Those garments don't look like they could retain much moisture.
Ken
Ken
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Aerostich Roadcrafter comments/questions...
- Thread starter kjiliff
- Start date
<edit>
"Not sure what you mean. They are waterproof. Fully zipped up and closed, they aren't gonna let any moisture in OR out"
The garments in question were worn by several comely models engaged in super-model hi jinks: setting on a Ferrari, frolicking in the pool, etc. I don't see the video now, so I assume that it was removed, or I was having a most vivid daydream of Italy. Either way, I assure you they were neither zipped, closed or waterproof.
I hope their absence does not indicate that they were found offensive. As for me, I would quote William Wordsworth:
“These beauteous forms,
Through a long absence, have not been to me
is as a landscape to a blind man’s eye:
But oft, in lonely rooms, and ‘mid the din of towns and cities,
I have owed to them
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet………."
Ken (confused but with pleasant memories)
"Not sure what you mean. They are waterproof. Fully zipped up and closed, they aren't gonna let any moisture in OR out"
The garments in question were worn by several comely models engaged in super-model hi jinks: setting on a Ferrari, frolicking in the pool, etc. I don't see the video now, so I assume that it was removed, or I was having a most vivid daydream of Italy. Either way, I assure you they were neither zipped, closed or waterproof.
I hope their absence does not indicate that they were found offensive. As for me, I would quote William Wordsworth:
“These beauteous forms,
Through a long absence, have not been to me
is as a landscape to a blind man’s eye:
But oft, in lonely rooms, and ‘mid the din of towns and cities,
I have owed to them
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet………."
Ken (confused but with pleasant memories)
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Mattb
Guest
First commute to work this morning in my Stich - froze my arse off. 
- I was concerned about being too hot so I opened the vents and only wore my work clothes underneath.
50 degrees and I was uncomfortably cold! This is good news for me. It means I won't die of heat exhaustion when the weather warms up.
- I was concerned about being too hot so I opened the vents and only wore my work clothes underneath. 50 degrees and I was uncomfortably cold! This is good news for me. It means I won't die of heat exhaustion when the weather warms up.
I just wear my heated jacket under my 'Stitch when it's under 65. Don't always plug it in, don't always turn it on, but it's there. Sunday afternoon when I went for a ride it was in the mid-60s when I left the house. I wore the heated jacket, plugged it in, but didn't turn it on for a while. When it got down into the upper 50s, just a touch of heat felt really good.
BTW, very nice looking suit.
BTW, very nice looking suit.
Warren
2
The efficiency of a evaporative cooling system also depends a lot on how much moisture is in the air. Here in Louisiana where we typically have high humidities in the summer, evaporative cooling will not work nearly as well as it would say in Arizona or Nevada that have extremely low humidities.
In Phoenix, Arizona my in-laws had evaporative cooling a/c for the house. That would never work as well here in Louisiana.
In Phoenix, Arizona my in-laws had evaporative cooling a/c for the house. That would never work as well here in Louisiana.
Warren
2
I have been tempted to buy a Stitch light but since I wear dress clothes to work and ride in the winter I find the idea of having to put on layers over them and then put the stitch on to be more than I would want to deal with. My current riding jacket and overpants have zip out liners so I do not have to wear any extra clothing over my dress clothes to keep warm. I may still buy a Stitch for touring and weekend riding however. I have also looked at some of the other brands of riding suits but most of them have a fair number of negitive user comments but they do cost about 1/2 of what a Stitch does.
When you say "stitch" are you referring to a Roadcrafter 1-piece or 2-piece? I'll be selling one of mine, both 1-piece, both size 40S (short). You can PM me if you're interested.
LL75
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In the places where evaporative cooling can help you much, I'd be greatly surprised if the soaked vest will give you 5-10 hours of cooling. In east Texas, or along the Gulf Coast, where summer humidity runs 90+%, I'll bet it stay wet all day...it just won't evaporate much moisture, so it won't provide much cooling.
One thing I've seen is people getting a small bag of ice and loading the pockets on their 'Stitch with ice. Only problem with that is that pocket distribution on the 'Stitch favors having a cold right side. You can probably get an 8# bag of ice in the big pocket on the right chest and the right leg.
Note to all readers: The following is not meant to flame Aerostich, rather it's an account of my recent purchase of one of their Darien Lite outfits, the subsequent issues I encountered and the ultimate resolution of what turned out to be an unsatifactory experience. Everything I've written is as exact as I can recall. Your own experience may differ but keep your eyes open.
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Mar 8, 2012
My Darien Lites arrived yesterday, jacket was fine, pants too long. I called them, said I thought it was odd that they weren't offering the pants in a short version same as they do with the Roadcrafters. I'd orered the regular length pants as it was my only choice but perhaps I'd overlooked something in the ordering process?
The guy in customer support (not Andy) said "Sorry, we only have them in regular and long but we can make you a set in short size, send 'em in and we'll do it right away."
OK I thought, here's the hook: "Are you going to charge for anything other than shipping?"
"Yes, but only $50 and we'll get to them right away." :smile:
"Hey, it's not my fault you don't offer a common size and I don't think I want to pop for another $50 plus 2-way shipping. That would up the ante close to another 100 bucks on top of the $752 you already charged me."
