Aerostitch - real world hi milage use cases - R3 or classic one piece?

[FreeRyde]

I've never had so much as 1 drop leak in even in heavy downpours at 70mph.

Wait until you rub through that goretex lining in Texas when it's 35 degrees out and the rain is coming down in sheets. You'll be dampened and the chilly wind will be whipping through that unlined stich.

You'll want a classic.

 

[kuksul08]

Wait until you rub through that goretex lining in Texas when it's 35 degrees out and the rain is coming down in sheets. You'll be dampened and the chilly wind will be whipping through that unlined stich.

You'll want a classic.

I haven't rubbed through my goretex lining, so I'm not sure what you're referring to.

 

[FreeRyde]

I haven't rubbed through my goretex lining, so I'm not sure what you're referring to.

When you'll be riding in 35 degree weather, the 7 layers of clothing will put excess pressure on the fragile inner lining of the R3. The increased surface tension will prematurely wear the lining away, allowing those small water droplets to seep into and onto your dry, sensitive skin.

 

[kuksul08]

When you'll be riding in 35 degree weather, the 7 layers of clothing will put excess pressure on the fragile inner lining of the R3. The increased surface tension will prematurely wear the lining away, allowing those small water droplets to seep into and onto your dry, sensitive skin.

Please don't bring my sensitive skin into this.

 

[fubar929]

From what I've heard in order to get that level of waterpoof with a classic you need to heavily seam-seal it and spray it with silicone from the outside.

When did you hear that? 20 years ago?

I own the "updated" Classic suit, which I bought in 2012. According to Aerostich, it has the same Riri waterproof main zipper and seam-sealed zippers as the R3. I don't routinely ride in the rain, but I've been caught in it for several hours at a time on occasion and my suit has never leaked. The R3 and Classic Owner's Manuals make the same claims for both suits regarding seam sealing: " Inside, all its seams are factory-sealed using over 30 yards of Gore-Seam® heat applied tape per garment. The complex design requires more of this seam sealing tape than any other GORE-TEX® garment in the world."

 

[zixaq]

So does the new version of the Classic still have soggy crotch problems? Because I need something to commute to work in that doesn't start leaking in the goddamn crotch halfway through the rainy season.

 

[kuksul08]

When did you hear that? 20 years ago?

I own the "updated" Classic suit, which I bought in 2012. According to Aerostich, it has the same Riri waterproof main zipper and seam-sealed zippers as the R3. I don't routinely ride in the rain, but I've been caught in it for several hours at a time on occasion and my suit has never leaked. The R3 and Classic Owner's Manuals make the same claims for both suits regarding seam sealing: " Inside, all its seams are factory-sealed using over 30 yards of Gore-Seam® heat applied tape per garment. The complex design requires more of this seam sealing tape than any other GORE-TEX® garment in the world."

I heard it from Aerostich directly, in 2015. The R3 has many more feet of seam sealing tape and is more waterproof. I'm not sure what you're suggesting a 'seam sealed zipper' is, but I don't doubt they both use the same zipper now, which is more waterproof but also much weaker than the old style. It's about half the width and the teeth are smaller. I'm just forwarding along what I've heard both from the source, and from friends of mine who have had to sit at their destination all day with a wet crotch in a Classic.

 

[Z3n]

So does the new version of the Classic still have soggy crotch problems? Because I need something to commute to work in that doesn't start leaking in the goddamn crotch halfway through the rainy season.

Nothing is waterproof with enough speed and water thrown at it. I wear a rain suit over the ‘stitch in times of heavy rain. It’s fine in light rain.

 

[RightCoastBias]

I heard it from Aerostich directly, in 2015. The R3 has many more feet of seam sealing tape and is more waterproof. I'm not sure what you're suggesting a 'seam sealed zipper' is, but I don't doubt they both use the same zipper now, which is more waterproof but also much weaker than the old style. It's about half the width and the teeth are smaller. I'm just forwarding along what I've heard both from the source, and from friends of mine who have had to sit at their destination all day with a wet crotch in a Classic.

The R3 uses a waterproof zipper that has been standard in the outdoor apparel market for close to a decade. The Roadcrafter classic uses flaps to cover a heavy duty, non-waterproof zipper. You'll still see non-waterproof zippers on lower cost outdoor apparel. Waterproof zippers are certainly more fragile, likely the cause of complaint re R3 zipper failure. But, that's not a Aerostich problem, that's a waterproof zipper problem.

 

[davidji]

So does the new version of the Classic still have soggy crotch problems? Because I need something to commute to work in that doesn't start leaking in the goddamn crotch halfway through the rainy season.

If I remember to pull the front up after I'm seated on the motorcycle, no pooling in the crotch, and no problem. If not, problem. Only a problem if it hasn't rained for a while and I forget.

