Buying Leathers.

When i was first getting my bike every person i asked told me i should get textiles first, a good idea seen as every lesson i have had so far has been in heavy rainfall, but they aren't really much good if i unfortunately end up sliding down the road.

So i need some leathers, but i don't know much apart from the obvious. I'm thinking i need to look for...

• Quantity of armour, should it be made of kevlar?
• Brand names, do they count for much?
• Thickness of leather, what is good and bad?
• Type of leather, are there types, good and bad?
• 2/1 peice, I think 2 would be better, then i can just use the jacket nipping out to the shop.
• Price, should i expect to pay so much for good ones?

Any other points i've missed?

I also live in Crewe, and the only gear shops i know off round here are...

• J&S, Northwich.
• D&H Autos, Newcastle-Under-Lyme.
• D&K (Shop above), N-U-L.
• Shop across the road from D&K, N-U-L.

Can anyone recommend one of these or another, i'll probably go round them all anyway, just curious to know if one is overpriced, or cheap etc.

All guidance much appreciated.

Didn't post this in riding gear as it that seemed more of a reviewing section, and i have had a look around for previous questions like this but as you can imagine, searching leathers on a biking forum brings back quite a few results.

Thanks, Tom.

Armour is generally third party stuff, Hiprotec or Knox. So long as it's CE branded it's as good as the (currently limited) testing can prove. Kevlar is great for abrasion resistance, it's not really impact protection (I know, bullet proof vests, but that's a completely different kind of impact).

Brand names, nah. In the olden days Akito used to have a bit of a poor reputation but they've bucked up their kit considerably and it's now very good for the cost.

Type of leather - brazilian cow hide is alleged to be the toughest for abrasion resistance. Kangaroo leather is quoted regularly but is used for comfort and feel - so palms of gloves, inner thighs and the like.

I'd definitely go for a 2 piece unless you want to go racing in which case it has to be one piece. For track days, 2 piece with a zip that goes all the way round is fine.

Price can be from around £250 for the lot right up to the £1000+. I got a Hein Gericke own brand one piece for about £300 to go racing in about five years back, it's so far slid down Pembrey twice, Mallory once, Donnington once, and the road once (although that was only a 20mph job). It's still in one piece and in darn fine shape

EDIT: Oooh, further point, made to measure leathers aren't as expensive as you might think. Crowtree used to make all the Performance Bikes staff stuff and whilst the standard designs look a bit naff now (and you up the price notably to do custom designs) they're still tailor made to measure leathers - you ain't going to get a better fit than that, think they come in at around £600 for a one piece. Probably not worth going tailor made for a two piece as you've more off the peg options with a two piece. Crowtree are a trek from Crewe, think BKS do tailor stuff too?

EDIT 2: Brands: Arlen Ness and Furygan (spelling?) stuff is very nice but on the expensive side. I'm not really one for brand snobbery, spend your student loan on getting every area covered first, don't spend £600 on a posh jacket and then wear regular jeans on your legs because you're out of dosh.

I second the made to measure bit. I got mine done - 2 piece lether, cow hide, CE armour, back protector. Done in three weeks. Delivery to your door if you like. £400. I never looked back.

Not too far from you in Crewe there is a Hein Gericke shop in Chester (on the A51). I would strongly suggest giving them a go, they give great advice and one of the most important things with leathers is that they fit properly and the guys in there take the time to make sure that you get properly fitting gear (which as I found can differ from brand to brand). Therefore I ended up with a different make than I expected!

I tried one of the shops you're think about and found them really unhelpful, no attempt to advise or help with sizing etc, in fact it was like I was invisible when I wanted some help getting stuff to try on.

Hope this helps

Just as an aside to the comments about Crowtree. They made excellent quality leathers, but unfortunately aren't taking on any new orders. The owners have decided to take long overdue retirement - I wish them all the very best in it.

There are a number of good quality made to measure leathers manufacturers and importers in the UK. BKS, MJK, Hideout to name a few. If you do decide to go down the M2M route it's worthwhile asking around or attending a couple of club race meetings and asking the guys who test them to the limits.

I wear MJKs because I saw a load of endurance racers falling off in their suits and pushing bent bikes back to the pits and getting straight back on when they were fixed - you can't knock leathers that allow you to do that.

If you can't afford M2M then Arlen Ness, Wolf and Berik top my list with Furygan in there too. AN, Wolf and Berik are made in the parent company's own factory in Hong Kong where they keep a very close eye on product design and quality control.

Don't touch the big posh fancy named stuff from Italy, it's predominantly sh!te that's no better than fashion clothing, and made in a number of sub-contract Chinese or Pakistani sweatshops despite the huge price tags.

I'll second the comments regarding the Italian stuff. If you're going to Gericke check out similarly priced Alpinestar and Arlen Ness suits. The Arlen stuff looks like it should cost twice as much.

Gericke suits are also very good for the price, crash well and come with 2 year guarantee. Not as stylish as the more expensive suits tho.

I've had a few rec's to J&S, so will have a spin up there tomorrow.

I've heard a number of good things about the RST suits as well and they are reasonably priced to boot...

Don't know Crewe I'm afraid but for what its worth I have Hein Gericke which seem ok to me. Good prices particularly in the sales! The little zip lever wotsit on the fly and one lower leg zip have snapped off which is annoying (need to have a paperclip handy!!) but generally ok. Some great dela on the web but I'm always a bit wary about bike clothing on the web, you need to try the stuff on IMHO.

I have textiles and think they are ok for all year though I always wear leathers until weather doesn't suit - textiles just a little too bulky but very cost effective.

And then of course you have to consider style - I have yellow and black leathers on a blue and white bike... see what I mean?

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by Triumphumphumph

And then of course you have to consider style - I have yellow and black leathers on a blue and white bike... see what I mean?

Get a neutral colour scheme. I have black and silver HG Tribals with white detailing. The predominant colour is black. These leathers looked good with my blue curvey and now go well with my Silver VFR.

I can also vouch for the fact that HG own brand leathers are well made, good armour and crash well .

The Arlen Ness stuff looks really good though. Just cannot justify new leathers to myself.