"Sorry" he says, "that's our policy." :smile:
"Really?" sez I, "Then you're sending a message to all the short riders out there who want to buy Darien Lite outfits it's going to cost them at least $50 more than the regular size?"
"Sorry, that's our policy" the freakin customer service associate parrot sez again.
"I'll have to think about it and get back to you." I say and we ring off. :mad1: I can feel my blood pressure rising...
I go try the outfit on again just to make sure they won't work and guess what, they still won't work, the dang pants are too long and the extra length is between the crotch and top of the knee armor. About the time I'm thinking I should get dressed in my real clothes the telly rings and it's a gal customer support person.
"Hello, this is Ms xxx at Aerostich and you left a message regarding your new Darien Lite pants? I'm sorry to tell you we only offer them in regular and long. Oh he did? When was that? Oh, we must both be responding to the same issue. Well anyway we can fix them for you if you'll send them back in. No, he was wrong, it's $60, not $50, I don't know where he got that number." (You filled in the blanks, right?)
"OK" sez I, "I've had time to reconsider this deal and frankly I'm not too enamored with the notion I have to pay an extra 100 bucks just to achieve a size you offer in the regular 'Stitch...like the two I have in my closet. Along with a whole set of other items I've purchased from your firm. But I digress, if you folks are determined to squeeze another $60 out of me for what seems like a normal rack size then I'm down the road. I'll be looking at what other's have to offer and hopefully they'll be able to accomodate my size without adding punitve charges. Sorry, didn't mean to shoot the messenger, tell Andy I'm glad his business is doing so well."
"Oh that's OK, just send them back, be sure to insure them and we'll be issuing a refund as soon as the items are returned." click :smile:
And that boys and girls is how my morning went. Aerostich is a company I've supported for more years than I care to admit but even as loyal as I am I think it's time to put my money into another firm. I'd have been more than willing to pay the 2-way freight if they'd met me half way and furnished a pair of pants in the short size, same as everyone else. But sadly that's not to be the case, at least this time, so I packed up the gear and turned it over to the USPS at lunch time.
Have a nice day Andy, I can recall a time when satisfying your customers was your #1 priority. Sigh...I may sell both of my Roadcrafters....:tongue:
LL75 :mad1:
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Mar 8, 2012
My Darien Lites arrived yesterday, jacket was fine, pants too long. I called them, said I thought it was odd that they weren't offering the pants in a short version same as they do with the Roadcrafters. I'd orered the regular length pants as it was my only choice but perhaps I'd overlooked something in the ordering process?
The guy in customer support (not Andy) said "Sorry, we only have them in regular and long but we can make you a set in short size, send 'em in and we'll do it right away."
OK I thought, here's the hook: "Are you going to charge for anything other than shipping?"
"Yes, but only $50 and we'll get to them right away." :smile:
"Hey, it's not my fault you don't offer a common size and I don't think I want to pop for another $50 plus 2-way shipping. That would up the ante close to another 100 bucks on top of the $752 you already charged me."
"Sorry" he says, "that's our policy." :smile:
"Really?" sez I, "Then you're sending a message to all the short riders out there who want to buy Darien Lite outfits it's going to cost them at least $50 more than the regular size?"
"Sorry, that's our policy" the freakin customer service associate parrot sez again.
"I'll have to think about it and get back to you." I say and we ring off. :mad1: I can feel my blood pressure rising...
I go try the outfit on again just to make sure they won't work and guess what, they still won't work, the dang pants are too long and the extra length is between the crotch and top of the knee armor. About the time I'm thinking I should get dressed in my real clothes the telly rings and it's a gal customer support person.
"Hello, this is Ms xxx at Aerostich and you left a message regarding your new Darien Lite pants? I'm sorry to tell you we only offer them in regular and long. Oh he did? When was that? Oh, we must both be responding to the same issue. Well anyway we can fix them for you if you'll send them back in. No, he was wrong, it's $60, not $50, I don't know where he got that number." (You filled in the blanks, right?)
"OK" sez I, "I've had time to reconsider this deal and frankly I'm not too enamored with the notion I have to pay an extra 100 bucks just to achieve a size you offer in the regular 'Stitch...like the two I have in my closet. Along with a whole set of other items I've purchased from your firm. But I digress, if you folks are determined to squeeze another $60 out of me for what seems like a normal rack size then I'm down the road. I'll be looking at what other's have to offer and hopefully they'll be able to accomodate my size without adding punitve charges. Sorry, didn't mean to shoot the messenger, tell Andy I'm glad his business is doing so well."
"Oh that's OK, just send them back, be sure to insure them and we'll be issuing a refund as soon as the items are returned." click :smile:
And that boys and girls is how my morning went. Aerostich is a company I've supported for more years than I care to admit but even as loyal as I am I think it's time to put my money into another firm. I'd have been more than willing to pay the 2-way freight if they'd met me half way and furnished a pair of pants in the short size, same as everyone else. But sadly that's not to be the case, at least this time, so I packed up the gear and turned it over to the USPS at lunch time.
