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Aerostich Roadcrafter input needed

mlinkibikr

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Location
Fulshear, Tx
First Name
David
Last Name
Little
I'm about ready to order a one piece Aerostich Roadcrafter suit to cover my commuting and multi day rides - duty that my closet full of leather just doesn't seem to cover. Two questions are making me hesitate, so I'm looking for the collective expertise to help me out.

1. I'm 6 ft tall and ride a 98 VFR - should I ask them to add the optional "built in ellipse" to give me more "forward lean room" or is that really only necessary for the Gixxer / Duc / RR crowd?

2. I think I like the grey suit but it's a tossup between the silver trim or the black trim. It's hard to visualize even with the color selector feature on their website. Seen either in real life? Cool or gawdawful? (Where's those 3 guys with the fashion sense when you need 'em?)

Thanks in advance for your counsel.

Dave.
 
I have the 2-piece, here are my 2-cents:

1. I have the zip-in ellipse. The ergos of the Futura are similar to the VFR, I'd imagine, and I LOVE the ellipse, it relieves the pressure on the throat from the top of the suit.

2. I haven't seen the grey, but there's a dude who works at Extreme Outdoor (Honda) in Georgetown who puts about 75,000 miles/yr on his GS :eek:. He has a black one, all nice and dirty and scuffed and such. :) I'm into conspicuity (if only to use that word once in a while), so I opted for the fire truck lime yellow or whatever (see avatar).
 
I rode with a guy this weekend who had the grey suit. It is not an ugly color, but I have to agree with Buck. I perfer a brighter color for better visibility.

Pete
 
I've got a 1 piece Roadcrafter (took the first ride in it this past weekend), grey with black ballistics. I'm 6'2" and ride a 1996 VFR. I wear a long in a sport coat and ordered long in the 'stich. It works pretty well for me on the VFR though it seems the legs could be a little longer. They seem to pull up more than I remember they did on my exact same size 1 piece Roadcrafter I had 4 years ago and rode a CBR900. Other than that it works quite well on the viffer. I'm still breaking it in and it felt a little snug from neck to crotch at first, but I think once the shoulder pads compress and conform a bit everything will be fine. I loved my previous 'stich and expect to love this one just as much once it gets broken in.
 
FYI
Here's photo of some shady characters from a recent Arkansas ride. Garrell is the one in the gray 'stitch'. I thought it looked pretty good. Flash photography doesn’t work very well.
http://home.houston.rr.com/howellext/roadcrafter.jpg
Data point:
I had a pair of Aerostitch pants that suffered some leg zipper damage in a 15 mph low side. I was in Western Colorado at the time and made repairs with black duct tape. I sent them back for a repair estimate upon my return home. Unfortunately they were totaled. They offered a !0% discount on a new pair. I thought about it and decided that textile riding gear is basically expendable so I went with a complete Joe Rocket Meteor 4.0 set for less money that ‘stitch’ pants alone.
 
Did 700 miles this past weekend wearing the new stich on the viffer. It's fairly well broken in now. Feels great. I don't believe the ellipse would have made much difference in comfort on the bike. YMMV.
 
Howdy Arwhite,

Glad to hear you like the suit. Did the first one fit or did you have to mail a suit back and forth before you got one that fit right? What colors did you finally go with?

Adios,
 
My stich is grey with black ballistics. I had owned one just like it a few years back so I knew what size I needed. Really, if you just order your regular sport coat size it should be about right.

Btw, so there is no confusion, I'm not the viffer rider that started this thread. I only mentioned the ellipse in my previous post because that is one of the things Dave was asking about. Dave, did you finally order a stich?
 
Rode about 30 mins in the rain coming home today, 10 mins of which was a real frog-strangler. I'm still getting a bit of a wet crotch with the 2-piece roadcrafter...sigh Ah, well, I guess I just have to break out the rain pants if I think it's gonna be heavy...

Rest of me, except for a bit of collar, was dry just fine...
 
Took the big step and ordered the grey and silver one piece. As there was enough question about alterations (my legs are too long for my gut) I'm getting one "unaltered" to see how it works.

Me: Suit coat size 40. Waist 33. Inseam 33. Weight 170. Ht 6' even.

Them: A 40 long may still be short, but it would fit in the torso. Probably need an ellipse for the VFR. A 42 Long would fit the legs and may also preclude the need for an ellipse but may be too baggy and long in the torso.

The Plan: I'm trying an unaltered 40 Long to check torso fit. Good chance I'll need lengthened legs and an ellipse for the VFR. I'm OK with probably having to return it for those mods. My thinking is that most of my riding is in temperate weather and I won't need lots of layering, so the bulk of the 42 may be too much.

