aerostich roadcrafter suit owners

[gregory]

Greetings all,

I am thinking about getting an Aerostich Roadcrafter 1 piece suit. I live in Souther AZ and ride year round. Here is my delema. I already own a mesh jacket for summer riding (currently using it without the liner cuz it is still in the upper 80's) I have a heated jacket and a very nice rain suit. I am currently looking for some riding pants, so I started thinking about a 1 piece and ended up at the Aerostich site.

I worry that the Aerostich will see very limited use living where I do. I also get called into work pretty frequently for half hour stints (I do CT scans) and think that the suit will be a pain (too hot to leave on too much hassel to take on and off for just a few min worth of work, not that the mesh jacket is super convenient either.

So here is my questions...........

1. How hot can it be outside and your reasonably comfortable in the suit?

2. How easy is it to get into and out of?

3. Do you ever just wear underwear under it or do you have to wear street clothes? ( if just underwear, can you do extended time in the suit?

I know this is a very nice piece of safety equipment, BUT I still need to outfit for the summer months and I am wondering if almost $1k is worth it for just 5 or so months I can use it. (I know. I know, my life is subjective to what I want to spend!!!) Just looking for owners thoughts.

TIA

Greg

 

[RenoJohn]

Greetings all,
I am thinking about getting an Aerostich Roadcrafter 1...........................

So here is my questions...........

1. How hot can it be outside and your reasonably comfortable in the suit?

2. How easy is it to get into and out of?

3. Do you ever just wear underwear under it or do you have to wear street clothes? ( if just underwear, can you do extended time in the suit?

I know this is a very nice piece of safety equipment, BUT I still need to outfit for the summer months and I am wondering if almost $1k is worth it for just 5 or so months I can use it. (I know. I know, my life is subjective to what I want to spend!!!) Just looking for owners thoughts.

TIA

Greg

Greg, you'll hear varying opinions and I'll throw mine in. Personally, I filled my garage up with various sub-par/mainstream gear before finally getting a roadcrafter. Bar-None, it is the best bike related purchase I have ever made. Take care in getting options you want or don't want and be sure to get it sized correctly. The good folks at Aerostich will be very helpful. As a sidenote consider getting continuous velcro on the main zipper flap and be aware that you can have lots of little tweaks done to your criteria with minimal or little charge.

To answer your questions

1.) I can wear mine in triple digits WHILE MOVING! It vents well when moving. However, if you're in hot AZ weather in stop-go traffic or if you wear it while not riding it will be very warm or hot in 80+ temperatures.

2.) With a little practice it is easy to get in/out of. It may take a few dozen times before you feel adroit at doing so ...but soon you'll find it second nature and it is very practical to take on/off.

3.) I always wear clothes underneath. In winter (my reno climate) I wear jeans, perhaps with a layer underneath. Turtleneck long sleaves and perhaps a layer or two underneath. Note if you plan on cold weater riding, be sure to size your stich to accomodate fleece and or heated vest. In warm weather I wear light pants (ie: medical "scrubs") and T-shirt. Again ventilation (moving) is the key.

I find that (as long as I'm moving), i have less heat fatigue on looong rides in the stich than I do with mesh because mesh can dehydrate you and you don't know it until it is too late. However, if you're not moving and wearing the stich in hot weather, you'll get hot very very fast.

Hope this helps. Take your tme ordering, try different sizes, spend a buck or two more to get a custom size if needed and get the options added/deleted that best suit you.

Best of luck

RC fan in Reno ....john

 

[shuttle1988]

Greg,

I live in AZ as well and have the Aerostich Roadcrafter 2 piece suit. Once the 2 piece suit is zipped together, it functions much like the 1 piece. I bought it years ago when I was living in the East Coast. Back there I wore it pretty much all the time. Both the 1 piece and 2 piece suits are very easy to get in and out of and the quality is excellent. Yes, you can wear either street clothes or just underwear under it, and wearing less under it will expand the comfort zone. IMHO the 'stich is one of the best.

