Morning all, gonna treat my self to a new 2 piece set of leathers. Have used RST and Dainese in the past. Always felt the RST's were superb value, excellent quality and really comfy, but having not bought new leathers for a few years, things change and wondered what others thought. I appreciate there are a million threads on this, and it could be liking asking what tyres or lid to use, but hey ho, if you don't ask ?? I'm leaning toward RST Tracktech Evo 3 as they seem to tick the boxes. It's for summer only as Dainese textiles are used when it gets chilly Thanks in advance
Can’t help with the RST, but when I purchased a 2 piece last year, the A* came up really short in the jacket. Was fine with the bottoms but if pairing it with jeans, it was like wearing a crop top. Went with Dainese.
Never tried Alpinestars, so could be worth a go I guess. It does grate me a little that they do seem to charge an awful lot for the name though ??
My missus is a proper brand whore. Made me go Dainese because she liked the logo. Not one to complain about spending more on myself so went with it. Why she’s with me then, nobody knows.
In your opening post you kinda say it all. RST are super 'value'. That's exactly what they are, but Alpine and Dianese are without doubt a step up in terms of overall quality, you do pay a little more for it though. That said I just bought a really smart Alpinestar GP-Pro or 'R' suit or something from Swindon Megastore for £550 down from £750. I used to work in the trade and think that £500-700 is about where you need to be for a robust and quality fitting set of leathers.
It is mate, but what sort of size do you reckon you are chest wise? I went in there wanting a 54 (so 44 chest) and they had no 54's anywhere, it's probably most common size but still nothing, in the end I managed to squeeze into a 52, which is just about comfortable enough to ride in and will give a little, plus, I need to get off my arse and exercise...
PS. Having touched , felt, smelt etc etc all the brands, they all felt broadly the same to me. Same thickness of hide, all had quality stitching so I do struggle to feel the money in the other 2 ?? Value or budget gear like Hein Gericke or IXS etc, you can definitely feel the slight lack of quality imo. But the RST gear felt as good as any of the others, hence including it in my list ?? A trip to that big shop may be in order, its behind where George Whites used to be right ??
yep, I'm not knocking RST, tbh I think they are 'upper middle' range, but you have to get what fits ultimately as well. I always remembered RST were a little more 'british' i.e they accounted for the chunkier hip and thighs of us brits a little better. Brands like SPIDI always seemed to have really tiny thighs in them! I worked in a large clothing chain so we used to try all the stuff on to really get a feel for what stuff worked and what didn't for different body shapes. funnily enough in weather like this you maybe only had one chance to get someone trying on the right gear before they had sweated their balls off and decided to give up and go get coffee ;-) These ones (as you can see) were so tight on me that once I got them on I just went and paid for them there and then! remember they will give 10% so don't get them 'comfy' or you will regret it
Thanks dude, I'll pitch up there after this set back on shift..... Commencing tonight sadly (Bikes in for first service Monday though, so I can ride up there with all the horses available Tuesday )
no worries dude, yeah it's just behind their old swanky showroom, they have done it up a bit in there and had some decent stock. I would say it's worth popping to blade also, they have Bering stuff, which is quite nice although I came out needing a 2xl in the jeans which put me off. As you can see from the pics I am not 2xl.
RST have upgraded their quality a huge amount on the last couple of years, The Pro Series CPX-C 11 one piece suit i bought last year is at least the equal of the Alpinestars stuff and better value IMHO. They are made in the same factory. For me, you can't beat Dainese for the quality of the leather and the fit though.
I've tried alpinestars a few times but always end up going back to dainese . A lot of racers and trackday riders are using rst so they are doing something right
That's what I thought to mate, hence including RST to my extensive list of 2, will go to shops and post my findings me thinks.
