fuzzy500
New member
I'm new to riding (4 weeks) and new to BARF. Did a lot of research before buying gear because I have a buddy's gear I can use for now. Ended up going with this jacket because I wanted perforated leather, this was ridiculously cheap ($130) and fit really well.
Cost: Like I said, ridiculously cheap for a new jacket. About 1/2 The cost of the cheapest other leather jackets I could find and even used name brand leather jackets.
Leather Quality: Reasonable, definitely worse than more expensive jackets. Cyclegear claims that their leather is 1.2-1.4mm but I'm not sure I believe them. If you hold up this jacket and an alpinestars jacket there is a measurable weight difference. It could just be coming from the armor but something is definitely different. I would say that the jacket did start to break in and got pretty comfortable. The perforated leather works really well to let air in while riding. Almost too well on cold October mornings (60F), I had to wear a sweater underneath, but great for afternoon riding (80F).
Stitching Quality: Pretty bad. Again if you look at the stitching on this thing as compared with an alpinestars or dainese jacket there is a noticeable difference. Even the thread on the dainese jackets is thicker. Mine started coming apart at the neck after two weeks and the velcro at the wrists popped off after three weeks.
Armor Quality: I don't have the experience to judge this. But it does have removable "CE approved" (whatever that means) armor at the shoulders and elbows and a foam back pad.
Final Comments: So why did I buy this jacket? Two reasons:
1. Because at the time I really didn't have a good idea about what to buy, it fit really well, and cyclegear has a 5 year warranty on this thing. I figured if it holds up I'll end up with a good jacket for cheap or I'll end up using it for however long and returning it. Either way, its a win win. I ended up returning the jacket after 3 weeks because the stitching was coming loose at the neck. The return was hassle free (I didn't even have the receipt) and the customer service was fantastic.
2. Everything I read about textile vs. leather says that leather is SIGNIFICANTLY better than textile in a crash. Even the most expensive cordura jackets have worse abrasion resistance than the cheapest leather jackets. I'm currently rocking my buddy's FT textile jacket, it is definitely more comfortable but I'm pretty sure I want leather in the near future.
So would I recommend this jacket to a friend? Sure. If you can try something out and then return it if it sucks why not? For all I know I got a jacket with bad stitching and most/some of them are perfectly fine.
Am I sorry I bought it? Not at all. I learned that perforated leather jackets can breath really well and what to look for when trying on jackets in the future. Time well spent.
On a side note, does anyone have any Sedici brand jackets and care to comment on those? (first hand ownership experience only please)
Cost: Like I said, ridiculously cheap for a new jacket. About 1/2 The cost of the cheapest other leather jackets I could find and even used name brand leather jackets.
Leather Quality: Reasonable, definitely worse than more expensive jackets. Cyclegear claims that their leather is 1.2-1.4mm but I'm not sure I believe them. If you hold up this jacket and an alpinestars jacket there is a measurable weight difference. It could just be coming from the armor but something is definitely different. I would say that the jacket did start to break in and got pretty comfortable. The perforated leather works really well to let air in while riding. Almost too well on cold October mornings (60F), I had to wear a sweater underneath, but great for afternoon riding (80F).
Stitching Quality: Pretty bad. Again if you look at the stitching on this thing as compared with an alpinestars or dainese jacket there is a noticeable difference. Even the thread on the dainese jackets is thicker. Mine started coming apart at the neck after two weeks and the velcro at the wrists popped off after three weeks.
Armor Quality: I don't have the experience to judge this. But it does have removable "CE approved" (whatever that means) armor at the shoulders and elbows and a foam back pad.
Final Comments: So why did I buy this jacket? Two reasons:
1. Because at the time I really didn't have a good idea about what to buy, it fit really well, and cyclegear has a 5 year warranty on this thing. I figured if it holds up I'll end up with a good jacket for cheap or I'll end up using it for however long and returning it. Either way, its a win win. I ended up returning the jacket after 3 weeks because the stitching was coming loose at the neck. The return was hassle free (I didn't even have the receipt) and the customer service was fantastic.
2. Everything I read about textile vs. leather says that leather is SIGNIFICANTLY better than textile in a crash. Even the most expensive cordura jackets have worse abrasion resistance than the cheapest leather jackets. I'm currently rocking my buddy's FT textile jacket, it is definitely more comfortable but I'm pretty sure I want leather in the near future.
So would I recommend this jacket to a friend? Sure. If you can try something out and then return it if it sucks why not? For all I know I got a jacket with bad stitching and most/some of them are perfectly fine.
Am I sorry I bought it? Not at all. I learned that perforated leather jackets can breath really well and what to look for when trying on jackets in the future. Time well spent.
On a side note, does anyone have any Sedici brand jackets and care to comment on those? (first hand ownership experience only please)
