Getting to the point where I'm going to shell out for some gear so looking around shops a lot. The Spada stuff seems to be well specced and reasonably priced. Am I missing something or is it just not a fashionable brand so value is better?

As it's your 1st set of bike gear it will do a reasonable job for the cost. Get it, then upgrade to other gear as the Spada stuff wears out, or you see shinier top brand gear in the sales.
Try for size in the shop before buying, and if possible sit on a bike to tyry it out – riding position comfort is completely different from standing in the shop.

So is the top brand stuff only shinier, or does it perform better – keep you drier/warmer/cooler/better protected? Or like cycle stuff does the more expensive gear also feel better from the off? Going to the London bike show in Feb, maybe better to buy stuff there??

I think it fits better, better armour, better stitching, better materials, better customer service and guaruntee(sp).
Spada gear is OK for the money. Most important thing is that it fits you properly, no point in getting something that is uncomfy and distracting when riding a motorbike.

Forgot to say, there were some cracking deals on Triumph bike gear at the NEC bike show, so hopefully they will be available for you to try at London bike show. Triumph gear is real good quality, Italian made leather very well put together – seen it in action sliding along the finest abrasive Welsh roads in July, with only slight scuffing – seams and leather fully intact. Bike show prices were 50-60% off RRP. My Missus bought 3 Triumph jackets after witnessing her mate crashing in them.

Blimey, 50-60% brings it down to Spada levels!!! And would go so well with a Tiger (if I should be so lucky)! Here's hoping…… Should have said I'm probably going for a textile jacket though.

Some Spada stuff is brilliant, their old Force 2 WP glove is the best winter glove I've ever come across, and it's just been replaced with a more waterproof one. Not so convinced by their suits though.

Some Triumph stuff is more fashion than protective, I have one of their jackets for the pub, a Madison, but even though it has armour pockets you'd have to be an idiot to use it for biking, it's cloth-thin and single stitched, it'd probably perform worse in a crash than your average cheapo highstreet leather jacket. Not to say that some isn't brilliant but you need to know what you're looking at.

Wolf have some nice stuff in the middle-price bracket, actually some very nice stuff. Considerably better than top-end Dainese or Alpinestars. Hein Gericke are always worth a look too, their cheaper stuff tends to be a little ropey but the higher level stuff is great.

You'll probably have heard this already but for most people textiles are a better option than leather. I've got a full leather race suit which I never wear except on track, but my rukka textile trousers get worn almost every ride I ever do. Leather is more protective but in winter, you're less likely to crash in textiles as you'll be warmer, dryer, more comfortable and so you'll ride better.

It's just like cycling kit, some expensive kit is no use, some cheap kit is great. There's someone on here that has a real boner for Dainese, for example, but the fact is their suits aren't very good. The cheaper ones are more protective than the top end ones, because the expensive ones intentionally sacrifice protectiveness for looks and feel. Thinner leather, fine stitching, less protected stitching too. The burst resistance is awful on some of their kit. It feels and looks amazing though.

Same with Alpinestars- the cheap Alpinestars stuff can be very good, since it's made with thick cowhide and heavy, course (strong) stitching. The expensive stuff, less good.

yeah and rukka makes rapha look like oxford! so expensive.

I have Racer textiles bought 2nd hand and the detail in the build is really good.i still find little things they have added to make things perform better a year after getting a hold of them.They go to town on finishing things off to make it the best they could do. I think they are french,not sure.

talking about leather, i bought bks made-to-measure, expensive but worth it. i'm vary wary of brands that put alot of money into racing, you're paying for the name not the quality. dainese leathers are as reliable as an eighties lancia!

This was some advice I was given from a bike riding paramedic who sees the leathers crash tested by humans:

Top Quality at affordable prices = Scott, Wulf, Swift and if they are still around in the UK Furygan. Clover and IXS.

OK = HG, Frank Thomas is getting better along with Carrera, Texport, Spyke, Arlen Ness.

Total rubbish = Alpinestars (they should be banned ) Dainese, MJK.

Good quality but expensive = BKS, Crowtree, RS Taichi, Nankai, Kushitani.

I bought a Wulf 2-piece and am very impressed with it and my Spyke 1-piece has been down the road twice and has survived. Fit is paramount, so try before you buy.

I hear mixed things about Frank Thomas. Worth pointing out that the BKS brand is part of Frank Thomas too and they do cheaper suits – but the old high-quality BKS made-to-measure company remains doing what they've always done.

Agree on fit being paramount – if you're on a budget then the George White outlets (Swindon, Slough, and now London) all have a lot of discount stock to look at and try on.

Some Frank Thomas is OK, some is pretty horrible. My full suit's a low-end frank thomas one, and the stock "armour" wasn't CE rated, it was basically just packing foam. But because of the dirt-cheap hide they use, it's pretty damn tough. Feels like cardboard though… Not nice to wear but I've tested it and it works.

That's one of the other things, some kit crashes well once but only once. Textiles do tend to come into this category, my old Teknics were great but one 30mph lowside and they were destroyed. My Rukka kit's stupidly expensive but they have a repair service, so when I holed the knee they were able to replace just that panel and reseal it all, good as new.

Now, my Furygan leather jacket- which is one of the best things I've ever owned, for any activity- has been along knockhill's back straight at 70mph, and had a few lower speed scrapes and though you can see it's been crashed in, it still looks OK but more importantly it's absolutely fine to ride in. It was expensive, but it's outlasted cheaper kit which has made it decent value in the end.