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In preparation for some one and two week long rides coming up this season I wanted to get a new set of riding gear that could handle anything thrown at it. We have tested this gear in riding conditions all the way down into the 20’s Fahrenheit and we were nice and warm. The gear is a little on the heavy side as it has a lot of padding and removable plating around the knees. Another nice feature is a small removable water pack on the back that holds about half a liter. It’s definitely not enough to last you all day on the road, but for short rides around town it’s great.

One of the reasons I opted for this jacket and pants was the “Transition” functionality. The main jacket and pants have the padding and plating in it but they both also have a waterproof inner layer for wet and cold riding. These are easily removable and are easy to store when they’re not attached to the gear. For warmer summer riding you can also open up vents all over the jacket and pants to help with airflow but still keep you protected.

The X Moto jacket has a small day bag attachment on the back that can be removed and strapped to your waist. This works well for carrying things like passport, cellphone, keys, etc. The pants can also be zipped to the jacket in the back to form more of a one piece suit and help keep a tighter seal against water and the elements. I also like how the pants can be zipped all the way up to the waist to make it extremely easy to get them on and off.

Both the jacket and pants have a multitude of easily accessible pockets for storing everything you need when you ride. The jacket also has a clear pocket on the left sleeve that could be used for a little map, even though the pocket is a little on the smaller side and it’s not entirely clear so it makes reading things a little difficult.

There are three styles of jacket and two styles of pants. The X Moto jackets come in high viz yellow / gray, gray/black and black. The pants come in gray/black and black. I ended up pairing the high viz yellow and gray with the gray/black riding pants. I’m not sure why they didn’t make a high viz version of the pants though.

There are only a couple of downsides to this gear that we’ve found so far. The first is the weight as we mentioned above. The gear is just heavy and you should be prepared for that. I wouldn’t want to walk any real distance in this gear or else you’re going to start breaking out into a sweat. The second issue is the knee armor plating can take some getting used to and adjusting. It takes a couple minutes to move into proper riding position when I’m on the bike and until then it feels a little awkward. The third thing is that the neck of the jacket was rubbing a little strangely on my neck at highway speeds (75+mph). I felt like if I had a taller shirt on then it wouldn’t have been an issue.

Overall, if you’re looking for a nice all weather riding jacket and pants, we highly recommend the Olympia X Moto All Season Transition riding gear.

Update: August 16, 2012
Since posting this initial review I have worn this gear on a 17 day ride, a 4 day ride and normal around town style riding totaling over 8,500 miles. This gear has been through just about everything... extreme heat, extreme downpours, cold temperatures, etc.

After all that riding I'm still extremely happy with my choice of buying the Olympia X Moto All Season Transition Riding Gear. The rain linings do a very good job of keeping you warm when you're riding through cooler weather. I didn't experience a need to even use the heavy cold weather lining... the rain lining was enough to keep me both dry and warm.

On my 17 day ride I experienced precipitation of some sort 14 out of the 17 days. The rain lining didn't let a single drop of water inside and I was able to stay nice and dry. Alternately, when we reached the desert and it was 100+ degrees outside, taking out the rain lining and opening all the vents (which there are a lot of), I was able to stay reasonably cool. There are some vents under the arms, on the back and on the chest that really help airflow through the jacket. The pants also have large vents that roll down to help keep your legs cool.

As far as wear and tear goes, there are a few scratches but nothing out of the ordinary for what I put this riding gear through.