RIDE LIKE A GIRL

Shopping for Women’s Motorcycle Gear

Updated: Feb 3, 2021

Shopping for motorcycle gear has quickly become one of my new favourite hobbies and I’m pleased to say that more and more companies specialising in this seem to be popping up just about everywhere.

I’m a firm believer in ATGATT (all the gear all the time) which is an acronym that you’ll likely hear when taking your CBT or practical motorcycle test. Although the only a legal requirement in the UK is to wear an ECE approved helmet whilst riding, I highly encourage you to practice ATGATT every time you ride your bike. This includes wearing a helmet as well as a protective jacket, boots, gloves and trousers.

Yes, I know it might be annoying to have to put on the whole get up every time you want to pop out for a quick trip to the shops. But wearing proper protective gear massively decreases the likelihood of you being seriously injured in the event of a crash, so I can’t stress enough how important this is. Even if you come off your bike at slow speeds and (for example) you’re only wearing regular jeans they could rip open leaving your bare legs in contact with the road. Ouch!

I recommend watching YouTuber FortNine’s video on the best beginner motorcycle gear as he does a fantastic job of explaining what you need and why you need it. Available here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmWQKoN6yX0&ab_channel=FortNine

But now on to the fun stuff, where I like to shop for women’s motorcycle gear!

MotoGirl

When I first stumbled upon the MotoGirl website I honestly thought I’d hit the jackpot. I’d been looking for my first pair of protective trousers for a while and I’d be struggling to find anything suitable, mainly due to issues with sizing. There’s already a limited amount of women’s motorcycling gear on the market, but add in being plus sized and taller than average (like me) and you’re essentially left with a handful of options. So I started sprawling the internet desperate to find somewhere that offered size inclusive, high quality protective gear. Fortunately, after a little searching Google sent me over to the MotoGirl website.

MotoGirl are a UK based brand that focuses solely on women's motorcycle gear. They’re a family-run businesses that creates purpose-made motorcycling clothing for ladies. They have a shop in Tonbridge that sadly I haven’t been able to visit yet due to Covid, but I’ll definitely be planning a trip there as soon as I can. However I can say that I’ve ordered many times from their website, and they are yet to disappoint me.

Their customer service is excellent and delivery is quick and free with purchases over £100. But best of all their range of products are of most amazing quality and are highly protective. I personally like my motorcycle gear to be somewhat undetectable so it looks like normal clothing (but with all the bells and whistles safety wise) and I think this something that MotoGirl does exceptionally well.

Back to my trouser problem, I had a browse on their website and discovered that they offer a selection of protective leggings. ‘Leggings?!’ I hear you say... YES, LEGGINGS! I don’t know about you ladies, but the idea of being able to protect my legs whilst wearing something with a stretch waistband sounded perfect to me so I went ahead and ordered some. I opted for their ribbed knee leggings which I believe are a bestseller and I can definitely see why.

In the ribbed leggings there are thirteen different sizes available (from a UK 4 to 28) and in three different lengths (28”, 31” and 34”) so this solved all of my prior issues when it came to sizing. They are made from a super comfortable stretchy material that’s abrasion resistant, with no zips of buttons etc. so you just pull them on and go. They also come with CE-Approved Level 2 knee and hip protectors, which can be easily removed when you want to pop your leggings in the wash.

Some other features that I really appreciate are the extra high waist (so no need to worry about your butt peeking out if you ride a sports bike) and the pockets which are actually big enough to store stuff in. They also have thick belt loops around the waist and the stretch fabric actually gives you a lovely figure hugging fit (who needs Spanx!) For me these are a 10/10 product and I would recommend them to absolutely everyone. You can find them here:

https://motogirl.co.uk/collections/leggings/products/ribbed-knee-leggings

MotoGirl don’t just offer leggings, they also have a wonderful range of jackets, jeans, waterproofs, dungarees and much more, plus most of their offerings come in a selection of different colours and styles too. So go check them out, I promise you won’t regret it!

https://motogirl.co.uk/

Instagram: @motogirluk

Ride and Defy

When shopping for women’s motorcycle gear you might notice a couple of recurring themes. Glitter, embroidered flowers and pink fabrics are just a few of the stereotypical ‘girly’ things are plastered across jackets, gloves and even boots. Sick of compromising on style, Ride and Defy decided to do something about this.

