Mountain Mike
I frequent the IBA Motel
I always felt uneasy about riding in slacks to work and once I decided to research the best riding suit for my safety and well being the results were very clear. I should be wearing a Aerostich Roadcrafter.
Here are my tips for getting the best deal, and these tips apply to most any gear you buy online.
P.S. I am told there is a 10% discount for buying in store, and the possibility of used suits at the store as well. For some, the price difference, and an excuse for a roadtrip, make it very appealing to buy new. Check the Aerostich site for factory seconds as well.
P.P.S. I Discovered the manufacturing date and size written in pen on the inside of the left breast pocket. Otherwise Aerostich will tell you the suits birth date if you know the original owners name and address I was told over the phone.
Here are my tips for getting the best deal, and these tips apply to most any gear you buy online.
- Know your suit - Use the Aerostich site to figure out your perfect size and preferred colors. Think about what you must have and what you are willing to settle for. Read reviews and understand owners complaints (crotch leak, fading).
- Google - This is the best advice I can give! You can Google Craigslist, Ebay, or every MC fansite on the web for used suits. Google re-indexes Craigslist pretty pretty often, I found my suit in 2 weeks by Googling my size without the length "roadcrafter 42", most people do not know the length or leave it blank, so "42R" had abysmal results.
- Expired Craigslist Postings- If the link points to an expired post, no worries, the seller most likely re-listed it. Click on the last category link on the top of the page and use the search.
- Confirm - A lot of sellers do not know what they have and I have helped many sellers identify their suit and fix their ad's. "Black" is not an acceptable answer, you need to ask what is the main color of the suit, and what color are the shoulders. The person who sold me my suit described it as Red and black with bits of silver on the front and back. (They were listing the interior color). Also confirm it has all 6 pads (shoulder, elbow, knee) and check for optional back, and hip. Some suits I found are a original roadcrafter without pads (comfortable abrasion resistance, but no impact protection, and in need of a good wash&waterproofing).
- Repairs - Ask if it was used in a fall! Are there any wear holes? These might not be deal breakers if they are on the ballistics and not through the goretex. Aerostich does repairs, but shipping and repairs combined might make the suit not worth it.
- Size - Most posts list the size number and the riders height and weight. This is handy, but the length is too. I have herd of some regulars (R) where the length is sewn into the tag, and some where it is not. If you used the sizing tool properly you shouldn't need to know the original owners weight.
- Friendly - People on Craigslist are weary of people asking them to mail a purchase and most won't do it. Smilies and friendly chitchat about cycling puts them at ease you probably are not a scammer. You can also consider befriending a forum member in that area if they will assist in the purchase.
- Haggle tips - Not the colors you wanted but you would wear it, ask for less, I did! I don't want a flashy color, so I was less willing to buy and offered less. (I ended up buying a red one to wear until I find a used one that is in my colors. Another suit I bid on was my preferred colors, so I offered more. Offering to pay in full, rather than half now-half later might get you a better bargain. Keep in mind what the shipping might come to, a road trip could be worth it. Don't need it that bad, bid lower. Is it the perfect suit, then you need to make a strong offer because you are at a disadvantage by asking them to ship it.
P.S. I am told there is a 10% discount for buying in store, and the possibility of used suits at the store as well. For some, the price difference, and an excuse for a roadtrip, make it very appealing to buy new. Check the Aerostich site for factory seconds as well.
P.P.S. I Discovered the manufacturing date and size written in pen on the inside of the left breast pocket. Otherwise Aerostich will tell you the suits birth date if you know the original owners name and address I was told over the phone.
