Need new gear, leather trousers, cheaper brands?

[EazyDuz]

So Ive lost a couple stone so had to sell all my size 34 inch waist trousers and jeans. On the market for a new pair. It seems Ebay and Amazon sell a few with good reviews.

For reference my old pair were Australian Bikers Gear brand, which had included armour, double stitched, very comfy trousers which I would trust in an off. Felt heavy with thick leather.
The other day I purchased some Bull-It kevlar jeans which were way better than my previous pairs, all for £70 from sportsbikeshop.
So now I need some new leather trousers as they are my preferred material for touring.

Just wondering if anyone has experience with the likes of these examples:



https://www.amazon.co.uk/Texpeed-Black-Leather-Tou...



https://www.amazon.co.uk/Skintan-Armoured-Leather-...



https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mens-CE-Armoured-Motorc...



https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Leather-Motorbike-Motor...


They appear to get good reviews but may not get the same love as others just for not having a good brand name.
Googling 'Skintan' for example doesnt find many forum posts, except one where the rider was ignited in a rear end collision and subsequent fuel spill, the cheap leather jeans saved his legs. Not sure how they would hold up in a slide though, but if the leather is 1.1+mm thick and at least double stitched, arent they all much of a muchness?

[moanthebairns]

They're a bit too, 'I need your clothes, boots and your motorcycle' for me.

If your worried about protection stick with brands that have a race track heritage.

[black-k1]

If protection is, in any way, important then go for gear that is CE approved. While non CE approved gear may - OR MAY NOT - offer protection in the event of an off, they have not been tested and can not be shown to meet even basic, minimum standards.

Be aware that descriptions like "CE Armoured " mean that only the armour, not the actual trousers, are CE approved.

Also be aware that companies pay individuals to write positive reviews thus these can not be seen as a replacement for proper, repeatable scientific testing!

[EazyDuz]

black-k1 said:

If protection is, in any way, important then go for gear that is CE approved. While non CE approved gear may - OR MAY NOT - offer protection in the event of an off, they have not been tested and can not be shown to meet even basic, minimum standards.

Be aware that descriptions like "CE Armoured " mean that only the armour, not the actual trousers, are CE approved.

Also be aware that companies pay individuals to write positive reviews thus these can not be seen as a replacement for proper, repeatable scientific testing!

I've never seen a garment itself being sold as 'CE approved'. Only ever the armour that is.
Do you have some examples of CE approved leather trousers, other than the RST brand?

[Catnapper]

Seller: Elite Vintage on ebay sometimes has some very good second hand gear.

[Prof Prolapse]

Same as 90% of UK motorcyclists, on a budget I'd go with RST.

They're like £100 for a pair of leather jeans, which isn't bad for a reasonable brand.

[EazyDuz]

Prof Prolapse said:

Same as 90% of UK motorcyclists, on a budget I'd go with RST.

They're like £100 for a pair of leather jeans, which isn't bad for a reasonable brand.

Why though? Nowhere does it say CE approved leather:

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/...

Just CE approved armour which you can get from anywhere. No evidence they would hold up better or worse than the OP links in an off

[moanthebairns]

EazyDuz said:

Prof Prolapse said:

Same as 90% of UK motorcyclists, on a budget I'd go with RST.

They're like £100 for a pair of leather jeans, which isn't bad for a reasonable brand.

Why though? Nowhere does it say CE approved leather:

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/...

Just CE approved armour which you can get from anywhere. No evidence they would hold up better or worse than the OP links in an off

I think what he's trying to say is...RST are a predominant leather manufacture in the world of Motorsport that has a trusted history in British motorcycling whilst being very cheap but very safe.

The above links however, well, no s heard of this brand and these would most likely be found in the lidl/Aldi/insert your generic st German discount supermarket bargain bins. Now.... they may be as good. But having pulled boxer shorts from road rash as its fused itself to the newly forming scab during the night, I wouldn't take the risk. Unless you can rejuvenate your skin like an Estee Lauder model or some sort of fking boa constrictor.

[EazyDuz]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

The brand might well be well reviewed, but that doesnt mean every product they make is well reviewed. In fact that garment only has 5 reviews, none of which say its any good in an off.
Can you prove the reviews are fake/paid for or is that just a guess? I'm all for paying more for something proven to be of higher quality but if the only 'evidence' that it is is, 'the brand tho', that simply isn't good enough and is akin to buying, say, a used Mercedes on the assumption it will be reliable because 'brand tho'.

Here is an old PH thread on RST:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

MIXED reviews at best. Also someone clarifies that very few garments meet the CE standard, which is very telling. Unless proven otherwise, a scientific mind can only assume that they're all as good as eachother, with nothing but anecdotal evidence (consumer reviews) to go by.
Brand heritage means nothing, take Harley Davidson for example, or the Mercedes example applies just the same. What once used to be very well built cars are now expensive money pits.

