CyncySpyder
12-30-2010, 03:09 PM
http://www.bikernet.com/docs/stories/10931/FGThermo1PieceSuit.jpg
1stGear Riding Suit Review
(Originally posted 12/30/2010)
OK, so I took advantage of the 1stGear Riding Suit being offered here by a fellow member (BajaRon) for $*** delivered.
You cant get it that cheap from the manufacturers website even, so it was a Great Deal (if it worked)
Well, Ive had mine for over 3 weeks now (as of 12/30/10) & promised to give it a review once I had time to actually test it out, so here goes.
Let me start by saying, IMHO
For the price, YOU CAN'T BEAT IT!
THERMO TEXTILE 1-PIECE SUIT
100% waterproof, 210 denier Hypertex
120-gram polyester insulation
Full storm flap closures on zippers, pockets and cuffs
Cargo storage pockets
Elasticized ankle closures and adjustable waist
2-year limited warranty
Ive ridden in 5-12 degree F temps for more than 30 minutes at a time, reaching brief highway speeds up to triple digits, and with only wearing normal clothes underneath, (long sleeve shirt & jogging pants) & the only thing that got chilled (not cold) was my neck area. While riding, the collar provides adequit wind protection with a full face helmet, but whenever I look down at my instruments, I can feel the cold air on my neck.
Ive read other posts talking about Balaclavas, but I havent really felt I needed one. I actually went out and bought one, and if I were going on a long trip in sub-freezing weather, I may use it, (thus still haven't) But Ive found for trips less than an hour, its not really an issue.
Ive been out ryding everyday that its been dry out. We had 2 weeks straight with below freezing temps, and I was able to ryde 11 of the past 14 days. Today, it got up to 37 & I went for a 100 mile ryde, just for fun. All was on the expressway & I was actually passed by a 2 wheeler, and the thoughts that went thru my head were, that guy looks miserable. He had no windshield, half helmet, scarf, at least 2 heavy coats & i dont know how many pants & gloves, but you could tell the guy wasn't having fun. Me, on the other hand, thanks in part to the RT-S's heated grips & adjustable windshield, along with my 1stGear Riding Suit, I WAS HAVING FUN!!! I love this suit!!!
The legs zip up half way for easy access for putting on boots & then have velcro to close over the zipper to prevent wind/water from get'n in & elastic at the bottom to create a seal around your boots.
The arms have velcro adjusters at the end, so I put on my bulky gloves and velcro them tight and get no air/water penetration at all.
Now for the drawbacks
NO HAND POCKETS:
The Suit has 1 chest pocket & 2 smallish front-leg cargo pockets. It has no pockets on the sides like you have on normal pants. So, when you come to your destination, & if you take off your balky riding gloves like I do, you have no-where to put your hands to keep them warm while walking in the cold to your destination.
COLLAR:
The collar could be another inch or so higher to help buffer the cold air when looking down, but that may just be me. I mean, if I had a shorter neck, it wouldn't be an issue, right? LOL As stated above, looking forward with normal driving, the wind wasn't an issue in the neck area.
BULK:
The suit is kind of bulky, but I don't think you can really get around this, for the wind/cold protection that it gives you. I'm 5'9, 175lb & ordered a medium size. The waist is adjustable with velcro strips and the top fits fine, but the legs bunch just a bit, but nothing major.
Conclusion:
OK, so...... all that be'n said, I checked out 1stGears website www.firstgear-usa.com (http://www.firstgear-usa.com) and they do have another riding suit (Expedition) that looks like they corrected the few issues that I mentioned here, but for :yikes:$500!!! :yikes:
For $*** delivered, I'm enjoying ryding every day thats dry no matter the temperature outside. I hope this helps some of you that have been on the fence about this product. I don't think you would be dissapointed, I know I'm VERY SATISFIED & can now enjoy Ryding my Spyder Year Round!!!
Update: 3/24/11
I ditto everything stated above
Update: 11/21/2013
I ditto everything stated above, however, I think I discovered the suits first real issue, at least in my personal use & experience.
After 3 years/seasons of use in freezing/cold temperatures, I've rather shockingly discovered that the suits Water-Proofing properties were extremely compromised, and the suit no longer provides any real water/rain protection. This may be a known common occurence that over time, products such as this suit, will eventually loose their water-repellancy capibilities, but I personally was unaware of this fact. Needless to say, wearing the suit on a 600 mile trip while it was in the 40's and pouring down rain, within about 15 minutes of the beginning of the ryde, I started to feel cold running down the center of my back. At first, I thought it was just the cold rain water running down the outside of the suit from my helmet, but I soon discovered the water was INSIDE the suit. It seemed where ever there was a sewn seem, water would flow right thru it. After 45 minutes of ryding thru the rain, I was soaked to the bone and because of the cold water, I was freezing & had to stop & change into an entirely new set of dry clothes and alternative rain-gear that I had brought along, just in case. Since that experience, I tried applying two coats of Scotch Guard Spray sealant as recommended by a buddy & tried the suit again just this past Halloween, and it still leaked really bad. I'll try another type of Heavy-Duty sealant & see if that helps any or not.
So, with this latest discovery, let me add this statement.
In dry weather of any temps below 50,
I STILL HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SUIT.
And for the first 2 seasons of use, the suit performed flawlessly as both my Cold Weather & Rain Gear combined. You just need to be aware that its water repellancy properties do become compromised over time. Maybe if I had treated it with a proper sealant, after each season of use, it would have retained its repellancy properties, I'm just not sure. I'm still trying other sealant products to find one that works, but until then, I still use our 3 year old Thermo-Suit every day for winter ryding, as long as its dry.
