Frank Thomas Leathers - any good?

[ChrisSV]

Hey all

ive been shopping for leathers recently, and id set my heart on some alpinestars RC-1 2 piece, but my wallet and bank balance is complaining about that. So I was recomemded these buy the guy in the shop

http://www.frank-thomas.co.uk/cgi-bin/ft_spec.pl?id=28.Velocita Jacket
http://www.frank-thomas.co.uk/cgi-bin/ft_spec.pl?id=29.Velocita Jean

and i was just wondering if anyone has any experiance with these or similar, and would be willin to share there experiances :)

Ta very muchly

[missyburd]

The guy in the shop would recommend them...just wanted to get rid more like :rolleyes: Stay away! There are much better quality brands out there, as many more folks will testify I'm sure :-)

[FG1]

I have heard a few comments on the quality of stitching etc to be doubtful.
I would recomend, for the money, Teknic leathers. Seem to be decent leather and the attention to detail is pretty good.
I think you can get a 2 piece for around £200-£250

[barwel1992]

RST leathers are actual very very good, came of in mine and they still look new :)

[dizzyblonde]

Frank Thomas....really aren't the best, but if its a first set and all you can afford its better than a tracksuit and trainers ;-)
As MissYC said much better brands out there, but be aware not everything expensive is good either.
I don't wear leathers anymore, as I grew out of all of mine :-( I wear Halvarrssons textiles and their leather gloves.
I do have some Heine Gericke PS summthings upstairs and am impressed by the quality, which I need altering before I wear them, but will always be comparing them to the faithful kit I have worn for three years.

[missyburd]

Belstaffs, £25 off ebay, lasted me 2 years and still going :-D

[ChrisSV]

i shall be sure to stay away, thanks :)
im goin out again thuis weekend,and il have a good look round, and keep an eye out for the things mentioned on here.
ta very muchly

[Sid Squid]

Avoid Alpinestars - I'd take the FT over them.

[fizzwheel]

Liz has a pair of FT leather trousers. They stretched very quickly, the quality of the stitching is sh8te and they fell apart. Also the liner came away on the inside and they had to be sent back for repair.

Personally I thought the quality was poor and I woudlnt buy a pair myself.

[SUPERSTARDJ01]

I had FT boots and have a FT fabric jacket, the boot stitching came away after about 6mth and the jacket has fabric hooks inside holding the thermal/waterproof section and the stitching cam away after 3 weeks, if your on a budget and want quality go for Spada if you have more to spend then the usual Alpinestars, RST, Wolf etc etc.

[wyrdness]

The quality of the FT stuff that I've owned hasn't been as good as I'd have expected. Though having said that, my FT leathers have lasted over 10 years.

[dizzyblonde]

if your on a budget and want quality go for Spada if you have more to spend then the usual Alpinestars, RST, Wolf etc etc.

Now Wolf leathers seem to last forever. Pegasus has a set and he reluctantly hung them up as they kinda needed replacing after stupid amount of thousand miles. They were still pretty waterproof considering. The only thing that had gone on them were the pully on the zip, and I think the trooser zip...but think most brands go there, if you gain a bit of fat ;-)

[AndyBrad]

Ive had new and old ft textiles and leathers.

old stuff (and i mean old ) is great. the textiles were fab and if they wernt too big for me i would be wearignt hem now. they were much btter put together than 90% of the sstuff at the last nec show. the newer textile stuff is average.

the leathers. well i went through 3 pairs of laether jeans. Stitching falling appart! they just wernt up to the job. However the new ones ive got now are superb (the black knight ones) and i would recomend them. They have improved a lot recently and if you buy from a shop i would recomend them. I would definatly recomend the gloves over the alpinestars ones i have at the moment.

[missyburd]

I had FT boots and have a FT fabric jacket, the boot stitching came away after about 6mth
I have a pair of FT boots and although i didn't buy them brand new they had hardly been worn. After a month or two's use the stitching of the zip was coming apart and now after two years, although the zip is still attached the velcro is hanging off. They are comfy as however and still waterproof which is the main reason why I haven't bothered to replace them yet. Birthday soon, I shall be in the market for some new boots and a treat :-D

[sunshine]

10k miles in a year and my ft leather jacket is still mint condition, and i had it used from a mate who had them for 2 years but didnt wear them much. where as my belstaff leather trousers are falling apart at every seem and they was new a year ago, recommended by a friend, who also had some alpinestar leathers and had to repair it because the zip stitching had come out, but got taken out on the way home from the repair so there now destroyed.

