Tech ?: Material Abrasion Resistance Resources?

ZCrow

ZCrow

Well-known member
I am hoping with all of our technical members and people with engineers for fathers that someone might know of a good technical reference to compare abrasion resistance of textile materials.

The two materials I specifically want to compare are:

  • 500 Denier Mil-spec Cordura® GORE-TEX®
  • PWR|shell 3-layer 500D, PWR|shell 1000D, and PWR|shell 500D

What is prompting the question is my commute just went from a 2.5 mile jaunt on SF streets to a 40 minute reverse commute to Pleasanton from SF. So I am looking at my options for upgrading my over pants and I have it narrowed down to either the Aerostitch Darian or Rev-IT Commuter Pants. So far the only thing I know about the PWR|shell material Rev-IT uses is that it is nylon and not polyester and the rating.
 
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davidji

bike curious
I can't help with that, but if you search for images of crashed gear, it's likely to sway you to Aerostich over Rev-It. FWIW I have both brands and often wear together (Rev-It jacket, 'Stich pants), but no question at all which is more crash worthy. Partly due to the seam construction, rather than the materials.

Maybe you could look for gear that meets EN13595-1. There's not much else in the way of standardized abrasion testing of motorcycle gear.

OTOH, since this is about commuting, Roadcrafter 1-piece is pretty handy. Available used if you aren't in a hurry.
 
ZCrow

ZCrow

Well-known member
@davidji I am leaning that way but the two things I like about Rev-IT more is one I can go to Scuderia and try them on and two the pant zippers are inside of the leg rather than on the outside of the leg.

I have considered an one piece but I just can't go "full grandpa." I know it's shallow but I have style limits.:teeth
 
TerryM

TerryM

--/\~
You may want to check the ADV gear forum. There was a discussion where a poster quoted some numbers and links to tests on abrasion resistance of different textiles. I couldn't find it in a quick search but did run across this one on Rev'it pants. revit pants... (Not my opinion, as I have Rev'it gear and like it.)

Curious why you like zippers on the inside of the legs. I tend to hang those on the pegs and prefer outside zips.
 
ZCrow

ZCrow

Well-known member
TerryM said:
You may want to check the ADV gear forum. There was a discussion where a poster quoted some numbers and links to tests on abrasion resistance of different textiles. I couldn't find it in a quick search but did run across this one on Rev'it pants. revit pants... (Not my opinion, as I have Rev'it gear and like it.)

Curious why you like zippers on the inside of the legs. I tend to hang those on the pegs and prefer outside zips.
Click to expand...

My thought was the outer leg is more of an impact/abrasion zone vs. the inside of the leg. Zippers are a weak link so my thinking was keep that out of the danger zone. Even Aerostitch follows that thinking with their one piece suit.
 
Cookie Monster

Cookie Monster

noob
My Rev'It jacket and overpants got pretty damn shredded in my 55-60 mph lowside. Seeing pics of crashed 'Stitches show way less damage than the Rev'It stuff. I'm still wearing Rev'it because I didn't want to wait for a custom 'Stitch, as well as since my weight keeps fluctuating pretty drastically, I didn't want to run into fitment problems down the road.
 
TerryM

TerryM

--/\~
ZCrow said:
My thought was the outer leg is more of an impact/abrasion zone vs. the inside of the leg. Zippers are a weak link so my thinking was keep that out of the danger zone. Even Aerostitch follows that thinking with their one piece suit.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have a 1 pc Aerostich and that inside leg zip never hangs. It is by far the easiest commute suit - the convenience outweighs my vanity. And the stich zippers seem like about 3 times as durable as the ones on my Revit jacket.
 
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omoiRR

Well-known member
Zack, my friend lowsided at 40mph in revit overpants and they ripped at the knee and the armor became misaligned. he has some permanent scarring.
 
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Sharxfan

Well-known member
I have a Rev'It textile jacket that I wore for a bit then I high sided and the forearm abraded right through and I only slid maybe 5-10 feet. The stomach seemed to hold up better but I think at that point I was in the dirt so not as bad as the asphalt. Got a leather jacket after that one.
 
Asudef

Asudef

Still learning
Damn, this is making me regret my Rev'it pants...

Is the Motoport Ultra II and Street Jean different grades of Cordura? Seems like they have the same armor underneath. How does Aerostich AD1 Cordura compare?
 
gbas

gbas

I drank what???
ZCrow said:
  • 500 Denier Mil-spec Cordura® GORE-TEX®
  • PWR|shell 3-layer 500D, PWR|shell 1000D, and PWR|shell 500D
Click to expand...


