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BILT, Sedici?

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LifeInDecibel

LifeInDecibel

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First Name
JT
I received the new Cycle Gear catalog in the mail today and almost half of it was filled with CG's new in house brands BILT and Sedici. The pictures of the gear looks good, but that doesn't necessarily mean much. There isn't much on google as far as reviews go, and from a google search I have read a few other forums who have had people's experiences which are all different lol. Some people say the leather looks thin or cheap, and others say its great stuff.

The reason I ask is because I'm in the market for 2 pairs of pants. I want to get a pair of over pants with armor for my commutes to work, and a pair of armored jeans. (I'll probably go with the Icon armored jeans $90) The prices on the Sedici over pants are great (under $200) which fits my budget. Currently I ride in regular jeans, and I'm not a big fan of not having better protection for my legs, knees.

Has anyone had any experience with these 2 new CG in house brands? I'm not the smartest when it comes to gear so I usually read a ton of reviews, then go in and have a feel myself. (I have an A* leather racing jacket, Joe Rocket summer/fall jacket, A* gloves, Shift racing shoes/boots, Speed & Strength helmet, and HJC helmet) So as you can see my gear is pretty decent so far. I know that you want quality so you usually spend more up front so you aren't spending it in the ER.

Thoughts?
 
I was just looking at the same catalog, was wandering about the boots. I am looking for a 2nd pair. I'm thinking it's probably cheap stuff but I'm going to go down soon to check before the sale ends 4-30.
 
I just purchased a BiLT Full Face Helmet, i had my doubts with it but so far i really like it. It has quite sa few vents and a pop down shade. I dont have any ride time with it yet cause i literallty just got it yesterday, but i will report back with how it is in the saddle. I got it because it was almost half off and i was on a budget.

Abner
 
Abner Ravenwood said:
I just purchased a BiLT Full Face Helmet, i had my doubts with it but so far i really like it. It has quite sa few vents and a pop down shade. I dont have any ride time with it yet cause i literallty just got it yesterday, but i will report back with how it is in the saddle. I got it because it was almost half off and i was on a budget.

Abner
Click to expand...


I've tried a few of their helmets and IMO they are either made by Fulmer or they are Fulmer copies.
 
Well i love mine so far. Had to get a size smaller than my dirt helmet, but over all the fit and feel is awesome. Granted i wanted an Arai but i tried the Arai on and the Bilt and they both felt great but its the price that got me. I went with the Bilt and when it comes time ot upgrade i will get the Arai like i wanted.
 
I used BiLT throw over saddle bags and still have a BiLT magnetic tank bag. For $50, you can't beat the saddle bags. For more money, you can beat the pants off them. They did discolor pretty quickly in the sun. They still lasted two years, even with being over stuffed and overloaded a few times. The tank bag is tops.

My current jacket is a mesh Sedici. I haven't crash tested it, but have worn it about a year. I like it enough that I bought the pants to match. Haven't worn them on a ride yet, with freaking sleetagedon coming tonight.

And BiLT gloves. I still have the light weight "off road" gloves. They've held up nicely, and are now kayak paddle gloves. I've recently bought some BiLT street gloves with the plastic knuckles, and worn them a few times. They seem okay.
 
My experience is BILT labeled items at Cycle Gear tend to be fairly poorly constructed. It may be cheap and some of BILT products may exceed a typical riding season in terms of durability, but I know with their gloves, the threading starts to come loose fairly quickly.

I have purchased high quality riding gear and bags etc. on Craigslist. I even snagged a Giant Basin large loop bag from another users on here in the for sale section. Sometimes you can contact a manufacturer directly (Joe Rocket) about acquiring last years products for a song and a dance.

RB
 
I was by the Cyclegear in Austin this evening, since I'd gotten a sale advertisement in the mail. While I was there, I tried on a couple of the Bilt and Sedici branded 3/4 length jackets. I was surprised at the pricing on some of them- they're in the 200-400$ range now. The newer stuff seems to be made at least as well as any of the other Tourmaster/Tucker Rocky type stuff, at least the jackets and pants.

I crashed a pair of the Bilt "Ironworker" kevlar jeans recently and they did fine. The guys at the shop are always nice and the store is always packed with stuff, maybe 2-4 years ago the Bilt branded stuff seemed like crap but I think maybe they're trying to improve their quality now.
 
Yall do know that BiLT gear is 50% off 50% of the time, right? If a particular piece isn't 50% off this month, it usually will be next month. I don't know if Sedici is the same. Rumor has it Sedici is upscale BiLT.

I think Cyclegear's sales strategy is like those furniture stores in Ft. Worth where everything is always "on sale". You know, the sale price is the normal price, and the other price is to make it look like a sale.

I did notice that Cyclegear didn't have much that wasn't BiLT or Sedici last week. Looks like they're just selling off whatever's left of other brands. That's too bad. Other than MC dealers, where do yall buy helmets? I bought a KBC from Cyclegear. A Nolan at the MC show. My GMax was from Bikers Bay. They only have a few at a time, and had to order the color I wanted. My current BiLT is from CycleGear. I don't feel warm and fuzzy buying helmets online. My ideal way to buy to is buy the one I actually handled and tried on.
 
