Spidi - nice suit, probably, we may never know

OscarIndia

OscarIndia

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So I need a new textile suit for the winter and I"ve decided to try to find the fabled all-year-round solution.
Been thinking about this, of late:

ERGO 365 PRO.jpeg

Always been suspicious of three-layer solutions, with the wet-out issue. However, in a conversation about it over on The Other Place I got talking to Matteo, Spidi's European marketing guy, based in Italy.
He told me it doesn't wet out and explained why (won't bore you with the details).
So I thought I'd try one on and see how it felt. Called the six nearest Spidi dealers to me. None stock it. Too expensive. All happy to get me one in (once I've paid for it, of course).
Told Matteo who said, no problem, and then came back and told me I could ride to Grand Prix Legends' warehouse in Guilford to try one.
Okay, not down the road, but fair enough. So I call GPL.
They don't stock 'em, too expensive. I can buy a suit, guessing at size, and two weeks later when it's in I can come down there and try it on, and get a refund if it doesn't fit.
I just don't get why bike companies think they can get away with this kind of thing. Can't think of a single other supplier of a type of clothing who'd claim to be top-end, and then tell you the only way to pay £1000+ for their kit is to buy it without ever having seen it or tried it on.
Three Rukka suppliers within 40 mins ride of me, two Hein Gerickes, and thanks to a Tosser on here I can even try on Dane stuff.
Spidi spent feck knows what on a double page spread ad for the 365 suit in this month's various glossy bike mags, but you can't actually try one anywhere.
Fail. :mad:
 
I've got a Spidi venture jacket and have done 30k miles wearing it over the last 10 months in all weather conditions.

Spidi_venture_dps_01.jpg


Personally, I love the 3 tier system. Wearing just the outer textile jacket it is light shower proof, highly ventilated and contains the usual arm/shoulder armour plus the huge back and chest protector. With the waterproof jacket underneath it is 100% waterproof but obviously not ventilated. With the thermal layer under that I stayed warm down to about -5. The only downside is that if you ride in heavy rain the outer textile has to be hung somewhere dripping wet.

Quality wise...after 30k miles it is showing no signs of aging and all zips and velcro bits are all still nice and secure.
 
I have a different solution for you...

There isn't an all year round solution - and even less if you want to go trail-riding.

I have a Streetguard 3 and a Belstaff waxy which covers the majority of commuting. And for trail-riding a Rallye 2 Pro and a Klim Valdez. And a couple blouson style jackets for summer days and riding the to pub. The added benefit of the multiple jacket approach is - rather than having an average jacket for all situations, you get the best jacket for each type of situation and you have built in redundancy should one get damaged.

And to your original point, I still think we're a ways from people thinking it's ok to spend £1000+ on a jacket. I'm a self confessed gear whore and I still can't come to terms with it! For example - people rave about the Klim adventure jacket but I'm pretty sure there is only one place to try it on in Blighty... and they're the importer!
 
Mav said:
There isn't an all year round solution - and even less if you want to go trail-riding.
Click to expand...
each to their own and all that...but I disagree. I will concede if I went off road I'd have seperate off road gear, but that's as much that I wouldn't want to ruin expensive gear as much as it wouldn't be any good at it.
 
Simon_h said:
each to their own and all that...but I disagree. I will concede if I went off road I'd have seperate off road gear, but that's as much that I wouldn't want to ruin expensive gear as much as it wouldn't be any good at it.
Click to expand...

So which jacket do you have for all year riding?
 
Simon_h said:
see #2 :)
Click to expand...

Doh! :blast

I have to say - my experience of jackets based on a waterproof liner, rather than the outer, is that after a thorough soaking they are not dry by the following morning. I also find that they get pretty cold once they get properly wet.

The manufacturers will tell you that if you treat the outer it will minimise the water ingress... sure but a) it will never stop it, just slow it down and b) I don't want ot have to keep doing it... but then I'm a lazy bugger :D
 
Mav said:
I have a different solution for you...

There isn't an all year round solution - and even less if you want to go trail-riding.

I have a Streetguard 3 and a Belstaff waxy which covers the majority of commuting. And for trail-riding a Rallye 2 Pro and a Klim Valdez. And a couple blouson style jackets for summer days and riding the to pub. The added benefit of the multiple jacket approach is - rather than having an average jacket for all situations, you get the best jacket for each type of situation and you have built in redundancy should one get damaged.