First impressions are good - the customer service on the phone was very friendly and helpful. I would appreciate free shipping on the return in a case like this where you can't go to a store (outside of Minnesota anyway) and try one on. But I knew that going in so I can't really complain. It might make me feel better if the cost of one return was buried in the cost of the suit somewhere. Small nit.

I'll keep you posted. I'm excited ! 8)
 
An interim update - the Size 40 was received well within the promised window. WOW. Great suit - all as advertized and reported by numerous others. The grey suit with silver looks awesome and will match up with just about any color bike I ride.

Not sure about the fit though. Wearing jeans and a tshirt it fit perfectly. Raising the arms over my head resulted in a mild wedgie though ... hey - I don't plan on being pulled over and told to "raise 'em!" but this was one of the factors they suggested to assure correct suit fit. An additional concern is using this as a commute suit over Dockers and a dress shirt - the 40 Long was snug enough to wrinkle the clothes. Hmmm.

Called Aerostich and they suggested that they send out a 42 long to try. I elected to hold on to the 40 Long so I could easily compare. Got a call today from the house that my 42 is there so I'll update tomorrow. I hope that this provides enough room to avoid creasing the work clothes but still tight enough to avoid the Michelin Man look.

By the way I saw no need for the added ellipse or shoulder alterations when riding the 98 VFR with stock ergos. So that's a bit of good news!

More tomorrow.

Dave.
 
Howdy,

:tab Hmmm... I seem to have the opposite problem you have. I have a 34" inseam but am only 5'10". Makes me feel like Kermit sometimes hehe. Buying any kind of shirts, jackets, suits, etc,... always drives me nuts because the torsos are apparently made for people like you :-P By the time I get something big enough to fit me in the chest, it is hanging down to my knees and makes me look like a kid trying on Dad's clothes :-( I guess I need to do some time on the rack!

:tab You know, the whole shipping back and forth and having to pay for the shipping, is one of the things that has kept me from buying an Aerostich. It seems to me that if they had any kind of clue, they would send someone out on the Bike Show circuit so people could be custom measured at the shows and try on different sizes. This would cut down on all the shipping expenses and probably make for happier customers. They could also bring some of the many gadgets they sell in their catalog just to help bring in a little extra money to defray the costs of doing all the shows.

Adios,
 
Amen. I would have bought the suit years ago had it been more convenient to do so. I buy a lot of stuff at the shows simply because I do have the opportunity to try it on and check the stitching etc. for quality and fit.

Their website maintains that by keeping this as a catalogue only endeavour that they can provide better one on one service. I read that to mean control over the message - nobody at a shop will mistakenly offer incorrect information about the product. I don't personally agree with this business model, but ... I guess it works for them. And to be fair, other than the inconvenience of ordering two suits, arranging a return, etc, their customer service has been excellent in all other aspects of the deal.
hey - it's about quitting time ! Time to go home, try on the new arrival and take it for a spin before dark!

Dave.
 
Well, I had the Alpinestar ST-1 Drystar gloves, which leaked terribly. I hope the suit's better...
 
End of the trail ...

The Roadcrafter one piece 42 L fits well and is not "baggy". I can see that with all of the pockets on this suit that I may have a problem finding stuff in it! There is some serious cargo space in there.

No need for the ellipse for either my VFR or my LeMans III.

I learned something really cool - once the suit is on I can unzip some side pockets and retrieve the key I left in my jeans! Not only that, but it looks like it might be a good way to snake in the lead for my electric vest. Hmmm...

Thanks again for all the input. I'm very happy with this suit.
:chug:
Dave.
 
mlinkibikr said:
End of the trail ...


I learned something really cool - once the suit is on I can unzip some side pockets and retrieve the key I left in my jeans! Not only that, but it looks like it might be a good way to snake in the lead for my electric vest. Hmmm...

Thanks again for all the input. I'm very happy with this suit.
:chug:
Dave.

Dave, you are well on your way to becoming a 'stich expert! :) Trust me on this; you will be amazed how often you leave your key in your pants pocket and have to retrieve it through the side zip of the 'stich. Same goes with your wallet if you typically carry it in your back pants pocket. And, yes, that is the place to snake your lead for your electric vest. Works like a charm.

Enjoy the suit. I love mine more everyday. Btw, you might want to consider the optional hip pads and back pad for some extra protection.

Allen
 
I own a two piece road crafter. I went with the Hi-viz color as it is the most obnoxious and visible color. I know people have seen me after starting to pull out. I don't know if it is the suit, my HID lights or the yellow bike, I am just glad to be seen.

The downside to the color is it stains relatively easy. I have couple of black spots that will never come out.

One thing I liked about the two piece is it allowed me to order different sizes in the coat and the pants. This allowed me to customize the fit. I ended up sending the suit back for some warrantee work and had the legs lengthened above the knees while it was there. Fits better now.

I agree with the hip and back pads. Although the hip pads hinder you retrieving those keys you left in your pants pocket...
 
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