However, since I've been in Arizona it gets less and less use. I cannot wear it for about half the year as it is too hot. Once the temp is above 80-85 it gets uncomfortable. As much as I love it, I don't think it's ideal for Arizona unless you are OK with spending a grand for limited use.

If you are just looking for riding pants you might consider the Darien or Darien Lite from Aerostich. I have a pair (Lite) and have used them with both my mesh jacket and the Roadcrafter jacket. Depending on what you wear under them, they can be used all year.

Just this year I bought an Olympia Airglide 2 suit. It's vented (lots of mesh) but has really good removable liners. Currently it's my favorite and I think I will be able to wear it all year. (Also, about half the price of the Roadcrafter.) If it gets too cold I will go back to the 'stich.

Another option may be Cycleport. I have no experience with it but a lot of people rave about it. I believe it is priced around or a little above the Roadcrafter.

Good luck.

 

[FJR_pig]

I have to agree with everything RenoJohn said.

I purchased a new suit last Spring and wore it all through my summer riding. It does not get near as warm up here as you do in Arizona, however I wore my suit all the way down to Park City in July for WFO and wore it throughout one of Beeroux's SS1K's while I was down there. It got a little toasty outside that day, but I never felt all that uncomfortable in my suit. Insert disclaimer here: I was moving. As RJ said, if you're moving, you're golden. If you get caught up in quicksand traffic on a hot day, you're going to hate life. I think that's inevitable with whatever you're wearing, though.

As for what I wear underneath, totally depends on the temps and what I need when I get where I'm going. If I'm simply going for a ride, in the winter, I wear some long underwear with fleece on top/bottom. That, with the suit, keeps me pretty warm. I substitute jeans if I don't want to look like a tool when I get where I'm going. In the summer, if it's just for a ride, I go with some bicycle shorts with the padded arse and a dry fit or under armor t-shirt. When I got my latest suit, I ordered the bib overall converter. It allows me to take the jacket off and not worry about running around in bicycle shorts at stops, e.g. lunch or rest stops.

I can get the suit on and off very fast. It is not an issue.

All said, I've used two Roadcrafters for 4-5 years. That's not all that long, but I think it's long enough to vouch for it. You can't go wrong. It's spendy, but it's worth it. I've seen some suits first hand, post-crash and they do what they're supposed to. It's no secret what I do for a living. I used to ride for work from '99 to '03. In 2000, a fellow motor officer went down on a slick tar stip while motoring up I-5. He was riding between 60-70 mph when it happened and tumbled a little over 200'. He walked away with one cracked rib and a sprained wrist. His suit had abrasions all over it. It was nuts. Another fellow motor officer went down right beside me in the coast range on US 26 back in 2002. He was going about 50 as we were pulling out of the Sunset Rest Area. His BMW :glare: had a transmission failure, locked up as he exited second gear and the bike immediately flopped on its side (part mechanical/part rider surprise there), breaking my friend's ankle. The bike dragged him about 100'. Again, suit trashed, but it did its job and he only suffered the injury from the initial impact of the bike's weight on his foot.

Get a Roadcrafter, you won't regret it.

 

[Silent]

1. How hot can it be outside and your reasonably comfortable in the suit?

I've riden my 'stitch from 28 degrees up to 106 degrees. Anything above 90 and it's hot for me.

2. How easy is it to get into and out of?

I've timed myself at a leasurly 15 seconds to put on my 'stitch, and it doesn't take much more than that to take it off.

3. Do you ever just wear underwear under it or do you have to wear street clothes? ( if just underwear, can you do extended time in the suit?

Aerostitch does not recommend underwear only with the stitch. I wear full street clothing under mine at all times'

I know this is a very nice piece of safety equipment, BUT I still need to outfit for the summer months and I am wondering if almost $1k is worth it for just 5 or so months I can use it. (I know. I know, my life is subjective to what I want to spend!!!) Just looking for owners thoughts.

Only you can answer that, but I love mine rain or shine, and wear it year round B)

 

[Tim05fjr]

Look into the Olypia Phantom.

I left my comments in the thread in parts and accessories section.

