....if you hit the pavement at 60 mph, the number of feet it takes for material to shred apart and put your flesh in contact with the pavement looks like this.

0 Feet – Tank top, tee shirt, sandals, shorts
4 feet – Blue jeans, Dickies, tennis shoes, REI outdoor hiking jacket
22 Feet – Textile-only mesh riding gear
88 Feet – Leather Jacket, leather pants, leather boots, full fingered leather riding gloves

if you ride in shorts and tennis shoes you have to seriously consider what a bill at the emergency room will be to patch you up after you come off your bike due to an unforeseen road hazard, such as gravel or another motorist making a left hand turn in front of you. After you pay for the EMT, ambulance ride and emergency room services your bill could be well over $1,000. For half that price you can get yourself good quality gear and save yourself a lot of pain in the event you go down. Its your choice..:8