Chip seal
The above picture is chip seal pavement – very common in the Texas hill country. Take a few minutes and think about what it would feel like to slide along this surface following a crash. Those rocks would quickly shred a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Then it would start shredding your skin.
One of the acronyms in the adventure world is ATGATT – which stands for All the Gear, All the Time. It means that you should wear your protective gear anytime you are on the bike.
It has been said that there are only two types of riders. Those that are going to crash and those that are going to crash again. Ride long enough and eventually you will crash your bike. You never know when the day of your crash will arrive but when it does what will you be wearing?
Now you know why we go ATGATT.
Yep, its an affordable surface that affords good traction to vehicles when done correctly. Of course, good traction for vehicles means a high-friction surface for people sliding along its surface. Good gear is always better than skin grafts!
Great point, Rich. We can mitigate the risk by riding smart and riding defensively, but we can’t eliminate it. Wear your gear — it’ll be good to you when you need it.