Thor Ride Gear Review

Lucas Cooney
by Lucas Cooney
We test out the Ride jersey, pants and gloves


Working for ATV.com, we’re fortunate enough to get to ride a wide variety of vehicles in a wide variety of places. We recently had ride tests set up in Pennsylvania, Minnesota and southern California and we asked Thor Motocross to outfit us with some new gear to test out.

Since we were focusing on utility models, Thor hooked us up with its Ride lineup of off-road gear. When the box arrived in the mail we eagerly opened it up to find a jersey, pants and gloves. Over the next couple of weeks we piled on the miles and experienced everything from cool, damp mornings to scorching hot afternoons.

Ride Jersey

First off, we love the look of the red/charcoal Ride jersey ($35.95). Speaking for the taller riders out there, we’re happy to report that the sleeves extended comfortably down to the base of the gloves. Our forearms were covered and protected from the elements, which was great on a cold morning of riding in western Pennsylvania.

Thor Ride Jersey

Thor Ride Jersey

On especially cold days you’ll want a jacket or a long-sleeved t-shirt under your jersey, but for those days when you get out early and it’s a little cool, the Ride jersey works fine if you close up all the ventilation zippers.

The Ride jersey performs best, however, when the temperature climbs. Made of micro-mesh polyester, the Ride jersey helps wick away sweat from your body. On one ride day in Minnesota the mercury was comfortably north of 90 degrees and though we were plenty hot, we didn’t have to worry about a sweat-soaked jersey bothering us.

Huge zippers with mesh-lined vents extend all the way from the cuff to the armpit, so if you’re moving at a good speed on your ATV you get a nice shot of cool air under your jersey. A quarter-length front zipper offers even more ventilation.

Comfort was never a problem and we never felt like the zippers were scratching at us while we rode. The Ride jersey has no armor or padding sewn into it, so you’d be smart to pack along a set of elbow pads to protect yourself.

Ride Pants

Thor’s Ride pants ($139.90) fit over your boots, which is a lot more comfortable on a long, hot day than motocross-style pants that tuck into your boots.

Thor's Ride pants were plenty comfortable and very durable.

Thor’s Ride pants were plenty comfortable and very durable.

Much like the Ride jersey, the pants also feature ventilation via zippers that run across the thigh. We wouldn’t say the pants offer quite as much breathability as the jersey, but out of necessity they’re built using tougher and more durable material which naturally limits ventilation.

Built using a 660D nylon shell, the Ride pants also feature ballistic nylon overlays in high wear areas. In layman’s terms, we found the pants to be all but bulletproof. Because of a little “driver error” we got to test out exactly how tough the Ride pants are. We suffered a less than soft landing on loose gravel, but the pants showed no holes or even any noticeable abrasions on the nylon.

Though the nylon survived our fall unscathed, we can’t say the same about the ratchet-style waist closure. The “ratchet” part of the closure ceased to operate post-crash, but that’s hardly an indictment of the Ride pants. Despite that minor setback, we had no trouble keeping the pants properly in place thanks to the internal hook and loop adjustable waist.

The Ride pants also offer some water resistance, thanks in part to waterproof YKK zippers. We rode through all kinds of water and rain and the pants kept everything on the outside, which made for a much more comfortable day. Comfort is also aided by pre-curved knees for a more natural fit while riding

Despite riding through all sorts of water and mud, the Ride pants always kept our legs dry.

Despite riding through all sorts of water and mud, the Ride pants always kept our legs dry.

We generally don’t like to carry things in our pockets while we ride, but two large cargo pockets in the front of the pants give you the option if you so desire.

Ride Gloves

We certainly haven’t tried every set of off-road gloves on the market, but there is little doubt that Thor’s Ride gloves ($36.95) are our new favorite.

Thor designed these gloves specifically for riding in foul weather. The gloves are made with “3-layer Hipora membrane construction” and though we’re not exactly sure what that means, we can say they keep the water, wind and cold at bay. These gloves are perfect for cool weather riding, but they’ll serve you fine until it starts to get really hot.

We absolutely love Thor's Ride gloves, especially when the weather is a little cooler.

We absolutely love Thor’s Ride gloves, especially when the weather is a little cooler.

Besides keeping the bad weather out, the Ride gloves provide some peace of mind as well. We love the integrated carbon fiber floating knuckle protection. When you’re wearing these gloves you don’t have to worry quite as much dodging roost or having small branches and other trail debris scratch up your hands. We did a nice slide on the gravel when we crashed and our hands (and the gloves) were completely unharmed.

For more information, visit ThorMX.com.

Lucas Cooney
Lucas Cooney

I have been working exclusively in digital media since 1997. I started out with TSN.ca, spending nearly nine years creating and editing content on Canada's leading sports website. I left to join VerticalScope, Inc., one of the world's largest online publishers, to start a number of powersports publications. While at VerticalScope, I've helped create and oversee content for a wide variety of different publications, including ATV.com, Off-Road.com, ArcheryTalk.com, Tractor.com, RVGuide.com, and many more.

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