Leather vs. Aerostitch
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I have a Roadcrafter suit and a couple of good two-piece leather suits (a BKS and a Vanson/Dainese), so I have good mileage with both types.
1) If I *have* to crash, I would choose LEATHER EVERY TIME. The Roadcrafter is nice and very tough for a textile suit, but it is sadly lacking in the armor department compared to my leathers. The leathers simply have much more coverage with better quality armor. Armor protection is my biggest criticism of the 'Stitch.
2) If you're looking for one (sport) touring/commuting suit to wear always, you can't go wrong with a 'Stitch. Takes like 15 seconds to put the thing on, good slide resistance, half decent armor. Call Bohn for the back protector they make to fit.
3) HOWEVER, IMHO other companies are catching up to Aerostitch's usefulness with better looks/styling, and many offer clearly better armor protection: Clover, Dainese, Spidi and others make equally weather resistant textile gear with full CE (Euro Approved) armor covering the entire forearm, shoulders, with CE back protection either standard or available. Plus they all come with nice warm liners, and sleeves adjustable to stop wind flapping and to better hold the armor in place.
If I'm out in the hills doing the twisty thing, I stick with leathers and will continue to do so for the forseeable. I still use the 'Stitch for commuting and crap weather, though I am considering a Clover, Dainese or Spidi 2 piece as a replacement.
Hope that helps...
Scott
1) If I *have* to crash, I would choose LEATHER EVERY TIME. The Roadcrafter is nice and very tough for a textile suit, but it is sadly lacking in the armor department compared to my leathers. The leathers simply have much more coverage with better quality armor. Armor protection is my biggest criticism of the 'Stitch.
2) If you're looking for one (sport) touring/commuting suit to wear always, you can't go wrong with a 'Stitch. Takes like 15 seconds to put the thing on, good slide resistance, half decent armor. Call Bohn for the back protector they make to fit.
3) HOWEVER, IMHO other companies are catching up to Aerostitch's usefulness with better looks/styling, and many offer clearly better armor protection: Clover, Dainese, Spidi and others make equally weather resistant textile gear with full CE (Euro Approved) armor covering the entire forearm, shoulders, with CE back protection either standard or available. Plus they all come with nice warm liners, and sleeves adjustable to stop wind flapping and to better hold the armor in place.
If I'm out in the hills doing the twisty thing, I stick with leathers and will continue to do so for the forseeable. I still use the 'Stitch for commuting and crap weather, though I am considering a Clover, Dainese or Spidi 2 piece as a replacement.
Hope that helps...
Scott
Very much so! That is really what I am looking for. I wear leather for the serious stuff but I am looking for something different for casual rides. Plus I am getting tired of getting rained on in my leathers.
Has anyone gone down while wearing a textile suit? How did it hold up??
Has anyone gone down while wearing a textile suit? How did it hold up??
I went down at approximately 65MPH while wearing Motoport Voyager AX pants and an Alpinestars SM-X jacket. I wasn't hurt at all and the gear was lightly damaged, the bike was toast.
I think textile gear matches my street riding needs really well - it's cheaper than leather, it's got lots of pockets, slides over my normal clothes easily and comfortably, it's warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and I like how it looks.
...but, leather is tougher and easier to have repaired. So, whatever works for you!
I think textile gear matches my street riding needs really well - it's cheaper than leather, it's got lots of pockets, slides over my normal clothes easily and comfortably, it's warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and I like how it looks.
...but, leather is tougher and easier to have repaired. So, whatever works for you!
I own a Aerostich roadcrafter and a Spidi hook (or was it fighter?). If I know im going to the mountains just for the day then it leathers, no contest. The leather suit has more armor and I feel more comfortable in it when im corner carving.
The Aeorstich suit is great for longer trips because of the abundant pockets, zippers and textile/goretex shell. The neatest feature of the roadcrafter IMO is that you can wear it over you garments and can put in on in 10 secs. It is also performs much better in the cold and rain than leathers. This winter, I'll be wearing the electric vest underneath for better comfort. I took a 600 mile trip this summer wearing only bicycle shorts and a t shirt underneath. Its many access and ventilation areas provided cooling relief that leathers could not have.
