I'm about to buy some boots and textile trousers. Two questions – is Alpinestars and Dainese kit worth the price, and is the stuff from Frank Thomas and Oxford any good given it's half the price of the former two?

Old grump, I have loads of M/C kit for sale on ebay right now. email in profile

i'd avoid alpinestars textile trousers, they feel a bit naff for the price they charge.

Frank Thomas are good if you don't mind looking 'not that cool'. Have a look at Wolf, their stuff is nice.

I can't comment on the others but IME Frank Thomas kit is about as waterproof as a particularly leaky sieve.

If you want proper waterproof you need Rukka kit, but if you are baulking at the price of Alpinestars and Dainese the cost of Rukka stuff will make your eyes water.

I love my current Alpinestars boots (got 2 different pairs) but found my first pair which were fairly low end weren't that great.

Frank Thomas is reasonable stuff, but I've found the quality to be variable. My 6 year old winter gloves were going strong until the other day when I melted one on my exhaust DOH! The textile jackets I've had haven't fitted particularly well, and have had poppers fall off etc.

Dainese have a budget range which is well worth looking at, Lione, same quality as their higher end stuff, but not as flashy.

Cheers, Rich

For boots, just buy Daytona, best boots by far for normal riding.

For waterproofs I've only ever bought FT to wear over leathers.

Gloves-wise, try Hein Gericke – I got some waterproof Alpinestars ones from there – not cheap though.

Some stuff is definately worth it. I've got some Daytona Roadstar GTX boots that I paid £220 for a few years ago. They are simply the only bike boots I've ever had that are actually waterproof in ANY weather. And I mean TORRENTIAL rain. And off the bike, they are as comfy as a pair of trainers to walk round in, which is very important I think, unless you are a weekned Power Ranger.
They're built like a tank from real leather, with a sole that lasts, and very breathable. I did have a 30mph crash in them and they were hardly even scuffed. The new version is nearer £300. I'd buy them again without hesitation.

Given the choice, I'd spend the money on an expensive jacket like a Rukka or Alpinstars, yes, but my Frank Thomas is pretty darned good, as was the Belstaff I had before it. 🙂

i wouldnt pay the high prices, like most sports stuff really

18 months ago i bought a set of 'buffalo' trousers and jacket and commuted in all weathers, they still look like new.

think the trousers were £60 and jacket £90, double zips and double stitching. mind you anything worse than a light shower and you soon get soaked! but thats why you can buy and all in one rain suit i guess!

i think more top end stuff is more breathable etc

i got a pair of boots aswell for £100 cant remember the brand but they were middle of the road, worn a bit but still loads left in them

i noticed some dirt cheap stuff in aldi's last night, had a look and it wouldnt last 5 minutes.

just my 5p worth

Hein Gericke stuff here, Gortex jacket & boots(second pair).
Realy waterproofand warm gear and well thought out. Triumph leather trousers and gloves which are pretty waterproof too.

Bit of a mixed bag then…. Cheers all, will have a look at some more kit – Lione sounds interesting.

toys19 – ygm

Another vote for Rukka and Daytona's. At the risk of offending the 'don't buy abroad' brigade, Rukka could be had mail order from Germany for a lot less than UK prices when I bought mine a couple of years ago. I did buy the Daytona's in the UK tho. BTW, don't bother with Rukka gloves, they're not real Rukka and are not very good (unlike their other stuff).

I've got some size 9 Hein Gericke Gore-tex leather boots that I'm keen to sell. They've had one summers use (mainly weekends) and never had an off on them. Sold my bike a couple of years ago and still to sell on the kit!

Stu.

u02sgb – I'm a size nine 🙂 Any chance of some pics to addy in profile, please?

Cracking! I'll get onto that tonight. They're at the back of a cupboard but are in pretty good nick. I'll mail you tonight or tomorrow.

Stu.

I don't ride moterbikes anymore but I've got some rukka stuff and daytona boots left over from my instructing days. Very good kit indeed.

I've got alpinestars goretex jacket/trousers and they keep me dry.
2 of my mates have got Wolf and they don't keep them dry despite them claiming to be waterproof. They were slightly annoyed by the fact!

Daytona boots here too. Best bit of bike kit I've ever bought. Prior to this, I had 3x pairs of Sidi "waterproof" boots. What a waste of money, I wish I'd bought my Daytona's years ago (Trans Open GTX).

As for Textiles. I've had quite a few suits, gradually going up in budget each time. FT/Oxford were garbage. Wolf and RST Pro (ha!) weren't much better – I ended up getting full refunds on both suits.

My current gear is a Weise Dynastar 2 suit (bought based on Ride reviews and comfort). Absolutely brilliant. Doesn't look great, but keeps me perfectly dry. I ride all year in all weather (28k miles last year in all but heavy snow).

For boots it has to be Altberg – they will tweak sizes etc to suit and rebuild them when the time comes. So warm I had to stop wearing thick socks and they are as waterproof as you will get. See their website.

I have an heingerike textile jacket and it's poo. Dainese is really worth the price. It's one of those things (like camelback and sidi) you need to pic up the colour carefully (asking yourself will I like it in 8 years).