:Thumbs_up: I will be putting up monthly product reviews on some of the riding gear or products that I have found to be good value for money, or quite simply works better than much more expensive specialised products. This month is a review of Aldi's range of bike gear that comes out once a year. Budget Biking - For many people a bike is not a get away from it luxury but a necessity, so being able to get some decent gear at affordable prices makes a lot of sense. Getting away from traditional bike shops is one way of saving on riding kit, but buying on the web has some well reported hazards associated with it. Once a year Aldi supermarkets stock motorcycle gear in their weekly catalogue, and what a bargain it is. Items sold range from helmets, through gloves, jackets, pants, socks, boots occasionally, on to GPS units, paddock stands, locks and chains, just about everything except the bike. Over the last few years I have picked up some of their stuff and have yet to have any complaints. Textile jacket and pants served admirably on a trip to Philip Island from Brisbane, only using the liner in the jacket and staying warm and dry, even over the Alpine Way. I have a couple of pairs of gloves in different styles, a pair of boots that are well styled and very comfortable, although some of the finish where the boots have rubbed on the bike has suffered a bit. The lock and chain is sturdy and visual deterring to theiving scum, with hardened links and compact design. A friends uni student son recently kitted himself out for less than $250 with all his riding kit bar boots, a great result on a tight budget, when you can spend double that on a mid-range jacket. Don't dismiss this outlet, if your budget is tight and you prefer new gear to shopping at Cash Converters then keep an eye out for the next lot of bike gear, it all meets current Australian Standards and will save you the cost of a good service on the bike................food for thought. So far the list of gear I have brought from Aldi reads like this:- Textile Jacket. Armoured and removable liner. **** Textile Pants. Armoured and removable liner. ***** Race Style Boots. Toe sliders, gear change pad, twin fastening. *** Socks. Left and Right fitting, cool panels. ***** Gloves. Race and General styles, double stitched. **** Boots. Race styles, replaceable sliders, gear change pad. *** Lock and Chain. Hardened links, lock doubles as disc lock. **** Rain Suit. Two piece, welded seams, long zips. **** Helmet. Vented, spare visor and cheek pads, washable liner. **** Next month ebay leathers
Hi, Has anyone bought any gear from Shark Leathers who are located at Helensvale? What's the quality of their stuff like?
Hi, I'm looking at buying a RST leather jacket. i think it is their "stunt"? range. Has anyone had any RST leather gear? If so any reviews (good or bad) or advice would be welcome. AMA at Yatala have them on at a special sale at the moment. thanks. nat
FWIW I have a couple of pair of RST textile pants and they are both awesome. The 'Ventilator' stuff is great...
http://www.bikersgearaustralia.com/details.php?TiD=MTc5LTIzNi0wLTg4NQ==&Txid=a60d589aed1ca1ce186f91d517600e0b 150 for boots isn't too bad, and I have even had the chance to crash-test these.... abrasian resistance is fantastic, and the full padding does it's job extreamly well. Also, the re-enforcing bracket between the ankle and the calf seems to be what prevented me breaking a bone in that area, instead I recieved only a mild sprain despite significant rotation of my foot. Can only recomend them. They're also warm and cosy
I'm still using the pair of el-cheapo Aldi gloves I got in 2007 when I started riding. They're only now just starting to come apart. Great general gloves, not much use when it gets really, really cold though. Haven't had need to crash test them. The gloves they give us at work on the other hand last maybe 8 weeks before the stitching starts failing and holes start. (I'm a posty :wave
Hey Fuzzball I'm with you, Aldi gear is as good as you find anywhere and very much cheaper. Have a pair of gloves from Aldi that simply won't wear out, thank goodness as they are most comfortable to wear. :Thumbs_up:
The only thing I wasn't happy about with my Aldi bike gear is the pockets - the zippers jam easy and the pocket linings rip easy where they are stitched together. Water resistance I can't comment on really, never had another textile jacket. Oh and the velcro cuffs. I hate velcro. Never come across a good piece of the stuff though, and Aldi aren't the only ones who use it.
I ended up getting the RST perforated Stunt jacket and Shark leather gauntlet style gloves - unperforated. Perforated jacket works well, so well that i have had to go back to my Aldi textile jacket with the zip in quilted liner with this cool weather lately. Gloves work a treat as well, they feel thicker than my Aldi gloves. Having said that i have been using my Aldi Jacket and Gloves for the last 18 months 5 days a week - rain, hail or shine and they have held up extremely well. Jacket still in excellent condition, gloves starting to show signs of wear. Also managed to pick up a pair of riding boots but now have to adjust shift lever so i can get the toe of the boot under it to change gears. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next Aldi motorcycle gear sale for a set of perforated gloves for the warmer months.