Like Bines says they have specials all the time. Same ole stuff with the prices jacked up then 50% off so it looks good. That being said I have bought some of there gear and it is decent. Now you can get name brand stuff on here used in the for sale section for the same price or less. The Combat MC boots are okay, I do have a pair of Bilt jeans that I really like,the freeze out/heat out stuff is worth buying also. I did exchange a pair of mesh summer riding pants with minimal hassle. I like one pair of gloves I bought from them but the winter gloves I do not care for. Out of all the stuff the blue jeans are the best followed by freeze out gear. KP
 
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I have one of the Bilt Explorer Adventure helmets, and so far it has been the best helmet I've had. To be fair, I am only comparing to HJC and Fulmer, but the padding and windscreen have held up much better in the Bilt than in any of my other helmets.

Their undergarments are good, too - they have a line of summer fabric to keep you cool and a line of winter fabric to keep you warm. Both seem to be pretty effective.

Most of the Bilt/Sedici stuff is overpriced when not on sale, but like other posters say, about half of it seems to be on sale every month, so just don't be in a hurry, and wait for it to be on sale.
 
low price junk that come apart at the seams, they are nice looking and have nice features but they either fade fast or come apart at the seams.
 
I've been using a pair of Sedici perf'd leather gloves for a few years now. They've held up about as well as any other major brand that I've used and last April I bought a pair of Sedici one-piece leathers. For the money they are pretty good! However, I highly doubt they'll be worth repairing after a crash.
 
The only Bilt products I have purchased are their off-road jerseys. Can't go wrong with jerseys since they seem to get ripped up no matter what brand you buy.
 
They are evolving, their gear improves over the years. I have been looking at 3/4 jackets as the 10 Year old Tourmaster velcro is starting not to hook and loop. The current styles look good but I require certain build feature like large tooth zippers, fine teeth snag and become crossed zipped or lock in the fabric and jam .Most often fail in the rain and cold when you need them most. Riding pants must fit over my boots as I dress outside sometimes after work,taking my boots off in the cold and or wet is a deal breaker
 
I have been using Built gloves and Boots for several years. I have a pair of perforated boots and a pair of waterproof. I replaced one set of perforated boots after I wore a hole in the toe. I repaired the seam on one pair of gloves several years ago but all of the others have stood up well. I had a low speed get off in May 2013 on a service road. The gloves had to be retired but no scrapes on my hands. I still wear the the boots. I have some of their Freeze out stuff, but only really wear the base layer leggings. Built helmets don't fit my head so I buy HJC from Motorcyclegear.com. My jackets and pants also come from Motorcyclegear.com. I haven't had any big problems with Built stuff that I have used.
 
I've never had their jackets or helmets. I use a lot of smaller stuff with the Bilt name - skull caps, balaclavas, some nice tank bags for under $30.
 
I have a waterproof jacket, the pants that go with it, a pair of gloves, a higher-end helmet from them (7-zero-seven), a tank bag, and several smaller things. They aren't without their issues, but at the price point I picked those things up, well, I will not complain about them at all.
 
Bought a pair of cold weather gloves that you couldn't use in cold weather. Bilt brand. My hands froze. They were cheap. That was a couple of years ago. You get what you pay for. As for helmets there are a lot of brands that are made by a few manufacturers and rebranded.

The Cycle Gear in San Diego, CA, is a superstore and they carry a lot of the major brands. The small store in Austin pretty much just carries their house brands. I've gone to the SD store and tried on many helmets then came home and ordered one through them. They give a 10% discount to police/fire/military if you show them your ID. Sometimes it's a better deal than any other place online.

I've ridden with some of the employees in the past, they're all nice people. It's not a high paying job they have, mostly a temp job until they can move on to something else.

Personally I wouldn't purchase Bilt/Sedici stuff again, I'll stick with the major brands that have worked for me. It's great entry-level stuff though if you're tight on money.
 
I do know a member that bought one of those high line brand hi-viz helmets at the Austin store. The bad thing about the Austin store is room. If you are there when they receive a shipment,it is hard to walk around the store with boxes everywhere. I do like their Bilt jeans and freezeout/heatout gear. I picked up some Bilt gloves that were on special like everything else they have and like them. Even picked up a misc,metric bolt and nut set that was reasonable. Buy used here on TWT and get the name brand your looking for is a option.
 
I like the convenience of their brick-and-mortar locations and liberal return policy. I can't resist stopping and perusing when I'm in Houston. It's a good place to put your hands on gadgets and accessories and not have to guess, click and wait. I highly recommend the Freeze Out base layer stuff. If I needed a dry bag I wouldn't hesitate to buy one in their new "Explorer" line. I am considering some Sedici heated gear mainly because of the lifetime warranty and so many stores across the country. However, I don't think I would ever be comfortable relying on Bilt for rain or crash protection. That said, the best gear is what you're wearing when you go down. Anything is better than jeans, t-shirt and sneakers. Buy what you can afford. When I started riding I couldn't spend much on gear and found deals on used stuff on ebay etc. I slowly worked my way up the quality ladder and now it's scary how much I have invested in gear. Scary. But I'm worth it. ;-)
 
Admittedly I didn't really start shopping at Cycle Gear until about this time last year. I do wish they would carry more products from Alpinestars and Dianese. I'm not knocking anyone who has made a Bilt/Sedici purchase, it's your money to spend however you want. But I don't really like their in-house line of products. When they decided to make this transition, you know it started with some executive MBA at corporate HQ who decided "hey, let's make more money by only selling our own brands of stuff".

I'm just waiting for them to start selling the Cycle Gear brand of motor oil or chain lube. Hey, if Walmart can do it with that Supertech line, you know it can be done.
 
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