cold revolution

Although the market for motorcycle leather clothing has shrunk somewhat in favor of Cordura textile clothing and other synthetic materials, the emergence of TFL leather is a revolution that could change this situation. Motorcycle clothing made of leather is still popular, and black leather has always been the best-selling.

However, black leather has one problem – it heats up exceptionally in the sun. This is due to physics – dark colors absorb much more solar energy than light colors. For example, white-dyed leather reflects up to 95% more solar energy than black leather. Although the properties of leather as a material allow it to reflect most of the sunlight, they are greatly weakened in the dyeing and coloring process, which significantly reduces its UV reflection ability – ordinary, black-dyed cowhide reflects only up to 8% of the sunlight, which converts into heat energy and drastically raises the temperature of the leather.

TFL leather is a revolutionary type of leather covered with special dyes and an outer coating that makes even completely black jackets behave under the influence of sunlight as if they were in a light color, reflecting solar radiation. This translates into significantly less heating of the leather. It is therefore no wonder that manufacturers of motorcycle clothing increasingly use TFL leather in their jackets, gloves, or suits.

The secret of TFL leather lies in the process of dyeing and coloring it. Basically, the TFL abbreviation is the name of a company that produces chemicals for tanning and dyeing leather, and not an abbreviation for Teflon as is commonly believed. This is a common mistake (Teflon can be replaced by the PTFE abbreviation). It was the TFL Ledertechnik company that developed a way to solve the problem of overheating black leather. To achieve the desired properties, i.e., reflecting even 70% of solar radiation and much less heating, the leather is dyed with a special dye Sella Cool Black (wet dyeing, saturation), and after the drying process, it is additionally treated with a special pigment coating RODA Cool Black. This combination reverses the natural properties of dyed leather – the ability to reflect even 70% of solar radiation and minimize the heating process, which ultimately allows the temperature of a motorcycle suit or jacket to be permanently reduced by up to 20 degrees Celsius.

The revolutionary properties of TFL leather are increasingly appreciated not only by manufacturers of motorcycle clothing but also in the automotive industry, where it is increasingly used for sewing upholstery in luxury cars. In the motorcycle industry, leather is used to produce all kinds of clothing, from gloves to jackets, trousers, shoes, and complete suits.

Thanks to the use of TFL Cool leather in motorcycle clothing, thermal comfort during rides on very hot, sunny days is significantly better. The body does not overheat, and the hands and feet do not sweat to the same extent as in clothes made of ordinary leather, which translates into a lower level of fatigue, improved concentration, and better well-being. You will appreciate it especially when riding in urban conditions in stop-and-go mode, frequent stops at intersections and lights, that is, whenever the harsh sun is most bothersome.