1stGear Riding Suit Review
(Originally posted 12/30/2010)
OK, so I took advantage of the 1stGear Riding Suit being offered here by a fellow member (BajaRon) for $*** delivered.
You cant get it that cheap from the manufacturers website even, so it was a Great Deal (if it worked)
Well, Ive had mine for over 3 weeks now (as of 12/30/10) & promised to give it a review once I had time to actually test it out, so here goes.
Let me start by saying, IMHO
For the price, YOU CAN'T BEAT IT!
THERMO TEXTILE 1-PIECE SUIT
100% waterproof, 210 denier Hypertex
120-gram polyester insulation
Full storm flap closures on zippers, pockets and cuffs
Cargo storage pockets
Elasticized ankle closures and adjustable waist
2-year limited warranty
Ive ridden in 5-12 degree F temps for more than 30 minutes at a time, reaching brief highway speeds up to triple digits, and with only wearing normal clothes underneath, (long sleeve shirt & jogging pants) & the only thing that got chilled (not cold) was my neck area. While riding, the collar provides adequit wind protection with a full face helmet, but whenever I look down at my instruments, I can feel the cold air on my neck.
Ive read other posts talking about Balaclavas, but I havent really felt I needed one. I actually went out and bought one, and if I were going on a long trip in sub-freezing weather, I may use it, (thus still haven't) But Ive found for trips less than an hour, its not really an issue.
Ive been out ryding everyday that its been dry out. We had 2 weeks straight with below freezing temps, and I was able to ryde 11 of the past 14 days. Today, it got up to 37 & I went for a 100 mile ryde, just for fun. All was on the expressway & I was actually passed by a 2 wheeler, and the thoughts that went thru my head were, that guy looks miserable. He had no windshield, half helmet, scarf, at least 2 heavy coats & i dont know how many pants & gloves, but you could tell the guy wasn't having fun. Me, on the other hand, thanks in part to the RT-S's heated grips & adjustable windshield, along with my 1stGear Riding Suit, I WAS HAVING FUN!!! I love this suit!!!
The legs zip up half way for easy access for putting on boots & then have velcro to close over the zipper to prevent wind/water from get'n in & elastic at the bottom to create a seal around your boots.
The arms have velcro adjusters at the end, so I put on my bulky gloves and velcro them tight and get no air/water penetration at all.
Now for the drawbacks
NO HAND POCKETS:
The Suit has 1 chest pocket & 2 smallish front-leg cargo pockets. It has no pockets on the sides like you have on normal pants. So, when you come to your destination, & if you take off your balky riding gloves like I do, you have no-where to put your hands to keep them warm while walking in the cold to your destination.
COLLAR:
The collar could be another inch or so higher to help buffer the cold air when looking down, but that may just be me. I mean, if I had a shorter neck, it wouldn't be an issue, right? LOL As stated above, looking forward with normal driving, the wind wasn't an issue in the neck area.
BULK:
The suit is kind of bulky, but I don't think you can really get around this, for the wind/cold protection that it gives you. I'm 5'9, 175lb & ordered a medium size. The waist is adjustable with velcro strips and the top fits fine, but the legs bunch just a bit, but nothing major.
Conclusion:
OK, so...... all that be'n said, I checked out 1stGears website www.firstgear-usa.com (http://www.firstgear-usa.com) and they do have another riding suit (Expedition) that looks like they corrected the few issues that I mentioned here, but for :yikes:$500!!! :yikes:
For $*** delivered, I'm enjoying ryding every day thats dry no matter the temperature outside. I hope this helps some of you that have been on the fence about this product. I don't think you would be dissapointed, I know I'm VERY SATISFIED & can now enjoy Ryding my Spyder Year Round!!!
Update: 3/24/11
I ditto everything stated above
Update: 11/21/2013
I ditto everything stated above, however, I think I discovered the suits first real issue, at least in my personal use & experience.
After 3 years/seasons of use in freezing/cold temperatures, I've rather shockingly discovered that the suits Water-Proofing properties were extremely compromised, and the suit no longer provides any real water/rain protection. This may be a known common occurence that over time, products such as this suit, will eventually loose their water-repellancy capibilities, but I personally was unaware of this fact. Needless to say, wearing the suit on a 600 mile trip while it was in the 40's and pouring down rain, within about 15 minutes of the beginning of the ryde, I started to feel cold running down the center of my back. At first, I thought it was just the cold rain water running down the outside of the suit from my helmet, but I soon discovered the water was INSIDE the suit. It seemed where ever there was a sewn seem, water would flow right thru it. After 45 minutes of ryding thru the rain, I was soaked to the bone and because of the cold water, I was freezing & had to stop & change into an entirely new set of dry clothes and alternative rain-gear that I had brought along, just in case. Since that experience, I tried applying two coats of Scotch Guard Spray sealant as recommended by a buddy & tried the suit again just this past Halloween, and it still leaked really bad. I'll try another type of Heavy-Duty sealant & see if that helps any or not.
So, with this latest discovery, let me add this statement.
In dry weather of any temps below 50,
I STILL HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SUIT.
And for the first 2 seasons of use, the suit performed flawlessly as both my Cold Weather & Rain Gear combined. You just need to be aware that its water repellancy properties do become compromised over time. Maybe if I had treated it with a proper sealant, after each season of use, it would have retained its repellancy properties, I'm just not sure. I'm still trying other sealant products to find one that works, but until then, I still use our 3 year old Thermo-Suit every day for winter ryding, as long as its dry.