I’ve found a lot of textile jackets, especially with body armor built inm can be heavy and bulky. However, the Olympia Moto Sports Airglide 2 jacket breaks that mold. It provides the warmth, functionality and built-in safety features common on most jackets, but with a style and comfort I haven’t found elsewhere. Constructed of rugged DuPont Cordura with ballistic nylon mesh panels, this jacket offers maximum airflow for hot summer cooling coupled with (hopefully unnecessary!) abrasion resistance for safety. Equipped with a windproof, waterproof, insulated liner jacket that can be removed easily via a zipper and a few simple snap buttons, the Olympia Airglide 2 delivers all-weather, multi-season riding comfort.
One feature I like is the liner’s elasticated cuffs. Ostensibly a minor point, I found that the prevention of cold drafts shooting up my sleeves was in reality a pretty big deal! Comfort around the neck is always another jacket pet peeve with me, but I found the Olympia jacket was well cut enough to be protective from wind chill, yet, it did not aggravate my neck.
The interior and exterior pockets are sufficient and well-placed, and pop-down exterior straps tailor the jacket to my shape. Body armor is provided for both the shoulders and elbows, the latter being usefully long and actually protecting a large part of the upper and lower arm too. The decent size back protector is a sensible move, but again, as with the rest of the armor, it’s not overly obtrusive when being worn.
Overall, I find the Olympia Airglide 2 to be an intelligently and well made jacket with useful, real world functionality and performance. Despite having the choice of many different jackets to wear, I usually find myself gravitating towards this one for comfort, lack of bulk, the functionality and simplicity of use.