And to your original point, I still think we're a ways from people thinking it's ok to spend £1000+ on a jacket. I'm a self confessed gear whore and I still can't come to terms with it! For example - people rave about the Klim adventure jacket but I'm pretty sure there is only one place to try it on in Blighty... and they're the importer!
Click to expand...

I'm sort of with you on this. I have a R2P Twat Suit (bought for £185 :thumb2) for trails and summer riding.
However, I ride all year, right through winter, and I use the bike as a commuting tool too so I need really, really good winter gear (no choice when leaving the office if it's -3 and sleeting - still have to get home).
I have a Belstaff wax blouson for everyday kicking about in good weather which I tend to wear with the Twat trousers.
I was just thinkng that rather than go Master V or similar this winter, and then other stuff for the rest of the year, I might find a system which could do the lot (perhaps with the exception of trails). Spidi jacket's £630, which is loads, and more than I"ve spent before - just wanted to look.
 
OscarIndia said:
So I need a new textile suit for the winter and I"ve decided to try to find the fabled all-year-round solution.
Been thinking about this, of late:

View attachment 181586

Always been suspicious of three-layer solutions, with the wet-out issue. However, in a conversation about it over on The Other Place I got talking to Matteo, Spidi's European marketing guy, based in Italy.
He told me it doesn't wet out and explained why (won't bore you with the details).
So I thought I'd try one on and see how it felt. Called the six nearest Spidi dealers to me. None stock it. Too expensive. All happy to get me one in (once I've paid for it, of course).
Told Matteo who said, no problem, and then came back and told me I could ride to Grand Prix Legends' warehouse in Guilford to try one.
Okay, not down the road, but fair enough. So I call GPL.
They don't stock 'em, too expensive. I can buy a suit, guessing at size, and two weeks later when it's in I can come down there and try it on, and get a refund if it doesn't fit.
I just don't get why bike companies think they can get away with this kind of thing. Can't think of a single other supplier of a type of clothing who'd claim to be top-end, and then tell you the only way to pay £1000+ for their kit is to buy it without ever having seen it or tried it on.
Three Rukka suppliers within 40 mins ride of me, two Hein Gerickes, and thanks to a Tosser on here I can even try on Dane stuff.
Spidi spent feck knows what on a double page spread ad for the 365 suit in this month's various glossy bike mags, but you can't actually try one anywhere.
Fail. :mad:
Click to expand...

It means the product is crap and no dealers would touch it with a barge pole AND the manufacturer knows its crap hence won't support it by paying for them to be in dealers.

Matteo still have to keep his job so had to buy those expensive ads in those glossy magazines. It's a real shame because I think advertising works as I was quite attracted to the product by the ad. Same as you started looking and found no dealers stock them.

I would suggest buy the kit you know. I know it means being a bit common but common means the product works or where it fails the manufacturer has many people complaining to them therefore more likely to get it fixed.
 
Simon_h said:
I've got a Spidi venture jacket and have done 30k miles wearing it over the last 10 months in all weather conditions.

Spidi_venture_dps_01.jpg


Personally, I love the 3 tier system. Wearing just the outer textile jacket it is light shower proof, highly ventilated and contains the usual arm/shoulder armour plus the huge back and chest protector. With the waterproof jacket underneath it is 100% waterproof but obviously not ventilated. With the thermal layer under that I stayed warm down to about -5. The only downside is that if you ride in heavy rain the outer textile has to be hung somewhere dripping wet.

Quality wise...after 30k miles it is showing no signs of aging and all zips and velcro bits are all still nice and secure.
Click to expand...

It's this wet-out thing I can't stand. Why, on a bike of all things, where you're passing at speed through cold air, should one's "waterproof" jacket be a heavy, sodden, mass of bitterly cold water pressing into you? It's mad.
My Bikers Suzuka suit (which was free from a bike journo mate in 2007) has been brilliant - cordura/gore-tex and just doesn't let the water in, end of. I arrive dry, not sodden.
I'd love to find an adventure bike version of same, but I don't think they exist.
 
OscarIndia said:
It's this wet-out thing I can't stand. Why, on a bike of all things, where you're passing at speed through cold air, should one's "waterproof" jacket be a heavy, sodden, mass of bitterly cold water pressing into you? It's mad.
My Bikers Suzuka suit (which was free from a bike journo mate in 2007) has been brilliant - cordura/gore-tex and just doesn't let the water in, end of. I arrive dry, not sodden.
I'd love to find an adventure bike version of same, but I don't think they exist.
Click to expand...