Mine is an older Roadcrafter updated to have the waterproof main zippers like the modern Roadcrafter Classic.

Before I had that sorted, I sometimes wore rain pants under it on a rainy day.

 

[FreeRyde]

Nothing is waterproof with enough speed and water thrown at it. I wear a rain suit over the ‘stitch in times of heavy rain. It’s fine in light rain.

Lies!

My salmon/pink PVC rain suit from 1985 is 100% rain proof.

 

[boney]

Lies!

My salmon/pink PVC rain suit from 1985 is 100% rain proof.

Yes. I've seen a red-rubber-raincoat or two that don't leak.

But you get just as wet from the sweat buildup inside.

 

[davidji]

Yes. I've seen a red-rubber-raincoat or two that don't leak.

But you get just as wet from the sweat buildup inside.

Street riding in the cold that's just not true. For me anyway. I have a PCV raincoat with a back vent and I've never gotten wet inside from condensation. It's not like I'm working up a sweat riding through cold rain.

Breathable stuff is nice when you're working up a sweat, and it might be nice when the weather is warmer. But when it's cold & wet, and I'm riding on the street, give me vented PVC over breathable stuff. I've even had vented, non-breathable stuff outperform breathable gear for bicycling.

I've had breathable moto raingear too. Worn over textile riding gear, the coating on the inside wore away eventually. Maybe it would have lasted longer over smooth leather. Maybe a lined unit would last longer--just like in the original question about the R3 vs Classic.

 

[89fj]

this new classic I have looks like it will stand up to water better than my old one. A road trip to colorado next summer will be the test

 

[fubar929]

The R3 uses a waterproof zipper that has been standard in the outdoor apparel market for close to a decade. The Roadcrafter classic uses flaps to cover a heavy duty, non-waterproof zipper.

In 2011, Aerostich changed the main zipper on the Classic Roadcrafter from the old, impossible-to-waterproof YKK to the same "waterproof" RiRi zipper used on the R3. See here:

http://www.aerostich.com/roadcrafter-features

 

[planegray]

I've been daily commuting in my R3 for a few years now ( ¿ 3/4 ? ) and I'm doing a lot of patching in the crotch area, where there's flexing and abrasion. I usually end up wearing my old school lined stich in the coldest/wettest days... It's easier to keep waterproof

 

[afm199]

If you have problems with Stich leaking, get some Nikwax. It works quite well, no greasy slime.

 

[planegray]

If you have problems with Stich leaking, get some Nikwax. It works quite well, no greasy slime.

I do the "wash in Tide, wash again (at least once) in Nikwax, then put in dryer" method to refresh my suits once or twice a year.

The problem with the R3 is that there is nothing to protect the goretex lining so it rips/separates/goes bad where there's abrasion ( at the crotch, from your boot dragging across it) and a lot of flexing (again, at the crotch). I've been patching these areas on the inside with the patch kit you can get from Aerostich (or at REI for that matter) and it works fine... just a bit of bother and you lose the benefits of the goretex where ever you've patched

 

[ST Guy]

Darien in Hi-Viz!

 

[boney]

Street riding in the cold that's just not true. For me anyway. I have a PCV raincoat with a back vent and I've never gotten wet inside from condensation. It's not like I'm working up a sweat riding through cold rain.

Breathable stuff is nice when you're working up a sweat, and it might be nice when the weather is warmer. But when it's cold & wet, and I'm riding on the street, give me vented PVC over breathable stuff. I've even had vented, non-breathable stuff outperform breathable gear for bicycling.

I've had breathable moto raingear too. Worn over textile riding gear, the coating on the inside wore away eventually. Maybe it would have lasted longer over smooth leather. Maybe a lined unit would last longer--just like in the original question about the R3 vs Classic.

Interesting, I have a really nice Tourmaster rain overcoat for riding that has a urethane coating on the inside of the nylon (might as well be red-rubber) and lots of vents. Always get stuffy and damp in it. ALWAYS. And if the weather is warm, there isn't even a point of putting it on.

Trying to get a "waterproof" anything in my opinion is kind of silly and here's why:

A coat has four holes in it. A pair of pants have 3. Gloves and boots have one each. Even a good helmet still has holes in it. No matter how hard anyone tries to "waterproof" gear, if you wear it in the rain enough, water will eventually get in.

Now, in the case of gear where the materials are failing, I get it. That shouldn't happen. I can see even spending a lot of coin to get a more water resistant suit. But you'll get wet if you ride in the rain enough.

Once a person comes to the understanding that we're hurtling ourselves down the road at speed in a downpour wearing a nylon bag with a bunch of holes in it, it becomes easier to accept the fact that the $1500 suit still can't keep all of the water out.

Go ahead and tell me stories of how waterproof your gear is. I'll tell you stories of riding in rainstorms where you'd learn otherwise.