This is a frustrating topic ... why is that people think it is a cool to not have gear on ... that just tells me they didn't think before they got on the bike, why would they start thinking now? When is wearing gear a bad idea? If you wanna b!tch about being hot, take the Prius. So what if its more comfortable, would you rather let some arrogant ass take your daughter on his nice new 150hp crotch for a ride ... or try and teach her that her worth is not in what she looks like and tell that kid to stop thinking about himself and how he wants to take advantage of her and put her in danger. I'd rather kick his bike over and pay for the court costs and damages than the medical bill for my daughter and tell my wife I did nothing to increase her chances. Our choices never just affects ourselves ... stone in a pond, the ripple effect. Most people don't like seeing other riders get hurt, and if you believe that wearing gear is the right thing, why would you not say anything? Or do you really just care about yourself? I love the feeling of the open air and not having to take the extra time to put on my gear ... but what am I saying to the people around me ... my choice only affects me ... as my spouse, parent, child or friend, my choice will not affect you, because I don't believe you care about me. You will not miss me, or be hurt if I die, or come to visit me in the hospital because you have other things to do. Imagine if racers had that mentality or even the choice ... is it stupid now to not wear gear? Racers have a better chance of survival than us on the road ... they slide most of the time; people on the road hit things ... It's better to slide 200ft that the get hit or crash into something at 30mph. I'll stop, but just think about it ... protect yourself and consider those around you.