Riding Suit Fit

Ok I am not a squid however, I don't currently have any protection for my legs. I wear gloves, boots, helmet and a good textile jacket. I am interested in a good 1 or 2 piece suit so today at lunch I went to Cycle Gear to try on those Frank Thomas Strike 1pc suits they have on closeout. Seriously, I need a shoehorn to get in them and baby oil to get out of them. I tried on several sizes and felt most comfortable in a 48, but the sales guy took one look at me and said "dud that is way to biig" and that the suite should fit skin tight. So i tried a 44 suit on and after wrangling with it for about 10 min had it on and zipped up. He let me sit on my bike to see how it felt. The knees seemed constricting and of course standing up in the thing was damn near impossible! After peeling off the suit I came to find they no longer had the color I wanted anyway, so I ended up not getting a 1 pc. for the moment.

Now, perhaps I'm not looking for the right thing. What I want is a set of leathers that:

1. Provides good protection! I don't ride track, just street and the weekend twisties in the mountains around my home.
2. I can wear over my work cloths (jeans and t-shirt what can I say I got a skate job!).
3. Is well ventilated since I live in So. Cal and summer is upon me.

Should I be looking for a 1 piece or something else? If so how tight should it fit?

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AEROSTICH

My advice is buy a bit on the smaller side with leathers. More so if you plan on losing any weight. You want leather to fit you snug, it will stretch in time and be very comfy. I buy as tight as possible and allow it to stretch a bit. My 2cents. After trying some mesh, textile stuff...I would go with leather all the way or maybe the motoport stuff!

If you need to wear over other clothing don't buy a leather suit. However if you do get one, it does not need to fit skin tight but they will be somewhat uncomfortable in an erect position as they are designed for the riding position.

It sounds like a good set of ballistic textile is what you need or an aerostitch suit like previously mentioned.

jabandsnort, Jun 12 2006, 05:04 PM
AEROSTICH

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Lee 2002, Jun 12 2006, 06:38 PM +1.gif

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One piece for the track (skin tight), and a two piece for the street.

I bit the bullet and got a one piece. I ended up going one size larger than the one I tried at CycleGear. It's still skin tight but won't take as much "stretching in" to get it fitting absolutely perfectly. At the very least it'll be good for the weekend twistie riding. My Kilimanjaro jacket works for the daily commute and I'll pick up the matching pants for my daily commute. Thanks everyone for your input.