Aerostich Transit Suit

[HispanicSlammer]

All dressed up an no bike to ride

All New Gear Transit suit, Sidi Boots, Held Gloves, Nolan Helmet

http://www.aerostich.com/transit-two-piece-suit.html

I have about 1200 miles on this suit now, worn in a heavy downpour and in 97 degree heat and now its time to give it an honest review. I found the fit to be very nice on the jacket however the pants tend to bunch up in the upper thighs, I had to exchange the pants for smaller ones at first going down a size helped the fit tremendously. I used the fitting guide but its rather generic in terms of this suit, there are no custom sizing options like the roadcrafter or darian suits offer. There is armor in the elbows, shoulders, a back protector and hip pads and knee armor in the pants. For pockets there are two front pockets on the jacket , an upper pocket on the breast thats almost useless and a mesh pocket inside the jacket. Not nearly the pocket space of the textile stuff they sell. This to me does not detract from the suit since I have always felt that carrying things on your person in a suit should be kept to a minium and nothing that could serve as an object to be embedded in your ribs come time you might kiss the pavement. Small things like earplugs, wallet, and soft tissues or cloth that wont cause injury if you should go down.

So the pocket space is less but there are adequate pockets to get the job done. Zippers are of the new water proof kind but after riding in the rain in North Carolina I am here to say that this suit is just like all suits I have worn its not waterproof, it leaks, this suits weakness is the neck area. I had a drip comming down my neck from runnoff on my Nolan helmet and it would go down my neck and into the suit into the front. I am not sure if the main zipper leaked or it was a result of runoff from the helmet but I was wet on the front of my shirt down to my belly. So its a leaker if its raining super hard, which it was. However the outter shell will not penetrate from the leather! It tends to shed water in that regaurd.

Heat, after spending the last 2 days riding in 97 plus degree heat in full leather I am proud to announce that the pigmented leather is indeed cooler than other leathers I have worn, the big vent on the back and the zipper provide adquate ventelation for riding in intense heat. I was even comfortable on the heat, save low speed city riding and stopped at gas stations and such where I would sweat alot. This only provided me with swamp cooling effect one I got rolling again. The jacket tended to inflate when the Zipper was down 6 inches or so I was well vented but it wasnt annoying unless you were going very fast, zip it up a couple of inches and it would smack close to the skin. Opening the front pockets also cooled things off too. No underarm zipper for pit cooling though was a feature I miss fromt my old roadcrafter. So though I did not need it from the micro pores and the big rear vents.

I have also unfortunalty suffered a crash in this suit, 30-40 mph get off I can barely see the damage at all to the suit, a small scuff here and there but no huge scrapes, leather is indeed the best thing for abrasion protection. The armor performed well the new tf5 armor kept me from hurting my back, shoulders and arms. The knee protection worked well and the hip pads definitly provided comfort I am glad hip pads come standard. I did pull a groin and hand was sore, shoulder ached for a day but I walked away and I have this suit to thank for my safety. Well worth the money for the protection it provides.

Overall I have to say this was a great purchase and I would do it again, I am very happy with it, I like that I can take off the jacket at stops and just wear the pants, I like not having to put on rain gear, I will find out if a new helmet stops the leaking issue, and I like the fact that I have on proper gear for the way that I ride.

[timmythecop]

thanks for the info. I almost bought a set of transit gear, but backed out at the last minute. (sizing apprehension). I'm glad their claims are upheld! I have come to agree that a 2 piece is very handy when it is hot. (I would have given anybody 1000 bucks for a 2 piece on the way back from TMAC).

[Monk]

HS, thx for the write up..... I've found that wearing two neck "BUFF's"® will take care of water leaks which is going to happen with most jackets and helmets(unless the jackets neck seals tight, but there's usually that gap-hole between the top of the zipper and where the neck band snaps/or velcro's).

[Mac]

Wow,

Great review! I have not crash tested mine. I'm glad to know that everything held together and worked for you.

I have experienced no leaks at all. The neck area is leak may be a fitment, helmet (try Shoe X-11) or windscreen issue.

Timmy, I had/have the deal for you.

For sale: Transit Suit, good as new in 46/40. I lost weight, and bought another to fit my new shape, as they say " Let my loss, be your gain."

Mac

[HispanicSlammer]

Tim,

I got the wrong size pants at first and so I filled out the sheet they included to exchange them and it was zero hassle, it was a week and I had the right size pants! So sizing is not somthing you should worry about getting right, its just a small wait and they give you absolutly no grief about it, they really want you to be satisfied with thier suits. Aerostich is top notch gear.

[Jetpilot5]

Thanks for the great review. I've been looking at the suit too. I prefer my current two piece Dainese leathers to textile but with all the T-storms we've had this season I'm getting tired of the rain suit dance several times a day. Nice to hear that it doesn't cook you on a hot day either.

[BonusVFR]

Thanks for the review HS. The search for the 'perfect gear" is a task for sure. Do you have room for a heated vest etc for winter riding?

[u20overboy]

Good review HS

I too think its the right gear for the rider who likes to go fast and go far. I hope they sell many so when I can afford one they are still being made.

I have a vfr in my garage just like the one your standing by :fing02:

[Guest]

Heat, after spending the last 2 days riding in 97 plus degree heat in full leather I am proud to announce that the pigmented leather is indeed cooler than other leathers I have worn, ...

Thanks for the writeup. I've been wondering about the heat. What was the humidity like where you ride? If you're Colorado Springs, I'm thinking your humidity is going to be quite different from me in Houston, and I'm trying to figure out how the suit would perform for me. Lately at 7am, the temps are about 80 and the humidity is around 90%.

[vfrcapn]

Thanks for the write up, looks like a good product that could replace my one piece leather suit I haven't fit in for about 4 years. :smile:

Have you done a review on the Nolan flip up? I'm really considering a flip lid to replace my 6 year old Shoei and would appreciate comments on the Nolan.

[Elkwood]

Thanks for the review. I been thinking about buying this suit. Was wondering about how it would do in extreme heat.

[Baileyrock]

All dressed up an no bike to ride

POSER!

Nice write-up, the suite looked good at Tmac!

BR

[HispanicSlammer]

16,000 miles its holding up well, it gets a bit sweaty where the back protector is, easy to clean. A good downpour does that for you I found out in Missouri! The areas where I took a digger in the dirt when that guy ran me off in the road in Tennesse they got scuffed up and look liter then the rest of the suit. The die has faded a smidge in the sun but not too much its still fairly cool not too hot, it gets cold in just a tee shirt around 50 degress and bearable down to 45f then you need a layer undernieth. The heated vest I have fits nice under the jacket and its warm even without electric on. To keep warm I use my cycling pants and cycling shorts in warmer weather they are both padded for bicycling and are great for all day riding. I know this may sound rude but if you have to take a squat you need to unzip the legs too otherwise its impossible to do. Riding in the pants all day is comfy no issues at all with the pants.

I spent two days just soaked in Missouri and in Kansas on the way back from tmac and it performed well, a little leakage but man it was really comming down hard so I was ok with it. drizzle is nothing but I was able to keep going in Kansas when cars were pulling under the overpass cause they could not see! Suit handled it great.