Tim

 

[CAJW]

Above comments are all good points. I've had mine for a couple of years (2piece) and found while living in Chandler, AZ the stitch' was put in the closet when temps hit 90-95. As noted, sitting in traffic will roast you, but so will many other jackets. I'm following the recommendation of wearing a long sleeve cotton or wicking material T-shirt underneath and don't sweat near as much as with a short sleeve shirt that allows my skin to come in contact with the nylon liner. I've tried the ice in the pockets trick and it works pretty well if you get close to overheating. On long trips I usually pack both my vented gear and the stitch'. To my knowledge, the perfect year-round riding suit hasn't yet been perfected. As mentioned, make sure measurements are correct, my knee pads unded up placed too high on the first go around, but their Customer Service is top notch as they shipped me a new pant overnight air.

Do it, you won't be sorry!

 

[TriggerT]

1. How hot can it be outside and your reasonably comfortable in the suit?

Anything above low 90's and the suit starts to get pretty hot for me. If you are able to keep moving at highway speeds, I can handle it up to about 100.

2. How easy is it to get into and out of?

I visit construction sites very often for work, so I sometimes am in and out of the suit a dozen times a day. Once you get used to it, I think under 15 seconds is about right. Not mush longer than it takes me to just put on a jacket properly.

3. Do you ever just wear underwear under it or do you have to wear street clothes? ( if just underwear, can you do extended time in the suit?

Street clothes. Guys at the construction sites get a little wild if they see me in just my underwear.

I know this is a very nice piece of safety equipment, BUT I still need to outfit for the summer months and I am wondering if almost $1k is worth it for just 5 or so months I can use it. (I know. I know, my life is subjective to what I want to spend!!!) Just looking for owners thoughts.

I've had mine since this last Christmas, which is about 13K miles ago. I LOVE IT! I just picked up heated gear to go under it today, so I will see how long I can extend the season. There are other suites out there which people swear by which I don't know about, but I don't see changing from my Stich for a very, very, very long time.

 

[MCRIDER007]

I have a 2 piece Roadcrafter 2 hanging in my closet that never gets used in the summer because Gortex quits breathing after 85 degrees F and the Roadcrafter has minimal airflow, just a couple of vents under the arms. You also need to wear clothing under the Roadcrafter because the 500 denier cordura they use is coated with polyurethane that can melt into your skin.

The Cycleport kelvar mesh suit offers more protection, far superior air flow, and costs about the same -- and you can ride naked under it if you want. It also has a 7 year guarantee and if you crash and if the suit can't be repaired -- Cycleport will give you a new one -- which they have never had to do to date. They also have never had anyone get even a small skin abrasion under the kelvar mesh suit.

I think the Roadcrafter 2 was a great product when it was introduced in the late 80's but after almost 20 years it needs to be updated. They could start by adding some vents to the jackets for hot weather riding and upgrading the $3.50 a yard 500 denier cordura to something heavier, like $7.00 a yard 1000 denier cordura that has 5 times the tear strength and twice the abrasion resistance of 500 denier cordura. By comparison, Cycleport's kelvar mesh costs $52 a yard and their stretch kelvar costs $70 a yard.

 

[kaitsdad]

Gregory,

I've now worn a Roadcrafter for almost 2 years, and 22K miles.

One of the reasons I bought it was this post from a forum member - Gleno - R.I.P.

His comments start on post #3.

Gleno - comments on stitch

 

[stormrider]

I could wax poeticly (sp) about the stitch but the bottom line is GET IT. you won't be dissappointed

 

[Checkswrecks]

I use my one-piece Stitch thru 3 seasons after initially buying it as a way to force myself to wear leg protection. Love it for commuting from my house garage to my office. It keeps my office clothes clean and I'm buying less pants, too. I'll wear it to the high 70's low 80's when I go back to the mesh, but even a bit warmer, the vents are OK. I'll occasionally wear shorts and a t-shirt under it. Always wear boots anyway. When hot, you can work up a good sweat if traffic's not moving and the suit can get a bit, um, aromatic. Getting in and out is really fast, the only thing slowing me at all is that my boots need to come off (velcro and zipper) and go back on. I can vary fleece jackets under it as the temps get cooler and in the winter I wear a heated Gerbing jacket liner under it. These and all other suits all seem to develop leaks at the crotch after years of time if you ride enough rain but the waterproofing can be renewed.

