.

[LowRyter]

This is a riding shirt with built in armor and scuff resistant material?  

[p6x]

On 3/8/2023 at 9:59 AM, LowRyter said:

This is a riding shirt with built in armor and scuff resistant material?  

Yes it is. If you read the narrative, it is certified AAA for Europe 120 km/h or 75 mph here.

I did my first trip with it on March 10, early morning ride to Chapell Hill Texas. Temperatures slightly in the 50 degF (10 degC).

I was uncomfortable, but not to the point to make me stop. Definitively, it is going to be lighter than a full blown jacket once the temperatures get to their usual Texas numbers.

Temperatures are still in the 50's today. Now that I know air flows through it, I need to check it above 80F.

 

[p6x]

I did about 400 miles yesterday, starting in the 40 degF and ending in the 55 degF when I returned home in the evening.

The best test you can do when you want to check how good summer clothing is in terms of ventilation.

I wore three layers.

First was a winter undergarment, then the Elite Bowtex, then my profusely aerated vintage jacket IXON Revolution Fever.

The early part of the ride was unpleasant, and I could feel the cold air hitting me hard. Which is a good omen for summer.

I had to add one layer to be more comfortable.

[p6x]

I have now done some mileage using the Bowtex Elite Shirt and I can vouch that it is so far the best solution to address the humid heat, at least here, in Texas.

I wore it while in the upper 50's, lower 60's, to check how it let air go through. It is more efficient than a jacket, especially a lot lighter not much different of a T-shirt with long sleeves, but with protections and anti-abrasive fabric.

Yesterday, in 97 degF (36 degC) felt temperatures, it was bearable. Much more than any of my so-called summer jackets. Simply because you could wear it with one of the SIXS T-shirt, lighter than a T-shirt.

I am not going to pretend that you don't feel hot. You do. Now, because it is almost weightless, once you are in motion, the air goes circulates including through the neck opening and offers the best ventilation I got to experience in a tight garment.

There are no pockets, excepted those to fit the protections.

I am now using it exclusively to any other jacket. It could probably be worn directly on the skin, I have not yet tried that, but in exchanges with Bowtex customer service, I was told that many use it as an underlayer while riding better tempered climates.

While new, I thought it was undersized. It fits better now, however I would probably go for XL on my next purchase. I wear medium in the USA, which makes it a large by European standards.

 

[Pressureangle]

My only concern is how hot and melty the material becomes after a long pavement slide, although trading serious burns for serious abrasions is a fair trade. Dyneema is so strong it's hard to fathom- a 1/8" Dyneema rope has the tensile strength of a 1/2" steel wire rope, if memory serves. The literature says 'UV resistant' but (20 years ago) UHMWP ropes needed UV protective sleeves to make them durable enough in the sun to be economical for ships. Perhaps they've sorted chemical UV blocking in the material. Keep posting, being in S. Florida I'm always interested in safe comfort in the heat.

[audiomick]

1 hour ago, Pressureangle said:

 safe comfort in the heat.

Leather. Black, of course. 

[p6x]

16 hours ago, Pressureangle said:

My only concern is how hot and melty the material becomes after a long pavement slide, although trading serious burns for serious abrasions is a fair trade. Dyneema is so strong it's hard to fathom- a 1/8" Dyneema rope has the tensile strength of a 1/2" steel wire rope, if memory serves. The literature says 'UV resistant' but (20 years ago) UHMWP ropes needed UV protective sleeves to make them durable enough in the sun to be economical for ships. Perhaps they've sorted chemical UV blocking in the material. Keep posting, being in S. Florida I'm always interested in safe comfort in the heat.

 

They have obtained that CE certification, which is already better than any of the jackets in my possession. None of my jackets have been manufactured against any standard, either US or CE.

I can propose this information from FEMA (Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations) about the new standard.

The European Standard EN 17092-1:2020 part 1 describes the test methods the garment has to be subjected; unfortunately, as with the API standards, they are not free to consult, you need to purchase them.

I only found Part 4 for free consult: here

I searched for Part 1 which contains all the tests without success.

[p6x]

15 hours ago, audiomick said:

Leather. Black, of course. 

It is absolutely impossible to wear a leather jacket in Texas' humid heat.

The standard uniform here, save for maybe a few weeks in February, shorts and T-shirt. Male and Female.

Maximum temperature today: 99 degF 37 degC; plus humidity.

Next week, we are going to go above 100 deg, as they call it here: in the triple digits...

Riding a motorcycle is particularly body stressing.

If I get a second motorcycle, you are welcome to visit! I will take you on the Texas roads all the way to Leakey from Bandera. We will do the twisted sisters.

Let's see how long you will be wearing your leather jacket.... :-)

[PJPR01]

In this wonderful triple digit temps that we enjoy here in Texas, what I found most comfortable:

Long sleeve Cooling shirt (Coolibar brand, there are others) with UPF 50 sun protection , either doused with water or kept in the fridge overnight, underneath a mesh jacket to allow a "cooling" sensation and refresh it 1 x per hour by pouring a bottle of water on front and back.  

Similar process and refresh cadence 1 x hour with a headcap (LD comfort cap) also doused in cold water and put on the head, venting on helmet provides the A/C effect. 

Black leather would probably cause a major heatstroke in these conditions...using the layering/cooling effect like folks who live in the desert to protect against the dehydration impact. 

Ironically, above approx 90F, mesh jackets by themselves can cause more dehydration, hence the use of the wet cooling shirt layer....works perfectly.

 

[audiomick]

100° F = 37.8° C = a normal summer day where I grew up in northern Victoria. For Melbourne, ok, a bit warm.

I have to admit, northern Victoria isn't particularly humid, and I know that does make a difference.

I'm not trying to be a smart arse, rather merely trying to show that I do know what those sort of temperatures mean. The hottest day that I know for sure how warm it was saw 46° C. I spent that day in the shade of a tree on the shore of a lake.

I do own a vented textile jacket, but I don't really like it. Too sweaty. If I can manage it, I prefer the leather jacket. Even on the GTR 1000 in the high 30's. That bike funnels heat up from the motor on to the rider. Good in winter, hard work in traffic in the city on a warm day.

[p6x]

3 hours ago, audiomick said:

100° F = 37.8° C = a normal summer day where I grew up in northern Victoria. For Melbourne, ok, a bit warm.

I have to admit, northern Victoria isn't particularly humid, and I know that does make a difference.

I'm not trying to be a smart arse, rather merely trying to show that I do know what those sort of temperatures mean. The hottest day that I know for sure how warm it was saw 46° C. I spent that day in the shade of a tree on the shore of a lake.

I do own a vented textile jacket, but I don't really like it. Too sweaty. If I can manage it, I prefer the leather jacket. Even on the GTR 1000 in the high 30's. That bike funnels heat up from the motor on to the rider. Good in winter, hard work in traffic in the city on a warm day.

Well, I have worked in various places in the world, including Libya, Saudi Arabia, Chad just to list those with a desert...

Texas and Houston feels the worst. It is really a sauna. I have been outside by 45 degC while working in N'jamena, and it was a breeze in comparison.