Have a nice day Andy, I can recall a time when satisfying your customers was your #1 priority. Sigh...I may sell both of my Roadcrafters....:tongue:
LL75 :mad1:
Even with my short legs and my weight, I've been able to fit in a 'Stitch. But it was sure nice dealing with RoadGear who offered different waist/leg length combinations without having to pay to have things cut off here and there so they would fit.
Aerostitch seems to think that everyone ought to be roughly the same size.
Your experience sounds believeable to me. I'm glad I just happen to fit.
Aerostitch seems to think that everyone ought to be roughly the same size.
Your experience sounds believeable to me. I'm glad I just happen to fit.
rcase13
Guest
Do they make anything for kids?
I love my 'Stitch, but I agree with you, LL.
Mattb
Guest
I haven't read all of the walls o' text thoroughly, but I never had a problem with Aerostich's "pay to resize" policy. It feels punitive because it is. It's a responsible deterrent that is in place not only to protect their profit margins, but also to mitigate the potential for customers to order "willy nilly" without CAREFUL consideration of sizing.
I went through the online sizing tool twice in 6 months and then had a somewhat lengthy consultation over the phone with one of the reps. He even consulted with several other sizing specialists during my phone call. It came down to a risk I was willing to take; Order the 44R and risk having to send it back to have the legs shortened or order the 44S and run the risk of the torso being too short.
The representative offered to send me a 44S to "fit test" and send back while they constructed the suit in the color scheme I wanted. I opted to have them make the suit I wanted, in a 44S, and risk having to send it back for a 44L.
Thankfully, the 44S fits just fine.
I went through the online sizing tool twice in 6 months and then had a somewhat lengthy consultation over the phone with one of the reps. He even consulted with several other sizing specialists during my phone call. It came down to a risk I was willing to take; Order the 44R and risk having to send it back to have the legs shortened or order the 44S and run the risk of the torso being too short.
The representative offered to send me a 44S to "fit test" and send back while they constructed the suit in the color scheme I wanted. I opted to have them make the suit I wanted, in a 44S, and risk having to send it back for a 44L.
Thankfully, the 44S fits just fine.
That is the conclusion I came to after trying to have them make a Roadcrafter to fit my unique body (Tall from head to waist, Short from waist to foot, long arms, big thighs.) Thus I've ordered from a company willing to cut the suit to my exact measurements. I will report back when I get my suit whether my choice was a good one.
Rick's argument, "If this forum is going to maintain credibility with BOTH the membership and vendors, we need to TRY to express BOTH sides of a dissatisfied customer's experience with a company" is one way to look at it. But perhaps we owe it to vendors to express our exact experience with them, even if it was negative. My opinion is that RidersWearhouse has a reputation and cachet with "serious" riders much like BMW's; and this allows them to charge a premium price and ignore customer's complaints--for example, how many of the glowing reviews for the Roadcrafter (and for how long) complain of the leaking lap?
I fail to see what's wrong with larrylarry75's injunction to "keep your eyes open." Capitalism is based on maximizing profit, and customer service is tertiary at best. That doesn't make businesses bad, but it gives a customer no reason to trust them either. Or, to quote Reagan, "Trust but verify." What's sneaky about that?
Finally, there is nothing wrong with a business telling a customer they don't offer the product desired, but they might be considerate enough to be polite when telling you so. My experience was, like Mattb's, the offer to sell me a product that "might" fit, even though it was obvious that it would cost $1200 and fit badly. I would have been much happier with a sorry, we can't fit you; have a nice day.
Ken
On 
We, the forum, are not here to support, or bash, any vendor; our forum is to share the information we have about the NT and associated products. I encourage everyone to truthfully state their opinion of any vendor / manufacturer's product and / or their customer service. If other members have a different experience, or opinion, they are welcome to chime in and give their experience. That does not make the dissenting opinion right or wrong, only a different customer experience! Vendors are welcome to join, contact Mellow first, and give their response to any positive or negative comments. Some of our experiences will be positive and some will not, but all the experiences we post combined should give us a good, overall picture of a vendor or product.
Off
We, the forum, are not here to support, or bash, any vendor; our forum is to share the information we have about the NT and associated products. I encourage everyone to truthfully state their opinion of any vendor / manufacturer's product and / or their customer service. If other members have a different experience, or opinion, they are welcome to chime in and give their experience. That does not make the dissenting opinion right or wrong, only a different customer experience! Vendors are welcome to join, contact Mellow first, and give their response to any positive or negative comments. Some of our experiences will be positive and some will not, but all the experiences we post combined should give us a good, overall picture of a vendor or product.
Off
I've had two Roadcrafters. I've more or less loved them both. I agree with larrylarry75 about keeping your eyes open and his disgruntlement about available sizes. But I must say that I've never had a wet lap/crotch in 200,000+ miles in a 'Stitch. Maybe that's because both model bikes I've ridden (C-10 Concours and NT700V) have had fairly high gas tanks and I've always had a tankbag on them. But I don't understand that complaint.
I was looking at a special catalog. When I look at the regular one, you're right. And, since you can get alterations on the Darien and Darienlight pants, I guess I'm doubly wrong.