Frank Thomas?

[RobinRed]

Hi,

CBT is booked and looking at buying some textile clothing

Im close to JS acessories so i will go there, what is their gear like? i cant really afford alpinestars so what is next best?

Thanks

[recman]

I just bought this, these and these from J&S for my CBT in the week. Got a discount and a couple of freebies chucked in as I bought a helmet as well.
They feel really comfortable and look well made but then I've not been on a bike with them yet.

[ApocalypseBik...]

Weise. From all the brands I've seen so far here in the UK, they have very good value and construction quality, tied in with a not-too-cheap and not-massively-expensive price range.

From what I'm aware, Frank Thomas is more of an old-school brand, decent all-around manufacturer (everything is made in the far East anyway), I didn't find their stuff of such high build quality.

Have you looked into Spada products? They'll be a bit cheaper than Weise, but in terms of performance and build quality, there shouldn't be any noticeable difference.

[Dilyan]

Personally not very happy with FT. The XTiII textiles I bought last year lost its stitches at a few places. Gloves and boots are still holding well. If you go leathers - quite happy with my RST Slice.
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Current: 2007 VFR800; Ex: 2001 YZF600R Thundercat
Škoda Octavia (yes, a taxi driver)

[Bred2shred]

The best thing you can do is just go along and try on as many as you can and choose the best fit for you.

I had a budget and tried on lots of jackets in and around this and found vast differences between them, even within the same brands.

I eventually went for THIS because it fitted me well, had some adjustment, was a good length and felt more subsantial than others i'd tried.

Hope this helps.
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I'm not as think as you drunk I am.

[RobinRed]

Okay, il look at JS when i go and see whats there,

Next is up helmets, iv found a great fitting £70 one i think its made my Marushin? is that a decent brand or is there no point on "branded" helmets?

[recman]

If it fits well and feels good, buy it.

[Bred2shred]

What he said
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I'm not as think as you drunk I am.

[Ribenapigeon]

I bouhgt an FT jacket, trousers and boots.They were a good price so given I was having to buy a complete set of clothes all at once price was the deciding factor. I'm intending to replace them with better kit peace by peace. So a better jacket mid summer, better trousers at the end of the year then some better boots next spring.

Aside from being a bit bulky the FT jacket and trousers are good. I find the side poclets on the trousers a bit uneccesary and the velcro is a bit of a pain on the jacket, there's just too much of it. Other than those gripes I'm perfectly comfortable and I'm happy with FT gear as a starter outfit.

My Helmet is a Nitro Apex full face (£79). Its as good as anything I looked at under £100. So good in fact I wonder what the advantage of Helmets that cost hundreds of pounds.

[hedgehugger]

The first helmet I tried on in a shop was Marushin. I quite liked them. They were lightweight too. They have good results mostly on the Sharp testing webby thingy.
https://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testhelmetlist?sharp-make=114&sharp-model=&sharp-type=All&sharp-rating=1&discontinued=1
I have a FT leather jacket and trousers. Ilike them but each to their own. My jacket is black and white and the colours are a bit faded now, but doesn't bother me.
Also have a Weise leather jacket and that seems to be well made, had it for 4 years and the only thing wrong with it is the inside pocket zip has knacked.
Buy what you like, what you can afford and buggar everyone else
You will always find someone that loves/hates brands whichever one you choose.

[CaNsA]

Is there a need for 2 identical threads?

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=245384

[Beelzebob]