[slark01]

Got a set of FT textiles and had them for over a year, no problems with them so far. I wear the jacket in winter even if i'm not on the bike.

Ste.

[philbut]

FT stuff is fine if you can get it really cheap.I've had my textile jacket for 4 winters now. Needs replacing now as it is really dirty and smelly, but still waterproof. Never been crash tested though. The matching trousers I had were sent back after the first year as they leaked at the crotch. I'd not buy FT again to be honest, although the jacket has been great considering the price.

[Littlepeahead]

I love my Hideout gear, though I am going to have to starve myself back into the trousers and stop going to Hell Pizza All You Can Eat Lesbians Snogfest events with Spidey.

[Lozzo]

I wouldn't touch Frank Thomas gear with a bargepole, and I wouldn't touch AlpineStars either, so comparing one against the other is a waste of time, both are as bad as each other but the FT gear costs less. If you want decent quality textiles buy Held or Hein Gericke. I've had both and really rate them.

LPH has the measure of it when it comes to leathers - buy some decent quality made to measure or off the shelf stuff from the likes of Scott, Hideout etc and it'll last you for many many years. I have MJK Made to measure leathers that I bought 8 years ago and have done over 80,000 miles and they still look like new.

[L3nny]

Don't want to hijack this thread but I have heard a lot of bad things on this forum re Alpinestars and I am not sure why.

All the kit I have is A*, I didn't buy it cause I am a label tart, I got it because I like the look of it and it fits well.

I had a set of HG leathers before and they don't seem any better the A* ones I have now, there is a lot more armour in the A* stuff as well.

A* stuff is expensive and if buying new it's probably not worth the extra but I got mine second hand off Ebay for a third of the new price.

My advice would be to go to a lot of shops and try a lot of stuff on, if you can afford and/or you get a good deal buy if from the shop if not see if you can get it second hand.

Not sure what size you are but if you are after some cheap gear click the link in my sig. I am open to offers.

[yorkie_chris]

I would advise buying some secondhand teknics or something rather than alpinestars and definitely frank thomas.

Buy some new ones when you've got some more cash.

[thedonal]

HG leather is good, but the zips seem a little lacking in the long wearing dept.

It's the only thing that seems to let HG down- fasteners.

I had some popper issues with the Tricky jacket I bought- wasn't put through the whole shell- so ripped off! Two jackets did that then I swapped them for an Oxan jacket.

Now the inner front zip has gone and the connecting zip to the Tricky trousers has gone (I also had the fly zip replaced on the trousers). They also seem to make the connecting zips different lengths on the same size number for trousers and jackets too- no idea why... (had half baked excuses from otherwise very helpful staff- I can understand why- ie company loyalty- but not why the zips are actually made that way!)

Other than that- the jacket is great- it's a waterproof lined jacket too, so good for all year round and very warm. (not sure what their track style stuff is like though).

[lukemillar]

Don't want to hijack this thread but I have heard a lot of bad things on this forum re Alpinestars and I am not sure why.

All the kit I have is A*, I didn't buy it cause I am a label tart, I got it because I like the look of it and it fits well.

I had a set of HG leathers before and they don't seem any better the A* ones I have now, there is a lot more armour in the A* stuff as well.

A* stuff is expensive and if buying new it's probably not worth the extra but I got mine second hand off Ebay for a third of the new price.

My advice would be to go to a lot of shops and try a lot of stuff on, if you can afford and/or you get a good deal buy if from the shop if not see if you can get it second hand.

Not sure what size you are but if you are after some cheap gear click the link in my sig. I am open to offers.

I wouldn't stress about it - everyone has an opinion! At various trackdays and club meetings, I have seen pretty much every brand of leathers chucked down the road and not a single pair failed and didn't protect the rider.

The only time I saw serious wear was after a guy lowsided. It was less to do with the brand and more that the guy was a bean pole and his leathers far too baggy. Where he had slid, the folds in the leathers had created a focus point for the friction from sliding and worn straight through. Had they been better fitting, it would have dissipated over a larger surface area.

All this long winded waffle is simply me saying, I'd take good fitting brand X over badly fitting brand Y, regardless of cost or image!

[davepreston]

i got a full set of shoei leather for 50 quid of ebay they are mint

[Lozzo]

I wouldn't stress about it - everyone has an opinion! At various trackdays and club meetings, I have seen pretty much every brand of leathers chucked down the road and not a single pair failed and didn't protect the rider.



