TheScooterScoop

I’m a big fan of Icon gear. As a proper Icon fanatic I’ve got an Icon jacket, gloves, pants, reflective vest and 2 Icon helmets… pretty much the whole setup except boots and my summer helmet (see Momo), so anytime you see me riding, you’ll see SOMETHING Icon. I like the fact that they have a selection of more understated gear. That’s not to say they don’t also have some outlandish/bad ass type stuff in their closet, but if you’re looking for something that is less kneedragger / power ranger / macho man, then they may have something for you. Now, let me tell you a little story.

When I was a kid living in Hawaii, we used a pidgin word “Safe”, and we used it a lot… as in “Wow bra, you so safe!” which in standard American english means “Gosh dude, you are so stupid”. So, to the island kids “Safe” equated to “Stupid”. Why? I have no idea. Strangely enough, non-island kids also seem to equate “Safe” with “Stupid” too. They don’t wanna wear helmets, jackets or gloves, why? Because it’s dorky? Stupid? Ok tough guy, I might have just the solution for you. Say you want to ride and be protected BUT you want to look REALLY casual, like “Hey! I don’t give a $#!+ about nothin’. I just jumped on my scooter and hit the road.” Observe the photo below.

Would you be willing to hit the pavement at 40 mph in this outfit? What would happen? You might loose some meat off your arms, perhaps shatter a kneecap or burn a hole through your jeans and then your ass? Not at all!

Because, under this mild mannered attire I’m sportin’ a complete set of Icon Field Armor! It’s low profile enough to fit under your everyday clothes (well, no… I don’t actually wear a shirt and tie everyday, it just adds to the superman look I was going for here).

So what is Icon Field Armor? It’s light weight, low profile, form fitting, impact absorbing, adjustable ride armor for your torso and limbs (see slide show above).

Here’s whats included in the slide show:
The Vest (MSRP $100) – At the very minimum, if you want to protect yourself while wearing your favorite sweatshirt, hoodie, argyle sweater or shop jacket, you need to cover your spine. The impact absorbing, articulated plastic will do a fine job at it. There are a few Velcro adjustments to help the vest fit comfortably snug and yet it still allow for a full range of motion AND as jmi3 says “it’s a lot cheaper than a skin graft”. The vest gets lots of praises from the kneedraggers site.

The Shorts (MSRP $115) – Composed of stretchable aramid (Kevlar), a heat and abrasion resistant synthetic fiber, these shorts don’t have much in the way of padding, but will save your nalga hide should you find yourself skating down the pavement on your posterior. The breathable mesh crotch helps to prevent a drop in your zygote count. I need to sell my XL’s and try on a Large though. These seem a little baggy on me. Cool and comfortable, but baggy. They do, however, fit very comfortably under my jeans.

The Elbows (MSRP $55) – Low profile, impact absorbing/distributing protection for your forearms and elbows. Each one is marked “left” or “right”, to take out the guess-work. Will not reduce your range of motion, so you still move naturally with them on under your hoodie. Makes a good companion piece for the Vest.

The Knees (MSRP $65) – Some people have complained about the fit if you have large calves. Apparently, I don’t because they fit me fine. If you have a nice pair of jeans you like to wear, but you’d like to keep your knees and shins intact in an accident, these low profile babies are the way to go. You won’t even notice them after a half hour on the road and spectators won’t know you’ve got them on!

So, for about $335 (MSRP) you could be properly protected from shoulders to shins and no one would even know it. Pretty cool, eh? I’ll will say this though, when you’re not moving, the whole get-up can get a bit warm… but if you wanna look casual but feel safe on a long ride, I can’t think of a better way to go. Click on the title link to see them at the Icon website.

Here’s an example (minus the gloves, which I left in my glove box).