Time for delivery? Aerostich Roadcrafter

[Noth]

I ordered an Aerostich Roadcrafter in early December.. I got one , sent out for sizing only, right away.. I had it for about two hours, returned it (at my expense) and told them what I needed. That was around Dec. 20th. It's now February 16th and I have yet to see the new one. I called yesterday & was told that I won't see it for at least another 3 weeks.

I know when I get it that I will have to return it again, because the legs are made way too long for some reason,and you have to position the knee pads to your knees and have them build a whole new suit with that length in mind.. It's winter now, but it's looking like March 11th or 12th now before I get the next one.. and then probably June before I see the final product..

That's way too long.. By then I might be using my trusty mesh pants and I will have nothing to use for spring riding.. The entire reason I ordered the roadcrafter was to get something for the chillier season asthe mesh pants with rain liners, don't work very well.. I simply wanted something that would be a quick on & off...(which the roadcrafter certainly would be).. I am thinking now, of cancelling my order and looking for something else.. I was led to the Aerostich approach after ordering a pair of Firstgear Kathmandu pants which were grossly undersized for me even when ordered at the same size as my pant size (per their advice).. I couldn't even get them buttoned & there in no size larger.. I returned them disgusted with myself and the Revzilla sizing chart and went in the Aerostich direction (sort of like walking from the boys department to the Husky department when I was a kid.. it sucked then and still does) .

So I want to get something I can use before June.. need advice.. get a refund from Aerostich? Be patient and not ride until warmer weather (that won't happen) or make do with rain liners (that I have to wrestle with?).. My god, I spent almost $900 now and have nothing to show for it.. Aerostich makes a great product from alll accounts.. but I need something I can use too..

[Ron_Ces]

With all of the time you have invested in it, I would wait it out. A little patience now will reward you with a custom made suit. I am on my second one and with plenty of other choices in the closet, it still is my go-to suit.
Ron

[NJ Moto]

All I can say is it'll be worth the wait. My Roadcrafter is bombproof and will last a long time compared to most mass produced gear.

[nytrashman]

i am a big aerostich fan, i have a two piece road crafter, darien light jacket as well as AD1 and darien pants. yes the wait sucks but the finished product is something you will have and use for years to come. whenever i call aerostich i always ask to speak to Christine, she has helped me many times over the years. hang in there, you will be glad you did.

EDIT: forgot to say my daughter has been waiting over a month now for her AD1 pants. she is getting impatient but she knows in the end they are worth the wait.

[X11-MAN]

Top , top gear...wait !!!!!

[ph0rk]

if you need a custom size, it won't happen overnight. lead time for a bog standard two piece was 7 weeks a couple months ago.

[Noth]

Pretty much impossible to fit their standard size (inseam 36 " for starters)..
and yes 7 weeks was what they told me.. That was the 1st week or so in December.. They said that they use the original order date as the date they key from.. and that in 7 weeks I would have my Roadcrafter.. It's now going on 11 weeks and 3 more to go and then , I expect, another 11 weeks or so after that for a total of 6 months or so, not 7 weeks.. and that is my problem.. High quality I get.. That's my conflict.. what do I use until I get the finished product? The pants I have stink for cool weather.

[Steiney]

My .02:

Hold out for your suit.

I bought a Roadcrafter one-piece (grey w/ HiViz accents) in the winter of 2011 without a wait because it was an off-the-shelf size. The suit was stiff, particularly in the winter, until it got broken in. For me, this took several months of riding (I ride almost daily year-round). I say this so you're not discouraged when you first start riding in it. It will feel like a second skin when it's broken in.

The "new" design waterproof main zipper kept getting hung up on mine and I had to send it back for warranty work. They told me they could replace the main and right leg zippers with the "old" style zippers which I had them do - not as waterproof but so much smoother. You may want to talk to them about using the old style on yours depending where they are in the process. I also had them add gussets under the arms and in the knees to "custom" fit me better. I paid for the alterations themselves but they didn't charge me the alteration "service" fee since it was in for warranty work anyway. Aerostich's customer service is second to none. I think I had the suit back within two weeks.

I now have a "custom" fit suit that I wear year round. It gets a little warm in the summer but the safety, conspicuity, and convenience the suit affords me is worth it. I see no reason why this suit shouldn't last me 15-20 years.

[BeachMoto]

I just ordered a pair of AD1 Light pants, I was quoted 5 weeks from the time I returned the "sizing" pair. I expect to get them in about 7 weeks from my original order date.