I watched a guy's newish Dainese suit unravel itself from his body like a toilet roll during a 90ish mph crash at Mallory. When I've been working in my mates bike kit shop I've seen numerous expensive Italian leathers with enormous wear holes and burst stitching. That's pretty much what puts me off the Italian makes

It's seeing things like that, and watching a lot of KRC endurance racing that prompted me to buy my MJKs. I've watched the same guy fall off three times in one 6 hour race at Donington and push the bike back to the pits with barely a scuff on his MJKs

[ChrisSV]

Havin read all teh replies, thanks very much btw :)
im now debating hanging on for a month or so and maybe getting some hideout leathers, made to measure (as im far to skinny and alot of off teh peg stuff dont fit or has to be specially ordered in, resulting in a rather ridiculus price tag over stock)
plus i get a pay rise at teh end of april, meaning i can afford more :)

[lukemillar]

Havin read all teh replies, thanks very much btw :)
im now debating hanging on for a month or so and maybe getting some hideout leathers, made to measure (as im far to skinny and alot of off teh peg stuff dont fit or has to be specially ordered in, resulting in a rather ridiculus price tag over stock)
plus i get a pay rise at teh end of april, meaning i can afford more :)

Have to say, made to measure is definitely the way to go (if you can afford it) - especially if you are ungenerically sized!

Good leathers last for ages, so see it as an investment :)

[ChrisSV]

I am doin, i want them to last for ages, and do there job properly should it ever be needed.
and i am rather odd sized, i didnt really realise how odd i was until i started trying on loadsa different leathers, and such like, tis a bit fustrating tbh, but ahhh well.

[Sruffy]

Sorry to steal this thread but do you know if Richa leathers are any good?

[johnnyrod]

Dunno to be honest. I echo the thoughts above on FT, A* etc. Mate you're not a million miles away from Gearchange in S****horpe (about 2 hours I guess, if it helps), they're dirt cheap and have loads of stuff. I got a 1-piece Clover suit that I immediately crashed in and it's the dogs, my Fieldsheers would have been ripped off my ass. There are some very different proprtions so worth trying a few on, some of the suits nearly cut me in half. Made to measure is always the best, but it costs!

[Lozzo]

Avoid Alpinestars - I'd take the FT over them.

I kinda agree with you, but given a choice of those two brands or M+S boxer shorts and being pelted with burning coals, I'll take the boxers/coals every time.

[andrewsmith]

I kinda agree with you, but given a choice of those two brands or M+S boxer shorts and being pelted with burning coals, I'll take the boxers/coals every time.

Agree with the FT build quality, everything seems to depends upon the shift in china. Recently had to get a backpack replaced after the bottom fell out after a week! the replacement has been fine :-S.

Had a v similar convo recently with a work mate and he said avoid the soft flash italian c*ap and go to the a company that builds all the leathers to the gp, wsb or tt standard.

He says this from experience after a set of 1 piece leathers came apart at about 40mph. If the cash streches (talking around 800 notes) a set of custom scotts may be your best call.
I ain't come accross any bad comments about scotts apart from price, but comes down to "pays your money and takes your choice"

[Lozzo]

Scott's prices aren't bad when you consider the quality and the fact you can get a simple style made to measure suit for 800 quid in two or three colours. Their quality makes the Dainese, Alpinestars and some other Italian brands seem almost amateur

[Jamesy D]

I have a set of FT Titanium Pro, and I'll be honest... it's a stopgap solution at best. I just wanted a set of leathers that would fit me and i could get for around £200, and that's pretty much bang on what I got them for. A better quality two-piece suit will be finding it's way into my garage in a year or so when I've got more readies to hand. Probably a Spada set, heard nothing but good about them. And a British company to boot!

I've got a friend who does leather repairs who has said that FT use the best quality leather, but the stitching isn't up to standard, so when I get a couple of badges sewn into it by her I'll probably get the major stressed seams done too, just to be on the safe side.

But as has been said, better than shorts and a T-shirt.

[andrewsmith]

Scott's prices aren't bad when you consider the quality and the fact you can get a simple style made to measure suit for 800 quid in two or three colours. Their quality makes the Dainese, Alpinestars and some other Italian brands seem almost amateur

Hence why am saving up for a set, the off the peg stuff is value for money. £410 for a two piece touring suit dainese is more for a similar set.

The dainese stuff makes me wince when you look and handle it, i think the leather is too soft work the purpose. Rather have the fabrics instead.