I'm a little fuzzy since it was last year when I was doing the same analysis for my long distance commute. Here's what I remember:

500D = 500 Denier (Denier is the weight rating of the yarns used to make the fabric)
PWR = Polyester (polyamide?) weight rating (not sure on this one)
Cordura is a trademarked version of polyester fabric, available in different weights.

So item #1 is an item of clothing: polyester, 500 Denier, with Gore-Tex (Gore-tex is a thin membrane layer bonded to the polyester, not a removable liner in this description)

And item #2 is an item of clothing with 3 distinct polyester areas: one area with 3 layers of 500 Denier polyester, a 1000 Denier polyester area, and a 500 Denier polyester area. Description sounds like each of the 3 areas on the outside of a jacket or pants.It might be that the high abrasion (high Denier number) portions of the jacket/pants/whatever is the 1000D area, while the bulk of it is the lesser grade.

I see this type of detail when looking on Revzilla - it takes additional sleuthing to find out which section of clothing has which rating.... many, many hours of sleuthing.

I recall a 'Stitch suit is 1000-1200D, which is pretty damn good for an all-around suit that's waterproof and has easy in-n-out. YMMV (I don't own one)

After getting a headache and spending weeks in analysis-paralysis, I bit the bullet and bought the highest Denier I could find that fit, was comfortable, and I would USE ALL THE TIME. Disclaimer: I eventually got 2 pc leathers for 3 of the seasons, the polyester stuff I use for rain/winter.

I think the "best" protection is the one that is comfortable and you'll wear all the time.

Good luck.
 
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davidji

bike curious
gbas said:
Cordura is a trademarked version of polyester fabric, available in different weights.
Click to expand...
Cordura can be either nylon or polyester. The only PWR Shell fabrics I have in a Rev-It garment are nylon. Perhaps that name is used for polyester fabrics as well--I know Rev-It makes polyester "gear" too.
 
F

fubar929

Well-known member
gbas said:
I recall a 'Stitch suit is 1000-1200D, which is pretty damn good for an all-around suit that's waterproof and has easy in-n-out. YMMV (I don't own one)
Click to expand...

An Aerostich Roadcrafter is primarily made of 500D Cordura. The "ballistic" patches at the shoulders, elbow+forearm, and knee+shin are 1000D Cordura.
 
Eric B

Eric B

Know-it-none
From the website at Aerostich -

Crash and Abrasion Considerations?

Compared to leather of the same weight and thickness, Cordura nylon is a stronger material. But hides are thicker and heavier so they offer greater abrasion resistance. We repair about twenty or thirty Aerostich garments a month. About a third of these were in crashes that produced some abrasion damage. Several common themes have emerged. Though Aerostich suits are not as abrasion resistant as racing leathers, they offer significant and useful protection, especially at typical street speeds.

Aerostich wearers often think of their suit as sacrificial in the same way a car's airbag gets used up by its deployment. These garments are lighter, cooler and easier to use in bad weather (etc...), but less crash-durable than leathers. On average, street riders seem to crash only at infrequent intervals. How gear feels and works during the intervening years of use and the tens of thousands of miles of riding is very important. Most street crashes occur between 20 and 50 mph, not between 50 and 100. For each Roadcrafter suit that was in a 100 mph crash, we get dozens that need smaller repairs because the rider fell down at 35 mph . For these kinds of everyday spills, even the fanciest leathers do not offer protective advantages. We make gear to help you use a motorcycle more and be better protected. It has to be safe, easy to use, and comfortable for everyday riding.

Nylon and Friction?

Although we have not conducted tests comparing the friction coefficients of cordura suits and leathers on various pavement surfaces, we have collected a significant amount of relevant information. We repair many Aerostich suits every year, and most of these are damaged by sliding on all kinds of pavements. Many of the wearers (testers....?) had previous crash experiences with leathers. Post-crash wearers typically comment that their Aerostich was 'slipperier' than their old leathers. The consensus is that Cordura slides a little better and tends to roll and tumble the wearer somewhat less than leather. After studying hundreds of accidents, former Motorcyclist magazine editor and professional accident reconstructionist Gordon Jennings believed that more crash injuries (broken shoulders, etc..) were caused by tumbling than by the incrementally increased chances of hitting something due to sliding farther.
 
ZCrow

ZCrow

Well-known member
I have a pair of the Rev-IT Enterprise Pants and I bought them just for riding the streets of SF and never trusted them for highway speeds. Now, after seeing multiple people with crash reports of major failures at 30-50 MPH crashes, I have scratched them off my list.

I am off to Reno this weekend to touch and feel some Aerostitch swag. Thanks for the feedback, everyone! :thumbup

Now I am just wrestling with do I get the pants or go Full Grandpa.:teeth
 
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