One Piece Suits - New kid on the block for ~$250

[allwedrrider]

yeessh so much negativity against fedex. i am going to look into setting us ups or atleast offering it as a choice.

[Sport-Touring]

[DJStevieB]

Ghazi, the US Post Office has that new shipping program that I believe would really work well for you.

Also, I am really interested in your suits, however I don't want nor care for the over-sizing that allows street clothes. If you ever come up with a line that fits more or less like a racing suit, I'd be first in line. I really like the Diego/ Alcatraz style in white.

By the way, your participation here is very much appreciated.

[swimmer]

yeessh so much negativity against fedex. i am going to look into setting us ups or atleast offering it as a choice.

FedEX always leave the stuff for me without having to sign for it.  No problems.

[chornbe]

That stuff is all 100% shipper-selected preferences. FedEx is fine... the shipper just has to make choices.

[allwedrrider]

btw: available soon for ALL leather products: water proof leather & TFL COOL System leather

[Bravo12]

Update:  After a long weekend on the road, my only complaint with the Lombard suit was the collar.  For some reason, it rolled in on me.  The collar is lined with a nice soft suede-like fabric, but the outer protective nylon part kinda rolled over the top and was chafing my neck all weekend.  It made me not want to turn my head as much as maybe I should have, and I got a little redness on my neck where the collar rubbed.  I even tried a high-collared breathable thermal shirt under it, and that just made the collar tighter and rub just as much.

Also, the three snaps are oddly-placed - I have a 16" neck and I can barely snap it on the first snap.  I don't know who the second and third snaps were made for, as it looks like the third snap gives about a 12" neck opening.

I'm just gonna have my local tailor modify it a little: an extra snap fitting so I can snap the collar about an inch looser.  If that doesn't stop the rolling/chafing, I'll have him sew a section of suede over the top edge of the collar as well.  I think if the collar was just a little loose, the chafing wouldn't have been as bad.

Other than that, the suit was great for a weekend of riding.  It did get damp after an hour of setting up camp in a torrential downpour, but in all fairness I forgot to close the rear vents and I was hunched over my camping gear most of the time.  I also didn't have the thermal/rain liner in.  Even so, it dried quickly the next day while riding with the vents open.  The reinforced butt area came in handy when I dumped my bike into a dirt embankment and ended up landing on my tush.  (Just minor scratches on the VFR, and a bruised ego for me.)

Methinks I'll pick up a 2-piece suit by next spring, though.  The one-piece is great for being on the road all day, like a Road Warrior or Iron Butt contender, but I would have liked to be able to just pull a jacket off when I stopped for lunch.  With the one-piece, I either left the suit on while I ate, or I'd have to take the suit completely off and drape it over another chair.  A two-piece would let me mix and match the pants with my other jackets, too, depending on the season and the weather ('cause I really like my JR Honda jacket).

[chornbe]

Ghazi...

Is the rain-proof feature of the suit built into the shell or is it dependent on the zip-out inner layer?

[Bravo12]

Chris, I can't vouch for the shell yet, as I mistakenly had the rear vents open in the rain.  But, I can say that if I had the liner in, I'm sure I would never have noticed that the suit was even damp.  Oh, but I can vouch for the waterproof Frank Thomas boots!  

[chornbe]

Yeah, i'm hoping that you don't have to RELY on the inner liner. That mitigates the suit's usefulness IMO if you do.

[allwedrrider]

There is a waterproof liner built into the suit (not removable).
There removable liner is the thermal (quilted) liner.

[allwedrrider]

comments about the collar are noted .

[chornbe]

There is a waterproof liner built into the suit (not removable).
There removable liner is the thermal (quilted) liner.

Awesome! Thanks.  

[Nny]

I've been waiting until I had a bit of riding done with the suit before I do a review.

Here's the main points so far:

Good:
The armor feels very protective
It's very warm even without the liner (rode in 50F weather doing 80mph down the freeway for 30 min and wasn't cold)
good number of pockets (one sleeve pocket on the right arm, two waist pockets, two chest pockets)
Bunch of vents to keep cool when it gets warmer

Bad:
The mesh lining sticks to velcro
The neck snap is too small for my neck (The largest setting is rather tight, most of the time I keep it unbuttoned)
The top shoulder vents leak in the rain when closed
At a standstill in weather above 70F it gets really hot really fast

Other:
I had a wet tummy/ crotch as well during the ride to work in the rain today, but I think that was from leaning forward and having the zipper flap get pushed open.  I will need to test a bit more before I can say if that was user error or the suit.  Might be helpful though to have velcro all along that section rather than separate strips though.

