one piece suit, yes or no

[Feejer/Weejer man]

Looking at one piece suits, Aerostich and Olympia Phantom. Pro's and cons of a one piece. Heat, venting, cold, rain? Saw good reviews on Olympia. Anyone here with an opinion. LOL Mike in Fremont, ca

 

[OhioFJR1300]

I wear a one piece Aerostich and love it. Easy on and off great protection, rain proof. I am very happy with it.

 

[MartyA]

Always worried about dragging the collar on the floor of the privy during a pit stop.....

 

[vectervp1]

Always worried about dragging the collar on the floor of the privy during a pit stop.....

Well then quit layin down in the commode!

 

[taterides]

Gotta 2 piece stich and like it. Maybe not quite as safe as a 1 but the 2 is worth it. Nice to take the jacket off and relax. Just my opinion.

 

[Auburn]

I prefer a one piece leather. DOn't have to worry about zipping the 2 piece together and I fits more comforatably. I also have a one piece Aerostitch. Good suit, but I only wear it when rain is predicted. To me the 'stitch is not as comfratable in the heat. When I waer teh suit, I carry a one piece rainsuit that folds up really small just in case to put ofver the leather.

Which ever you choose, get it armored and get an aftermarket spine protector like Dianese or Bohm. The built in ones don't seem to cover to well. When I raced, I would get the built in spine protector and wear a Dianese that I put on before the suit. Kind or double protection, but you spine is very important to protect.

 

[cougar8000]

Personal choice. If I ever going back to the track it will be a one piece. Street I would want a 2 piece.

 

[Bill]

Looking at one piece suits, Aerostich and Olympia Phantom. Pro's and cons of a one piece. Heat, venting, cold, rain? Saw good reviews on Olympia. Anyone here with an opinion. LOL Mike in Fremont, ca

I went with the one-piece Stitch so that I wouldn't be tempted to wear the jacket with a pair of jeans

 

[Ric in Sac]

If you want to go onto a track sometime I understand many REQUIRE 1 piece suits.

Also, if you are one of those construction guys with no butt, walking around showing your crack -- get a one piece, PLEASE!! :lol:

 

[canucklehead-biker]

I've been wearing 1-pce 'Stich for last 10 yrs... can get a bit hot in summer, but not too bad (I wore one in So Cal for a couple of years, year round).

I like the idea of not being able to "forget" to put the pants on.

Overall, it is one of the best pieces of gear I've ever owned.

YMMV

Griff

 

[stormrider]

I also have a one piece Stich. I have had it for 5 years now.

It is great up until about 90 degrees. it would be jigher but there is a lot of humidity here. After that I wear a Motoport kevlar Air mesh.

I really like the stich for all the reasons listed above, and I have never had a problem with a leak

 

[Geezer]

I wanted a one piece Olympia Phantom. I went to the local dealer that sells them and simply could not find a size that fit properly. If the jacket and pants fit OK, the torso was so short that I couldn't stand up straight. I would probably have to go with Aerostitch to get a suit custom fit for me.

The other problem I had was that it actually took longer to get into the Phantom than it took me to put on separate overpants and jacket.

The bottom line, I went with separate pants and jacket again.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Depends on you.

I wear a 1-piece Stitch for my daily commute until the temps are in the low 80s, then a mesh jacket and armored DragginJeans. The Stitch forces me to wear leg protection, protects my office clothes, and is both fast and painless to put on. Downsides are when it's hot out or on a causual ride and finding a place for it when going into a restaurant.

WebBikeWorld.com has reviews on a lot of suits & combinations, including the Olympia. Seems to me that Rick thought a lot of it and has his yellow test suit for sale.

Bob

BTW, if you get a one-piece or even a matched top & bottom, be ready for the PowerRanger/Speed Racer comments. Mine's all blue, so I get called Papa Smurf.

 

[RiderCoach Lar]

Recently purchased an Olympia Phantom and absolutely love it. Can't give you a warm weather review yet, but I can tell you, I've been in low 60 degree weather with the liner in and the vents open and have been comfortable. I've also been in low-30 degree weather (vents obviously closed) and have been very warm and comfortable. It's a quality garment that's comforable and extremely functional. With the liner in, I can get into it in less than a minute...probably 30 seconds if I hurried. I considered an Aerostitch too, but side-by-side, I couldn't justify spend almost double for the Stitch.

