After spending a few years doing track days in off-the-rack suits, and also experiencing the joy of wearing a custom street jacket, I knew it was time for a custom suit. I wanted something that was street friendly, well made, comfortable, and flattering. That last requirement may not seem like an important feature, but let's face it, if I don't feel good wearing something I am probably not going to get much use out of it.
There seem to be lots of companies popping up out of the woodwork lately offering inexpensive or sometimes not so inexpensive suits. I knew I could go to a more established company for a custom suit, but cost was a factor - I am not made of money, but also not willing to compromise on quality. And the company's ability to design a suit for a woman's body is an issue. I have a few friends with custom suits, and one of the comments I hear is how they love the suit but just wish it fit a little better for their curves or was more flattering. Not everyone knows how to design a garment for a woman's body.
Enter Velocity Sports Gear. When I saw them advertising womens suits, I was intrigued. The designs they had looked great, but how was the quality? After doing a little research and reading what they had to say about the construction of their suits, I decided to give them a shot. Genuine Cowhide Top Grain/Full Grain leather, Coats Nylon Bonded thread with all high impact area seams stitched four times for a strong and secure seam, all high impact seams reinforced inside, CE approved armour with optional Knox upgrade including Bickle Racing sliders, optional external titanium armor, a removable liner, no extra charge for perforation. And especially a separate design for women. It seemed like a solid product.
At the time I placed my order, Velocity Sports Gear had a PDF measurement chart to fill out and send back. However they are updating their website with a new "suit constructor". It will have over 30 options that you can select for a custom race suit, drag suit, jackets or pants. Video guides will be posted for all 27 measurements that will ensure the proper measurements are taken. This is apparently launching in late April. I haven't seen a website that offered that before. I wish it had been in place when I ordered my suit!
Taking my own measurements was not something I was comfortable with, so I had someone help me. If I had to do it over again, I think I would take them fully dressed, instead of in underarmor, just to get the extra bit of breathing room. And since I intended this to be primarily a street suit, I did not measure for my external back protector.
I also requested a special design to be placed on the back of my suit, a sort of personal trademark that I also have on my street jacket. This was no problem, I just emailed the image to them and they had it embroidered on the suit.
Once I placed my order, which was in late November, it took about 8 weeks to complete and be shipped to me. I think this was a little longer than normal, as the embroidery added to the production time. Although Velocity Sports Gear is located in Canada, getting it shipped to me in the U.S. was no hassle at all. It was just like any other order, including the shipment tracking. The Canada Post tracking number transferred right over to the USPS system and I was able to continue to monitor it after it entered the U.S.
I went with what is basically option #2 on the website, though the pricing on the womens suits seem to be a little less. My suit is a one-piece custom track suit with the Knox Armor upgrade (including armor for shoulders, elbows, hips, back and knees), perforation, and a small aerodynamic hump. What I love about the construction of this suit is the placement of the Schoeller stretch Kevlar, which not only makes the suit very comfortable, but is why the women's design fits so well. It allows freedom of movement without compromising protection. The personal design was embroidered well, but it won't hold up to a slide should that ever happen. However, a separate leather design probably wouldn't hold up much better and would still need to be replaced.
So far I have only ridden on the street with this suit. As I already mentioned it is really comfortable, on the bike. Since it's new, it's not broken in yet so it's not that comfortable to stand or walk around in. However it conforms a little more each time I wear it and I have no doubt that it will soon feel like a second skin off the bike as well as on.
Improvements that could be made are the hem at the bottom of the legs, and the interior pockets which hold the armor in place. When standing or walking, the leg hems put a lot of pressure on my legs. They are too thick, mainly due to the velcro that holds the removebale liner in place. Also, after the first two or three times I wore the suit, the elbow armor pocket in one of sleeves tore, allowing the armor to slide down.
I reported these things to Jimmy at Velocity Sports Gear, and he assured me that they have since become aware of these issues and all new suits will have modifications to prevent them. The pockets are now made of tear proof material. As for the leg hem, there is an option to go with unfinished bottoms, which I probably should have done. They have now also moved the placement of the velcro away from the hem so it's not as thick at that point. That modification alone would probably be enough to address the issue.
The next test will be a track day. I have one planned for later this month and will report back after that, probably with more photos and maybe some video.
Click here for the
Velocity Sports Gear website.
A few photos...
