Olympia Phantom Hi-Viz Suit

Having bought an Aerostich Roadcrafter earlier this year (now sold of course ), I saw a report on one of these and thought that this might be just the ticket for those gloomy Autumn days:






So I ordered one in XXL Hi-Viz from Bob's BMW in Maryland USA. Olympia's XXL suit equates to an EU58 jacket in a Twat suit combined with trousers which expand from EU56-EU58 at a guess. I phoned through the order last Monday, and paid the princely sum of £328 by PayPal to include FedEx Priority. The suit was delivered on Wednesday lunchtime - a totally seamless operation and no mention of custom's dues . Here is the tracking info from FedEx:



So far, I have only 'dry' worn it around the house and I am super impressed by both fit and the finish - quite superb.





I will update this report when I have had a chance to use it 'in anger'. Can't wait.

Have to Agree , I bought Billie one to replace her Aerostich .
We have been caught out on several occasions in real heavy downpours
and it has never leaked .
She complained once that her bum felt wet , but because of the size of
the geographical area , we couldnt find the wet spot..
We did however fit a moist area , which i examined thouroughly and
i reckon it had nowt to do with the suit ! ! ! ! ! .......

the civil one said:

Have to Agree , I bought Billie one to replace her Aerostich .
We have been caught out on several occasions in real heavy downpours
and it has never leaked .
She complained once that her bum felt wet , but because of the size of
the geographical area , we couldnt find the wet spot..
We did however fit a moist area , which i examined thouroughly and
i reckon it had nowt to do with the suit ! ! ! ! ! .......

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Tarka would give his eye teeth for one of those suits, why not send him the weblink

First Dibs !

neil 23 said:

First Dibs !

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Ah, now that's a smart move mate......

oh sweet jesus, my poor retinas.

Hideous. On so many levels.

How can a Hi Viz suit be called a "Phantom"...?

Nearly as good as "he appeared out of nowhere officer"

thats why i bought a grey one

Ogmios said:

oh sweet jesus, my poor retinas.

Hideous. On so many levels.

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Yup, and that's exactly why I intend to wear it in poor light conditions (or rain) where my grey/black Twat suit is nigh on invisible .

As long as the clearly inappropriately named Phantom also sears the retinas of inattentive car drivers, I don't give a fig if it doesn't look cool ..... I'd rather stay shiny side up for as long as possible . Reports also indicate that the combination of Adventure spot lamps and neon-yellow suit makes drivers nervous as hell as it seems to be a metaphor for police bikes.

I am truly looking forward to my first test ride.

oldrascal said:

Yup, and that's exactly why I intend to wear it in poor light conditions (or rain) where my grey/black Twat suit is nigh on invisible .

As long as the clearly inappropriately named Phantom also sears the retinas of inattentive car drivers, I don't give a fig if it doesn't look cool ..... I'd rather stay shiny side up for as long as possible . Reports also indicate that the combination of Adventure spot lamps and neon-yellow suit makes drivers nervous as hell as it seems to be a metaphor for police bikes.

I am truly looking forward to my first test ride.

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In the spirit of true adventure stylee.................I got up at sparrow's this morning, suited up in the Phantom and went for a blast in the hills to watch the sun rise. I will pass on the poetic description of the glowing orb rising over the mist-wreathed silvan fields and simply give my impresssion of the suit.

Firsly, it is built like a diving suit and you truly do feel that all you need to do is to fit a screw-on metal helmet to explore the deep ocean. My hat but this thing is toughly made - it even puts the Aerostich Roadcrafter in its place, itself no luggard in the bomb-proof department. It is also very comfortable (with the exception of the size comment below) and it absolutely does what it says on the tin - get noticed.

Travelling down the A27 and then the A3 before taking the A272, what cars there were about at that time of morning all seemed to be braking suddenly when they saw this giant neon beacon coming up behind like a bike cop on a mission - talk about the parting of the Red Sea - this thing must be a wow in heavy traffic . But the weather was clement so I can't comment on the suit's waterproof quality allthough reports are glowing - nor can I say how warm it might keep you in chilly conditions because I had obviously removed its bloody substantial thermal layer. It also wasn't warm enough to use the venting system although it appears well conceived. Putting on and taking off are a bit more long-winded than the 'Stich although it s still a simple and quick operation.

I mentioned a size issue - rather an issue with my size not the suit's. I have been on the wagon (don't ask) for a couple of months and have clearly dropped a dress size although I hadn't particularly noticed. The XXL Phantom that I bought is a perfect EU58 Twat suit equivalent on top and, because of the clever waist adjustment, it will fit my normal EU56 pants but can expand to an EU58 comfortably. But I am clearly now an EU56 jacket ( and ) so, particularly sans thermal liner, this suit is too big for me - well, that's not unusual in this OldRascal's bike clothing life and won't come as too much of a surprise to fellow forumites who have bought stuff from me .

Suit

Second dibs .........

So how is the suit going? Very close to getting one myself......

essjay said:

So how is the suit going? Very close to getting one myself......

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Well.........as the suit has just sat in the cupboard since my report above, its doing very nicely I imagine . As mentioned, it really is a bit too big for me, now that I have lost some avoirdupoids. So I am torn as to whether to keep it and await the inevitable results of the Christmas/New Year calorie surge when it will probably fit me again or to sell it now.

As it is brand new to all intents and purposes, there is no point mucking it up if I might be selling it. Either way, my report is accurate as far as I am concerned and it is worth every penny. A great, great bit of super safe kit.

oldrascal said:

...So I am torn as to whether to keep it and await the inevitable results of the Christmas/New Year calorie surge when it will probably fit me again or to sell it now.

As it is brand new to all intents and purposes, there is no point mucking it up if I might be selling it.

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You never let me down.... can't believe you are selling it after 10 minutes. You should change your list name from "OldRascal" to "OldFaithful" the imelda Marcos of Bike clothing. I've had mine for 2 years and love it

AndyT said:

You never let me down.... can't believe you are selling it after 10 minutes. You should change your list name from "OldRascal" to "OldFaithful" the imelda Marcos of Bike clothing. I've had mine for 2 years and love it

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'Semper Fidelis'.... me old mate .

Price Comparison - Aerostich vs Phantom

As I mentoned in my initial report on the Olympia Phantom, my immediate costs including currency charges and express shipping amounted to £328. I have just received an invoice from FedEx for customs' charges of £66.77 which brings the total cost of the suit to £395 give or take a couple of pennies.

I have just costed an Aerostich Roadcrafter one-piece using the same criteria and the total would be around the £630 mark .