I have ordered a RC jacket, a pair of Darien pants, and a Darien jacket over the years. Every one was delivered a little quicker than they promised and every single one has been worth the wait.

Be patient, like all small businesses I imagine Aerostich has been impacted by the economy, they may have fewer staff, or they may be ordering smaller quantity of materials.

A few years ago I was riding through Duluth and stopped by their shop, one of the velcros on my Darien pants was coming off. I walked in, took my pants off, handed it to the nice young man and I had it back in 30 minutes with ALL the velcros replaced not just the one that was coming off. No appointments, no wait and no change.

You will love the RC, the new waterproof zipper took care of RC's only weak point, in my opinion.

[max384]

Damn. This is disappointing to hear. I just got my off-the-shelf mismatched pair of Darien Jacket/pants on Friday. I will be calling on Monday to order the correct sizes and send them back the ones that didn't fit. They told me it would be 8 weeks... Guess they were being pretty optimistic with this estimate?

[Noth]

Originally Posted by max384

Damn. This is disappointing to hear. I just got my off-the-shelf mismatched pair of Darien Jacket/pants on Friday. I will be calling on Monday to order the correct sizes and send them back the ones that didn't fit. They told me it would be 8 weeks... Guess they were being pretty optimistic with this estimate?

The Pants/Jacket may be different from the entire suit.. but clearly they are behind... I guess that is a good thing for them.. but not for me..

[Grinnin]

Originally Posted by max384

They told me it would be 8 weeks... Guess they were being pretty optimistic with this estimate?

When they have made gear for me it always arrives well within their estimate. That held for my orders in '08 and '09 and for a repair and cleaning last month (January '13).

[Boondox]

When I shipped my Stich Onesie back for cleaning and a new zipper I wish there had been something on their webpage about turnaround time. I sent it to them in December and won't get it back till mid-March. I'm extremely happy with the suit and their customer service, but my backup suit is mesh and we'll have snow on the ground till April at least

Woulda been nice to have been told...

[Noth]

Originally Posted by Boondox

When I shipped my Stich Onesie back for cleaning and a new zipper I wish there had been something on their webpage about turnaround time. I sent it to them in December and won't get it back till mid-March. I'm extremely happy with the suit and their customer service, but my backup suit is mesh and we'll have snow on the ground till April at least

Woulda been nice to have been told...

Yes.. Everyone there is very nice... & when I called Friday, I wondered why I had not been notified that it was on it's way.. She put me on hold and went to see the supv on the floor.. She said they put a big #1 next to my name and said I would have it in 3 weeks.. Well that will be the 1st week or so of March and that's OK... There is a few feet of snow on the ground now and it's 18 degrees outside .. but then I have to get the legs adjusted and they tell me that when I do that they build an entirely new suit all over again.. seems screwy, but that's the way it works.. so then it will be another long wait which takes me well into late May or June.. and like you all I have is a mesh pant and I commute every day when I do ride.. so I have to figure something out pretty quick.. They are very customer friendly.. I think on Tuesday I will call them and explain my concerns.. If I can have my RC by 3/22.. (when I have to get my bike from heated winter storage).. I will keep the order.. If not, I have to get something else & I hate to do that.. I know that it is a high quality product and I did order it the 1st week of December which would seem to be plenty of time.. but I guess not.. and that is an issue for them if they can't provide their product to a customer in a timely fashion..

[gsweave]

Originally Posted by Noth

Yes.. Everyone there is very nice... & when I called Friday, I wondered why I had not been notified that it was on it's way.. She put me on hold and went to see the supv on the floor.. She said they put a big #1 next to my name and said I would have it in 3 weeks.. Well that will be the 1st week or so of March and that's OK... There is a few feet of snow on the ground now and it's 18 degrees outside .. but then I have to get the legs adjusted and they tell me that when I do that they build an entirely new suit all over again.. seems screwy, but that's the way it works.. so then it will be another long wait which takes me well into late May or June.. and like you all I have is a mesh pant and I commute every day when I do ride.. so I have to figure something out pretty quick.. They are very customer friendly.. I think on Tuesday I will call them and explain my concerns.. If I can have my RC by 3/22.. (when I have to get my bike from heated winter storage).. I will keep the order.. If not, I have to get something else & I hate to do that.. I know that it is a high quality product and I did order it the 1st week of December which would seem to be plenty of time.. but I guess not.. and that is an issue for them if they can't provide their product to a customer in a timely fashion..

bespoke takes time.

Know that isn't what you want to hear.

Should have driven to Duluth for an in person fitting