The down side to the Roadcrafter is the bulkiness of the suit. Its suppose to fit larger so that you can wear garments or bundle up underneath. It dont find the fit as comfortable as a snug set of leathers. Maybe I need to get used to it.
The aerostich catalog and website have a pretty good comparison with nylon, kevlar and leather. Although, i do not know anyone that has crashed in one, their reputation for holding up is impeccable. They also repair their suits, another indication of good craftsmanship.
If ya need anymore info, PM me
The Aeorstich suit is great for longer trips because of the abundant pockets, zippers and textile/goretex shell. The neatest feature of the roadcrafter IMO is that you can wear it over you garments and can put in on in 10 secs. It is also performs much better in the cold and rain than leathers. This winter, I'll be wearing the electric vest underneath for better comfort. I took a 600 mile trip this summer wearing only bicycle shorts and a t shirt underneath. Its many access and ventilation areas provided cooling relief that leathers could not have.
The down side to the Roadcrafter is the bulkiness of the suit. Its suppose to fit larger so that you can wear garments or bundle up underneath. It dont find the fit as comfortable as a snug set of leathers. Maybe I need to get used to it.
The aerostich catalog and website have a pretty good comparison with nylon, kevlar and leather. Although, i do not know anyone that has crashed in one, their reputation for holding up is impeccable. They also repair their suits, another indication of good craftsmanship.
If ya need anymore info, PM me
I went for the best of both worlds.
Its too hard to fit normal clothing under a leather suit.
But I have a lot of tight fitting t shirts.
Solution: Leather jacket fits perfectly over tshirt.
Aerostitch darien (sp) pants fit perfectly over any pant I own (from jeans to khaki's). The Darien pants have excellent knee padding and optional hip padding. They zip on and off over normal pants in less than 10 seconds. 5 seconds if u drank a lot of coffee that morning plus they are lighter than leather and can fold up to take up less space.
Wear this combo when doing casual riding in the city going to places.
When doing hard core riding or going to the track simply use seperate leather pants that match jacket and zip all the way around your waist (360 degrees).
In my case I have the alpinestars dyno jacket and track pants.
Its too hard to fit normal clothing under a leather suit.
But I have a lot of tight fitting t shirts.
Solution: Leather jacket fits perfectly over tshirt.
Aerostitch darien (sp) pants fit perfectly over any pant I own (from jeans to khaki's). The Darien pants have excellent knee padding and optional hip padding. They zip on and off over normal pants in less than 10 seconds. 5 seconds if u drank a lot of coffee that morning
plus they are lighter than leather and can fold up to take up less space. Wear this combo when doing casual riding in the city going to places.
When doing hard core riding or going to the track simply use seperate leather pants that match jacket and zip all the way around your waist (360 degrees).
In my case I have the alpinestars dyno jacket and track pants.
The choice between leather and textile(not just Aerostich) is like comparing apples to oranges. As with just about everything in life, there are compromises. Leather is far tougher than textile(at least any available on the market right now), yet is far less versatile than textile. It really is necessary to have both and wear them according to the type of riding your going to do and where you are going to do it.
I own a 2 pc 'Stich, yet I also own several leather jackets as well. If you can only afford one, I'd say get textile: more bang for the buck. But when you can swing it, get youself some leather also.
As far as Aerostich goes, I'm biased, and would never get rid of my suit.
But there are a LOT of good textile products out there, from a bunch of companies. Marsee, Tour Master, Dainese, First Gear, Hein Gericke, Alpinestars, Spidi, Vanson and a host of other companies make some really good stuff.
Got www.motorcyclegearreview.com and you may find some good information from other riders. Do your research and you probably won't be disappointed.
I own a 2 pc 'Stich, yet I also own several leather jackets as well. If you can only afford one, I'd say get textile: more bang for the buck. But when you can swing it, get youself some leather also.
As far as Aerostich goes, I'm biased, and would never get rid of my suit.
But there are a LOT of good textile products out there, from a bunch of companies. Marsee, Tour Master, Dainese, First Gear, Hein Gericke, Alpinestars, Spidi, Vanson and a host of other companies make some really good stuff.
Got www.motorcyclegearreview.com and you may find some good information from other riders. Do your research and you probably won't be disappointed.
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