It does... but it's a £1200 pounds :(

But Klim have revealed a couple new jackets which I think will really hit the sweet spot. Both full gore tex outer and should be a bunch cheaper than the Adventure jacket:

klim-jacket-2.jpg


klim-jacket.jpg
 
Mav said:
It does... but it's a £1200 pounds :(

But Klim have revealed a couple new jackets which I think will really hit the sweet spot. Both full gore tex outer and should be a bunch cheaper than the Adventure jacket:

klim-jacket-2.jpg


klim-jacket.jpg
Click to expand...

New Klim stuff due in August/Sept, but 99% of it is unarmoured and I don't really want to be going down the M4 in full rig under one....
 
I keep saying this, but a goretex or similar lining is a stupid idea for motorcycle clothing. Except for the manufacturers who can command higher prices for a high-tec feature which doesn't really work on a motorcycle.

Much better to get a half-decent rainproof oversuit, not much more hassle to put on than puttlng in a goretex lining.
 
stolzy said:
I keep saying this, but a goretex or similar lining is a stupid idea for motorcycle clothing. Except for the manufacturers who can command higher prices for a high-tec feature which doesn't really work on a motorcycle.

Much better to get a half-decent rainproof oversuit, not much more hassle to put on than puttlng in a goretex lining.
Click to expand...

+1 re liners.
I may just buy another Suzuka suit to replace mine. I know it's great, just wanted to find something with a few more pockets and so on for carrying gubbins.
 
thing is, I don't think you can get 100% waterproof and breathable enough to be comfortable during the summer. Having to air the jacket when it's wet through is, although a pain, easy enough and certainly better than wearing the wrong jacket when the weather forecast is incorrect. In my case, all I have to do is carry the wet liner in my bag incase the weather really turns.
 
I don't think a 4 season suit exists

I wear a Rukka Allroad because I like the venting it offers and the quality armour. I had a R2P before it that was destroyed in a crash but performed very well and I would recommend but I wanted to look less twatish when I replaced it :D

My riding wear in is edz undershirt, heated vest,windproof lightweight fleece, Allroad Suit and waterproof oversuit which I add/remove as required
 
My 2p's worth....

I owned a Rallye 2Pro suit, and found the layer system a complete waste of time, and far from good on warmth (good on the body..terrible on the arms!).

Having a barrier that keeps the water out....but having a wet sodden suit wrapped around it just doesn't work in the UK's wet climate.

I sold it and got a Rukka Armas Pro Shell suit...what a revelation! Used it in torrential downpours, and high 30's heat, and it's performed brilliantly. Yes it's expensive..but it works! The BMW suit is not cheap..but it doesn't!!

The only use of a 3 layer system to me is in hot climates, where the wet proof elements are less important and less frequently required.

In these circumstances they come into their own because the venting, and layer options, make them more managable and cooler when it gets hot.

For instance, if my planned trip to Morocco ever comes off I'd look at a 3-layer suit.

But for Europe, and the uk particulaly, it's got to be a Pro Shell suit every time.

:thumb2
 
Dainese Brave said:
My 2p's worth....

I owned a Rallye 2Pro suit, and found the layer system a complete waste of time, and far from good on warmth (good on the body..terrible on the arms!).

Having a barrier that keeps the water out....but having a wet sodden suit wrapped around it just doesn't work in the UK's wet climate.

I sold it and got a Rukka Armas Pro Shell suit...what a revelation! Used it in torrential downpours, and high 30's heat, and it's performed brilliantly. Yes it's expensive..but it works! The BMW suit is not cheap..but it doesn't!!

The only use of a 3 layer system to me is in hot climates, where the wet proof elements are less important and less frequently required.

In these circumstances they come into their own because the venting, and layer options, make them more managable and cooler when it gets hot.

For instance, if my planned trip to Morocco ever comes off I'd look at a 3-layer suit.

But for Europe, and the uk particulaly, it's got to be a Pro Shell suit every time.

:thumb2
Click to expand...

Yep - agree with all of this and it makes sense to me.

Update in the Spidi thing - Matteo claims there's a shop in Bucks which has one and I can have a try, so I shall do that. Looks the part, but the 3-layer thng puts me off, especially at the price. However, Matteo insists it won't wet out so let's see what it's like up close. Will take a pic or two!
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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