DUX

New (to me) leathers arrived today.

I was a little wary of buying used gear, especially from someone I don't know, but the seller really came through.

Alpinestars RC-1 suit, barely worn and SP-1 gloves...package deal for $450 shipped was too good to pass up.

Pic included, just to show the leathers. Helmet is on to keep my face out of it if Depo gets hold of the pic! If you want to see someone worth looking at in leathers, stop reading now and click here: Got my leathers back...

Couple of questions:

- Do you guys use anything to clean/disinfect the inside of the suit?

- What about conditioning the outside or making them water-resistant?

- What do you normally wear under them?

- Suit is snug but fits....completely giving up the sodas and beer a few weeks ago has had an astonishingly rapid effect. However, I still don't think that I can fit a back protector under it yet. The padding in the suit seems pretty good. I know that the protector increases the safety factor, but how concerned should I be about it for the first few track days?

- The pucks are ground flat. Probably a non-factor due to the fact that this is my first track day, but when should they be replaced? Are there wear indicators?

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CBR929RE

where are your boots?

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DUX

Knew I forgot something!!!!


Actually, I was waiting to see if the leathers fit before buying the boots. If they didn't, I was going to be SOL for a trackday in June.

I'm going up to kneedraggers this week to try different boots on. It's tougher to buy them without knowing how they fit.

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SheepOfBlue

Many suits have a foam back protector that can be removed easily, so be sure you are doing so if you are trying to fit a turtle shell under it.

Under armor heat gear makes getting in and out sooo much easier. I had the shirt which should be mandatory but recently added some pants and getting in and out is a breeze, no sticking to the liner. Be sure it is not cold gear though

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DUX

Thanks, I'll check it out.

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ONEvcs

To "disinfect" in inside of the leather, the best thing you can do is wear them and put your sweat in them.
Yeah, that ought to work.... right?

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DUX

LoL, yeah...right! At least they don't smell at all. He said he used them 5x and judging by their condition he's probably pretty close.

I've put flight boots in the freezer before to kill bacteria (put in a bag of course!) and it seemed to do the trick.

Wonder if the wife will notice all of the frozen stuff on the counter when I try to fit the suit in there!

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08silvercbr

Sweet.. I like the A-stars suits. Like sheep said under armor pants and shirt makes getting in and out way easier. The material you need to look for is something like 84% polyester/16% elastane and the style is "compression". You can buy pucks for something like 20 bucks but you might not need them right away. If you’re worried about fitting a back protector in there just get a slimmer one. Usually not a requirement in "N", but long term is a good idea.

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maxib

Hey Dux that looks great and you also got a great deal! Break it in like you would a new pair of shoes and you'll be good. Febreeze if it stinks!...both you and the gear.

Although tethering behind a C5 at 20k for 30 minutes should air it out really well.

Wearing underarmour (sp) or receka (spendy, but my favorites) will not only make you feel better but will make you feel better because of sweat wicking. An added bonus is when they wear out they make great polishing cloths for at least 24 spinners.

Thanks...

DUX

Thanks for the input guys, really appreciate it.

Fortunately the leathers still smell like, well...leather. One hot June day at the track with me in them will probably change that!

Good idea about tethering them Maxib. Not sure how my boss would feel if I had to file a dropped object report though. For some reason there's no box to check for "leather racing suit."

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If you think that loud pipes save lives, imagine what learning to really ride that thing could do.

DUX

I just got the 2009 Track Day Directory.

Tons of good info in there, including how to care for leathers.

Everything can be done yourself, but for $75 Barnacle Bills will wash and condition them for you. Might be worth it at the end of the season.

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If you think that loud pipes save lives, imagine what learning to really ride that thing could do.

Shenders1

Very nice. You just can't beat A-stars stuff, IMO. My suit is a different model, but same color scheme. Great deal

HondaGalToo

Nice! The only thing I'll add to the UnderArmour is to get long sleeved shirts and pants. Yup, even in the heat of the summer. Otherwise your elbows and knees will be stuck to the inside of the suit. Not only is that uncomfortable for track riding, it'll make getting out of them extremely difficult. Heat gear, compression style, FTW!!!!

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DUX

Copy on the Under-Armor.

There's an outlet about 20 mins from us. We'll be heading down there this week!

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slickwill

I'm with Shenders on this one since I have the same suit he does but in a two-piece version. All three of us would coordinate well.

I also use Underarmour style stuff under mine to ease the in and out but mine is the Wal-Mart version that costs about $8 per piece rather than $30-$40ish. I borrowed some Underarmour (shirt not shorts) before and I can't tell any difference in the performance.

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CBR929RE

I think all the shirts I have are walmart brand, pants I think I have some addidas and new balance. all seem to work very well with getting in/out of leathers.

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08silvercbr

Just to give you a heads up, we have an Under Armor outlet by us too and they don't carry men's compression pants. Probably not much of a demand for them I guess. I had to order mine off line after searching all the local spots. The shirts are everywhere though.

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CBR929RE

I forgot about stuff like that. around here I've noticed its much easier to find long sleeve shirts and long pants in the winter than in the summer. I don't know why because the compression stuff is more for warm weather even if its more actual clothing. Summer time it seems all any place ever has is short sleeves and shorts.

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"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough" - Mario Andretti

DUX

Thanks, we'll check it out ASAP just in case I need to order them.

__________________
If you think that loud pipes save lives, imagine what learning to really ride that thing could do.