Edited by EazyDuz on Tuesday 18th June 16:17

[moanthebairns]

EazyDuz said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

The brand might well be well reviewed, but that doesnt mean every product they make is well reviewed. In fact that garment only has 5 reviews, none of which say its any good in an off.
Can you prove the reviews are fake/paid for or is that just a guess? I'm all for paying more for something proven to be of higher quality but if the only 'evidence' that it is is, 'the brand tho', that simply isn't good enough and is akin to buying, say, a used Mercedes on the assumption it will be reliable because 'brand tho'.

This is sound advice when buying a tin of peas, phone or a toaster. It's worth taking the punt, you might get a bargain.

However when it comes to batteries, leathers and condoms.....I'd stick with a known reputable brand, because if they go wrong there going to make a hell of a mess.

[SAS Tom]

EazyDuz said:

Prof Prolapse said:

Same as 90% of UK motorcyclists, on a budget I'd go with RST.

They're like £100 for a pair of leather jeans, which isn't bad for a reasonable brand.

Why though? Nowhere does it say CE approved leather:

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/...

Just CE approved armour which you can get from anywhere. No evidence they would hold up better or worse than the OP links in an off

Well it’s up to you isn’t it. You can go with the brand no one has heard of or the brand that whilst cheap has a decent enough reputation and you can see their stuff perform at racetracks around the world.

I’m no fan of RST but it’s certainly better than some random stuff off eBay.

[jq74]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I thought BKS were supposed to be the nuts.. certainly I recall a number of years ago (early - mis 00's) this was a very exclusive brand with premium pricing to match. Not the sort of brand you could get in the warehouse type discounters...

[CaptainSlow]

Welcome back OP, glad to see your argumentative cheapskate ways are unchanged.

Before you ask, yes by all means sandpaper your new knee-sliders.

[Weso]

A little reading to clear up some of the misinformation on this thread
https://www.motolegends.com/ce-approved-motorcycle...
Wes

[EazyDuz]

Weso said:

A little reading to clear up some of the misinformation on this thread
https://www.motolegends.com/ce-approved-motorcycle...
Wes

What I got from that is:

1. Most manufacturers don't bother doing CE testing to begin with
2. New testing under A, AA and AAA grades will be even more difficult and expensive to test
3. Manufacturers outside the EU deem it simply not economically viable to put their products through testing
4. The CE/A testing is highly influenced by politics, rather than safety

To conclude, 'CE' ratings aren't worth a damn and are only awarded to brands with enough money to bother putting their products thru testing and likely bribing for the result. Hence why barely anyone offers a 'CE' rated garment, and 99% of the rest just throw in CE armour and call it a day

[SAS Tom]

What are you looking to get out of this thread? Are you just here to tell everyone else they’re wrong or did you want everyone to agree with you?

[EazyDuz]

CaptainSlow said:

Welcome back OP, glad to see your argumentative cheapskate ways are unchanged.

Before you ask, yes by all means sandpaper your new knee-sliders.

What are you my personal stalker?
Go outside you strange little man. What a throbber!

[EazyDuz]

SAS Tom said:

What are you looking to get out of this thread? Are you just here to tell everyone else they’re wrong or did you want everyone to agree with you?

What are you looking to get out of this reply? Sounds like you enjoy wasting your own time. Some have agreed some have not, which shows the whole brand = high quality thing isn't what it seems.
I'm sure any Apple users would disagree though

[SAS Tom]

EazyDuz said:

SAS Tom said:

What are you looking to get out of this thread? Are you just here to tell everyone else they’re wrong or did you want everyone to agree with you?

What are you looking to get out of this reply? Sounds like you enjoy wasting your own time. Some have agreed some have not, which shows the whole brand = high quality thing isn't what it seems.
I'm sure any Apple users would disagree though

At £100 you’re highly unlikely to get good quality. You’ll end up with a pair of trousers that realistically cost about £20 to make if that. You have unrealistic expectations with seemingly everything because you want to spend the lowest amount possible and get top quality.

[EazyDuz]

SAS Tom said:

At £100 you’re highly unlikely to get good quality. You’ll end up with a pair of trousers that realistically cost about £20 to make if that. You have unrealistic expectations with seemingly everything because you want to spend the lowest amount possible and get top quality.

What is your evidence to base that opinion on? Do you know what leather costs?
Smaller brands don't have the brand image to justify a huge price hike. If you don't think you're paying more for the brand you're naive. Look at Apple, using tech way behind what the similarly priced Android offerings from the likes of Huawei offer, but their brand allows them to get away with it.
Do you have any evidence what so ever to say these cheaper brands are inferior to even a mid level 'known' brand at all? Because your only argument thus far is, 'brand name = better quality'. Perhaps links to actual crash tests comparing them? Otherwise you're just going on blind faith.
It isn't at all about buying the cheapest possible, its requesting factual evidence to prove that you get better protection when paying for more premium brands, other than brand heritage which means absolutely nothing in terms of quality.