Adler Riding Gear Review
We recently got our hands on a couple pieces of riding gear from Adler Products. The jacket is the Austin Air and the other piece is called the Pulse Armored Shirt. I will preface this that the two pieces we are trying are a little more geared towards street riding than off-road specific, but just the same I see a lot of value that crosses disciplines. The Adler name is new to me, but at first look, their line up matches industry standards pretty appropriately, the material and stitching is on par with brands twice its price and above and the styling looks like much of what’s already in my gear bag. The logo is cool, and my first thoughts were that it was a phoenix, but some quick googling and I found that Adler is German for eagle.
The first thing you notice with this lineup is that not only do they have provisions to have armor, the jackets actually come with the armor. Having worked in the dealership industry for 10 years I got to see first hand what shoppers gravitate towards and having sold many competitive brands, the questions I would get over and over are, “what are these odd shaped pockets for?” After you got done explaining that you can add padding to the jacket, they would ask why it didn’t come with it. With the Austin Air and the Pulse Armored Shirt there’s no question, these jackets are full of features and the CE armor is just part of it.
Adler Products offers quality products that fit riders needs. When compared to higher priced riding apparel, the Adler line offers excellent value with plenty of features like the included armor.
Upon unboxing the Austin Air, you immediately discover a feature packed jacket. The tag on the jacket boasts 17 key features that include a detachable rain liner, abrasion resistant panels overlaying specific areas like elbows and shoulders, water resistant shell, and adjustable cuffs and waistband among many others. I’d like to share a little more that I noticed though. For starters, the Austin Air is priced very competitively at $119.99 and as such I’d say it falls in the entry level category, but for that you are absolutely getting your money’s worth. Little things on the jacket show that Adler cares about longevity, the main zipper is a YKK zipper which is to be expected on high end jackets, but was a nice surprise for me given the price tag. I also like that the two main pockets above the waist are a solid polyester material, where I’ve seen others use mesh. This doesn’t sound like a big deal, until you’re trying to get your keys out of your pocket and the key ring or the end of the key gets tangled in the mesh material making it susceptible to snag and damage the pocket or at the very least make it a pain to deal with the simplest of tasks.
Trying the Austin on I found that at 5’6 and 150lbs the medium fits well and leaves me just enough room to get a little fatter. The bend built into the arms is ergonomically correct for a good riding position where you don’t get the sleeves bunched up on the inside of your elbows and the armor sets in nicely when your arms are extended to the handlebars. I will say here that given my internal thermostat, I immediately took out the waterproof liner which then made for a very breathable jacket. I played with the CE Level 1 armor, removing them and reinstalling them to get a feel for the jacket in every regard. Given the amount of moving I do on the dirt bike, I chose that I would ultimately just run the back plate and shoulder plates, removing the elbow guards to allow for a little more movement as I dance around the bike. When I get a chance to get this jacket out in the trees a little more this fall I’m thinking that the reinforced material on elbows and shoulders will be great for when those elusive branches come out of nowhere and smack you.
Overall the Austin Air is a very good jacket and its price makes it easy for you to take a chance on the Adler name, the stitching looks to be tight, the velcro on the cuffs and waist along with some snaps on the upper arms make for a custom tailored fit, and the material is seems very good at first impression. I do have a very similar Klim jacket that I can directly compare this to and was presently surprised that they fit very similar. The Klim was well over three and a half times the price so I know there are some things that will not be apples to apples, but I would say for the vast majority of riders the Austin Air will more than suit the riders needs.
The next piece that Adler sent us was the Pulse Air Armored Shirt. Now again I’m not in the street world too much, but this thing is cool! Just like the Austin, the Pulse comes fully equipped with armor (plus it has breast plates as well), but it gets better, the Pulse has CE Level 2 armor which is designed to take a more aggressive impact. I really like the material on this shirt? jersey? jacket? whatever you want to call it. It breathes very well and in my opinion would be an awesome addition to anyone’s gear bag. The lightweight breathable material that is somewhat form fitting allows you to wear the Pulse under any current jacket you already have or even a hoodie for that matter. Again, its very easy to remove and install the armor, so just like I did on the first jacket, I removed the elbow pads and it actually worked out pretty well. I rode in the Pulse at a Wyoming Off-Road Racers Association race and even in 85 degree weather I only felt body heat where the CE armor was and even then, it wasn’t much different than a traditional plastic chest protector. Just as Adler advertises you could ride in this thing in the heat of the day without feeling like you're in a sauna. I see this being a very nice addition for any rider, street, off-road and especially the guys in the adventure bike and dual sport segment.
The Alder Pulse Armored Shirt is breathable, light, and durable in all potential impact areas.
The Pulse has a low cut collar that though I think may not be the most flattering for design, I think this plays right back into what I said earlier about wearing it under another piece of clothing. When you put a jacket or something overtop of the Pulse you don’t have excess material bunching up near your neck line and that can be critical considering you could potentially have a shirt, the Pulse, a jacket and then your helmet all trying to meet in the same space. While we’re talking about the neckline, it’s important to note that again Adler has taken the time to show attention to detail. When fully zipped there is a piece of material at the neck that the zipper tucks into so it can’t catch on anything or irritate your neck and chin as you ride.
I’m very excited about what I see from Adler Products. Don’t let the unfamiliar name slow you down on making a decision. The product fits well, looks good and so far gives me the confidence that it will hold up to regular riding. The armor is CE certified so riders will also have the confidence to know that if things go wrong on a ride that they will have a little more protection between them and the ground. Check out Adler for yourselves at alderproducts.com and take advantage of their end of summer savings along with free shipping and to make the deal even more sweet use code NEVRA at checkout for another 5% off.