 

[donaldb]

I just bought an Olympia Stealth suit for summer. There is no rain liner with the suit, but down here in the summer heat and humidity I don't really care that much about rain protection, it does not take long to dry out while riding. It's to early for me to review the suit, as I have only worn it twice on my commute to and from work (yesterday and today). So far I'm liking it. I'm sure there are some compromises to obtain the coolness level. There is simply no way I could wear a Stich down here in the summer, so this seems to be a very good compromise, it's definitely better then my Joe Rocket mesh and First Gear Air pant combo from a safety standpoint. I'm impressed with the adjustability of the CE armor, it fits well, there was no alterations necessary. I'm 6' and 250 and the 2X fit well off the rack. I chose the pewter and high viz. Initial impression is good. I'll likely be in it for NAFO if anyone would like to ck it out.

 

[dean]

i've owned different 'stiches for about 10 years now. started with a size 38, i'm up to a 46. damn things keep shrinking on me. ( : i haven't noticed too much of a difference between them. i certainly wouldn't buy the two-piece for the option of removing the jacket during pit stops, as it's not very easy to reattach if you're already wearing the pants. whether i've owned a one- or two-piece, i've usually worn a duty belt around my waist (sans gear, heh heh). at stops, i just unzip the jacket, and let it flop over. if you do get a 'stich, heed this advice: GET THE OPTIONAL HIP PADS. as good a company aerostich is, it appalls me that they don't include the hip pads as standard. if you have a get off, there's a real good chance you're gonna land on that nice bony hip bone. GET THE HIP PADS. ( :

the advantage i see to the two-piece 'stich (don't know about olympia options) is you can add the zip-in ellipse between the jacket and pants to accommodate a forward lean and/or give a little more room to the shoulder/crotch area.

[edit]

i forgot to add, if you're the type that is tempted to not wear the protective pants because it's just a quick ride and it's too hot, get the one-piece. don't have that temptation to seperate the gear.

[end edit]

shameless spam content: i'll likely be selling two, possibly three stiches i own right now---a blue/gray 46S one-piece made in '00 (i'll have to check); a black 48S two-piece made in '03 (20th anniversary); and possibly a 44S hi-viz one-piece made in 2003 (20th anniversary). keep an eye out in the for sale section in a few weeks.

hth,

dean

cincinnati

 

[TriggerT]

I've had my 1 piece stich for about a year and a half now, and I will not ride with any other gear. I just don't feel safe with any of my other stuff. I love that I can wear the 1 piece with anything from jeans, to a 3 piece suit under it, and arrive at my destination looking like I took the cage (except for the helmet hair that is).

"Dress for the Crash, not the ride"

 

[madmike2]

Mike, I've heard they're pretty warm in hot weather. If you plan to wear it riding in the Central valley heat, you might want to ask the question, of those who ride in 95+ degrees, about the venting. You and I know that the oppressive heat around here is bad enough with mesh and a cool-vest of some type but we'd still rather be on the bikes.

 

[Sully1300]

Looking at one piece suits, Aerostich and Olympia Phantom. Pro's and cons of a one piece. Heat, venting, cold, rain? Saw good reviews on Olympia. Anyone here with an opinion. LOL Mike in Fremont, ca

Feejer,

I did not plan this at first, but I bought both the Phantom a while back and recently the Stealth. The funny thing is I still saved $ over one Stich.

If I know it is going to rain I wear the Phantom. If it's cold - obvious. Hot - Stealth. If the day starts cool then I wear an old liner from a previous jacket with my Stealth then loose it when it warms up. I love the freedom of movement while riding with a one-piece with no bunching up in the middle like you get with a two-piece, plus there is no chance for water to puddle in the middle and find it's way into the Phantom during a storm. I believe the Stich is not water proof (not sure though).

Definitely get into a dealer to try one on since they do run small. I usually wear a XXL but had to go with a XXXL Phantom. XXL Stealth since there is no liner.

Hopefully this helps - best of luck to you.