3 minute read
Inside Accessories
By Mark Dzikowski
After reviewing the Olympia Dakar 3 two-piece suit last year and being highly impressed with their newest offering for the adventure riders, we were equally excited to test the brand-new Olympia Airglide 6 jacket and pants combo. The Airglide 6 is meant more for street riding and is best looked at as a three-season suit. Both pants and jacket now come with CE Level 2 protection armour for the back, elbows, shoulders and knees compared to Level 1 protection in the predecessors. Another upgrade is the 1000D Cordura fabric in critical zones of the suit (mainly where the CE protection is located). The jacket comes with 3M Scotchlite reflective tape at the front, sides and back and our black and yellow model was bright and visible day and night, which translates to a very welcome safety feature by increasing visibility in all conditions without being too obnoxious. You can also get the jacket in all black. Pants only come in the black option. The three-layer jacket includes the thermo mid-layer for temperatures below around 15 degrees Celsius as well as a waterproof layer that can be worn as an over- or under-layer. The pants come with a removable waterproof 2.5 layer which also doubles as a thermal layer on cold days.
We tested the suit from around April onwards which included riding in sub 10 degrees Celsius to 38 degree Celsius temperatures during the late June heat wave. Once temperatures drop below 15 degrees Celsius, I always put the thermal layer on but only for shorter rides. On any long road trip in those temperatures, I donned all three layers for a cozy ride. In the warmer riding conditions, same as the Dakar 3 adventure offering, without the thermal or waterproof layer underneath, the jacket and pants flow a ridiculous amount of air. This is thanks to the ginormous mesh panels on the front and mid-back on the jacket and front thigh and lower back leg on the pants. Riding in 38 degrees Celsius is not pleasant to begin with, but with a water-soaked T-shirt underneath, it was actually much less miserable to ride in that heat.
The fit, similar to the Dakar 3 offering, is of North American standard, meaning that if you’re more on the skinny side, make sure to order a size smaller than your normal street clothes, especially in the pants. I’m usually a 34-inch waist and a size 32 fit me much better but still roomy. At 6 feet 2 inches, 180 pounds I wore a Large jacket and it fit me well. The jacket and pants come with fleece-lined pockets and have quite a bit of adjustability on the arms, cuffs and waist and bottom hem on the pants and I was quite happy with the overall fit. The one gripe I had was with the neck collar, which was a little tight and pulled the jacket towards the back as if it was out of balance. I did not find that in the Dakar 3 jacket. It might be that it was driven by my posture and physique and it wasn’t a show stopper as I usually rode with the collar folded over back onto itself and attached to a convenient hook further back on the collar. A very neat feature by the way.
Overall, another quality product from Olympia to add to the shopping list for those looking for an affordable and high-quality option from a Canadian company. Visit www.motovan.com for complete product details and the location of a dealer near you. IM
Olympia Gear Airglide 6 Mesh Tech Jacket Sizes: S to 3XL Colours: Black, Grey/Red, Black/Neon Yellow MSRP: $469.99
Pants Sizes: 30 to 44 (waist) Colours: Black MSRP: $339.99
Pros
+ Affordable, high-quality protection and safety features + Versatile
Cons
– Pants only come in black – Neck collar / jacket imbalance