Two things that the others left off. First, the pockets are fantastic. There's one in the right sleeve cuff for toll booth change, a breast pocket for the garage door opener and camera, a huge right breast pocket for M&Ms/water bottles/maps/, huge thigh pockets, you get the picture. Second, once it's off you may need to think about where you're going to put it. Mine's usually on a hangar in my garage or office. But if you go into a lot of meetings or offices and need to stash it, it is a big expensive bundle to leave hanging on the bike in the wrong part of town.

Bob

 

[gregory]

After a little more research, I believe that I have found an alternative.

I am wondering if anybody has experience with these.

kevlar suit

 

[madmike2]

Since you asked about CyclePort:

I have the exact combination he talks about: Mesh Pants and 3/4 jacket w/ liners for both. I'm sold on mesh gear because I live in the Central Valley of CA where the temps exceed 100 degrees in the Summer and get into the 30s in the Winter, so I want "year-round" riding gear.

Suiting up and removing the riding gear is easier than my former FirstGear clothing. The CyclePort gear is a bit more "bulky" for storing in the sidecases, partially because the armor is so much better. As he says in his report, the armor will "form" to your body and after 100 milles or so it fits really well.

I purchased my Cycleport gear at WFO-6 in Park City, UT at the end of July. I have been thinking about upgrading to this gear for a couple of years after Toecutter bought his and has been an "evangelist" for their quality and product material. I determined to buy some but because of my..er...uhm...size, I wanted to try it on. Wayne is "the best" and provides a great product. Needless to say, I shipped my FirstGear stuff home and rode with my CyclePort gear on the 1500 mile circuitous, Northerly route home through ID, Or and NorCal. I am a ATGATT devotee, so street or dirt, I wear the gear.

On Aug 18th I tested the gear when I fell off my KLR between 35-40 mph. Link here, Link w/ pictures of the gear, Link to helmet thread w/ pictures.

Though I've not worn this gear in the Winter, it works well in the Summer and Fall weather I have ridden in. It is slightly warmer than the FirstGear Kilimanjaro jacket but perfectly acceptable in 100+ weather. In other words, I don't roast from the gear's inability to pass fresh air. Just stay hydrated!

I now have the gear back from the repair @ CyclePort. There are a number of FJR friends who, through O'vale FJR, paid for my gear to be repaired. I'm not sure of the exact amount, but I'd surmise it was in the $200 range. They were able to patch the small puncture in the pants leg and sewed the jacket back together (where it was cut off-in pieces- by the EMTs). It looks like new but for one small "seam". A very nice job!

Bottom line? The gear saved my life. My suggestion: Buy CyclePort!

 

[steelhead]

+1 on the Cycleport gear.

I just recieved mine theis week and am very impressed with the fit and quality. I ordered the stretch kevlar overpants and mesh jacket, both with the waterproof liners. I road today into work without the liners as instucted for the first hour of riding. The temp was in the mid 60's and I could really feel the air flow through the jacket. I am going to put the liner in for the ride home to test its windproof capabilities. I have a heated vest and fleece liner from another jacket that should do the trick in the colder weather.

I would seriuosly look at the Cycleport line as a 4 season set up. Just my .02

 

[stormrider]

After a little more research, I believe that I have found an alternative.
I am wondering if anybody has experience with these.

kevlar suit

I actually have both. I wear the air mesh kevlar when the temps go over 85 or so.

I bought the liners for the Cycleport but never wear them because at the temps they would be required I will wear the stich.

The stich is for all the months except July August and September in my neck of the woods

 

[Inlaw1]

If you want a decent alternative at a good price for what you get, look at the Fieldsheer Highland 1pc suit. I've had one for two years and it works very well from mid 20's with liners in and heated gear on, up to about 90 degrees where like the Stitch it gets a little uncomfortable.

But if your only going to use a 1pc for a few months out of the year, using alternative gear for the hottest weather, then a less expensive suit may fit the bill for you.