The mesh lining doesn't seem to do a whole lot other than stick to velcro on the legs and any velcro on boots.  Seems like a smooth nylon lining would be more comfortable.

[allwedrrider]

I've been waiting until I had a bit of riding done with the suit before I do a review.

Here's the main points so far:

Good:
The armor feels very protective
It's very warm even without the liner (rode in 50F weather doing 80mph down the freeway for 30 min and wasn't cold)
good number of pockets (one sleeve pocket on the right arm, two waist pockets, two chest pockets)
Bunch of vents to keep cool when it gets warmer

Bad:
The mesh lining sticks to velcro
The neck snap is too small for my neck (The largest setting is rather tight, most of the time I keep it unbuttoned)
The top shoulder vents leak in the rain when closed
At a standstill in weather above 70F it gets really hot really fast

Other:
I had a wet tummy/ crotch as well during the ride to work in the rain today, but I think that was from leaning forward and having the zipper flap get pushed open.  I will need to test a bit more before I can say if that was user error or the suit.  Might be helpful though to have velcro all along that section rather than separate strips though.

The mesh lining doesn't seem to do a whole lot other than stick to velcro on the legs and any velcro on boots.  Seems like a smooth nylon lining would be more comfortable.

thanks for the feedback. here are some comments:

mesh lining: some other form of smooth nylon would get really stick when you sweat. We will look into forms of lining though. No lining would cause chaffing.

comments about the collar/neck-snap are noted.

[Bravo12]

Ghazi, the simple solution to the collar snaps is to just move them all over (looser) about an inch, IMO.

[VAbikeguy]

I've been waiting until I had a bit of riding done with the suit before I do a review.

Here's the main points so far:

Good:
The armor feels very protective
It's very warm even without the liner (rode in 50F weather doing 80mph down the freeway for 30 min and wasn't cold)
good number of pockets (one sleeve pocket on the right arm, two waist pockets, two chest pockets)
Bunch of vents to keep cool when it gets warmer

Bad:
The mesh lining sticks to velcro
The neck snap is too small for my neck (The largest setting is rather tight, most of the time I keep it unbuttoned)
The top shoulder vents leak in the rain when closed
At a standstill in weather above 70F it gets really hot really fast

Other:
I had a wet tummy/ crotch as well during the ride to work in the rain today, but I think that was from leaning forward and having the zipper flap get pushed open.  I will need to test a bit more before I can say if that was user error or the suit.  Might be helpful though to have velcro all along that section rather than separate strips though.

The mesh lining doesn't seem to do a whole lot other than stick to velcro on the legs and any velcro on boots.  Seems like a smooth nylon lining would be more comfortable.

I commuted through the rain the past couple of days and experienced the same leakage at the shoulder vents on the front.  I also had leakage at my inner elbows where the arm vents are.  I did not experience any leakage in the crotch area.  Everything else was bone dry.

[Nny]

I didn't end up getting another day of rain to test it in, but I do think the tummy leak was probably due to not pushing the flap all the way closed.

I'm not sure what it is made out of, but I have a pair of Tour Master Overpants that have a smooth fabric on the inside that doesn't get uncomfortable when warm.  Perhaps just put the smooth lining from the knee down to stop boots from sticking?

I'm not real crazy about the leg adjusters.  I think I would prefer a length of velcro at the bottom of the leg like the wrists.  Although, speaking of the wrists, I have a slight problem, in that if I line up the velcro exactly it is very difficult to unattach it again with gloves on.  I think if the flap didn't have velcro on the last centimeter or so, it'd make it easier to pull off.

[Nny]

You know how everyone was talking about pushing a dummy out of a van to crash test the suit?

 Well, today I became the dummy.  

Ironically, I tested the suit not far from it's namesake, Lombard.

I was riding down Geary on my way to the coast to ride down 1, when the SUV I was following stopped for a pedestrian at a crosswalk.  I went to stop as well, but for some reason my brakes didn't work and I ended up punching the back of the SUV with my left hand.  Then I flipped and landed on my back next to the crosswalk.  

I haven't seen the bike yet, but I broke my middle finger on my left hand   and there is a small hole through the outer layer of the left shoulder of the suit.  I'll get pictures up maybe tomorrow..  

[stefrrr]

 

Are you ok?

[Kramer]

I just sent in inquiy to the web site re: sizing.  They said go up to an XL.  But then it'd be too long and I'm sure too big in the waist.  I already have a set of Togg's that is too large.

I'm a Large from the waist down and an XL waist up.  What would it take to custom order?