Founded by like-minded motorbike and action sports enthusiasts, Ride and Defy offer a gorgeous selection of stylish motorcycle gear that’s not pink, flowery or covered in diamantes. They teamed up with Project Eighty Three (who stock men’s motorcycle clothing) and together they have a shop located in Newquay that I’m absolutely dying to visit.

It looks like a little slice of heaven, with chesterfield sofas, a secret garden and fresh coffee available to purchase so it’s the perfect place to meet up with others before/after a ride. They even have handy lockers that you can use to keep your helmet etc. in if you decide to visit the nearby beach on foot (genius!)

Ride and Defy stock clothing from some of my personal favourite brands, including Eudoxie, Holy Freedom, 78 Motor Co, Oily Rag and MotoGirl. It’s the kind of shop where I could do some serious damage to my bank balance, as I want to buy absolutely everything. They have all the products you need for riding your motorcycle but also provide a great selection of casual clothing and accessories.

I think it’s a fantastic place to shop for gifts if you have a woman in your life that rides. They even offer membership packages which give customers priority access to Project Eighty-Three events, plus discounts on purchases in store and online. I highly recommend you take a look at their website and Instagram feed (which I’m constantly lusting over) so go check them out.

https://www.rideanddefy.com/

Instagram: @ride_and_defy

Urban Rider

Urban Rider is one of the biggest retailers of riding gear in the UK and although they don’t specialise in women’s motorcycle gear they definitely have a great selection of products for ladies. They stock just about every brand I can think of (over 75 international brands according to their website) with new products added daily. Plus it’s not just clothing on offer, they also sell all kinds of bike accessories, security items, cleaning products, the list goes on! They have a single flagship store located in Fulham, London which showcases all of their latest additions but they also have a concession at the world famous Bike Shed in Shoreditch.

There are a few reasons why I like to shop with Urban Rider, aside from the fantastic selection of products as mentioned above. Firstly, they almost always have reduced items on sale (who doesn’t love a bargain ladies, lets be honest!) I’ve personally saved quite a few quid on things like my helmets, both of which I’ve purchased from Urban Rider.

Secondly, they have a rewards program known as the 51 club and if you sign up to become member you’ll receive points on every purchase you make. Those points eventually add up to £5, £10 or £20 vouchers which you can redeem against any order (excluding sale items). You can also earn points by referring friends or leaving product reviews. This is a feature that I particularly like that isn’t offered by many other retailers. It’s especially helpful when it comes to saving money on those bigger purchases.

Thirdly, Urban Rider do their own measurements when it comes to clothing and often display both the manufacturers size guide and their own on the product page. For me this is an absolute game changer. I frequently find myself in-between sizes which can be pretty frustrating, but as Urban Rider’s measurements sometimes differ from the manufacturers it can really help me in deciding which size I should buy. So far I’ve found Urban Riders size guide to be more reliable than most manufacturers so I always check this before making a purchase.

Lastly, Urban Rider has (in my opinion) some of the best product reviews going. They have their own video studio and create these really thorough reviews which you can usually find on the products page. I can’t tell you how many times these videos have helped me in choosing items and the quality of the reviews are excellent so there’s no need to go searching on Google or YouTube for more information. Urban Rider is also a fantastic place to check out customer reviews as they have over 20,000 of them on their website. It’s definitely easy to see why they are a firm favourite among customers both in the UK and overseas. You can find them here:

https://www.urbanrider.co.uk/

Instagram: @urbanriderlondon

That just about wraps it up for my favourite places to shop for women’s motorcycle gear in the UK, but I’d like to take a second to mention some companies that aren’t based in the UK that I think are seriously cool and are worth a shout out. Please go check them out as most offer international shipping and they all have the most gorgeous products:

Wind and Throttle

https://www.windandthrottle.com/

Instagram: @windandthrottle

Black Arrow

https://blackarrowlabel.com/

Instagram: @blackarrow_moto

MotoFemmes

https://www.motoest.com.au/pages/femmes

Instagram: @motofemmes

Wildust Sisters

https://www.wildust.com/fr/

Instagram: @wildust_sisters