Art Vandelay

Happy New Year to everyone!

I went to a local Cycle Gear store recently with the intentions to try on some stuff (gloves, boots, and helmet, holding off on the jacket and pants till I lose some weight ). I'm trying to get all my gear before I get my bike, so I have zero temptations to ride with inadequate protection.

I went with the intention of trying on Scorpion EX-750 or 1000 or HJC CL-16 helmet, Joe Rocket 2.0 GPX gauntlet gloves, and Cortech Latigo Air RR boots, and maybe seeing if they'd price match.

They had almost only in-house brands (BiLT, Street & Steel, and Sedici). Like at least 80% of the product I saw. And the rest were almost entirely either A* for the boots and gloves, or Arai and Shoei for Helmets. I think they had, not exaggerating, two Bell helmets, one Scorpion, and a couple Icons. Needless to say, the only thing I was able to gather is I'm probably an XL helmet size, and a medium in gloves (can't tell, because my fingers dont reach the tips in either size, but smalls I can't get on).

I certainly understand why they do this, they make more money off of in-house brands so I can't blame them, but has anyone else had this issue? What other chain stores do you use that have a wider selection?

--Art Vandelay

cookiebug79

It's waaaay too costly for Cycle gear to stock every brand. The nice thing about CG is that they can get anything that you want. If you order through them and something doesn't fit, they won't charger a re-stocking fee like most other places do when you want to return something. And they usually get it all in a day or two.

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Art Vandelay

Yeah, like I said, I completely understand them doing it. They're a business, and if they can make more money just by stocking and pushing mostly their own brand, that's what they should do. I just know that different helmets fit different heads, so I wish there was something local to try a few. I wonder if Cycle Gear allows you to return online purchases in store. That would be extremely helpful for me.

BP

helmet sizes and shapes vary by manufacturer. an XL Arai might fit you fine while an XL Shark might not. Some have a broader shape to them to accommodate people with more round heads and some are more football shaped. Try a bunch of them on, find what size/manufacturers fits your head, and then order one off the internet.

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Art Vandelay

I know, that's why I said I was a little disappointed with the selection at my local store. They only had a few brands, none of which are a brand I'm looking to buy or can afford to buy.



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sbeast

it depends what store you go to as well. Theres 2 near me in Fort Worth, one of them is massive and has a big selection, the other has a really small selection, but has a easier to access location. I've had good luck buying through them. their in-store brands are hit or miss. i dont care for Bilt gear, but all the Street&Steel gear i've tried has been great

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J-moges

You're an XL helmet and a small/medium gloves? Odd, do you have a lot of hair? Try dealers, they might stock the helmets you are looking for, don't let them push you to buy if you aren't ready though. Just say you are trying to find the right fit or trying different brands or some shit.

No chain motorcycle stores in my area but all of the dealerships, except the BMW (since I haven't been there), I try to go to as little as possible.

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Art Vandelay

My hair isnt that long, but I certainly dont have a crew cut. The muscles on the side of your head that bulge when you chew, mine are on the large side. Its noticeable when I get a haircut

As far as my glove size, my hands, like my head, are kinda thick but I'm short so my fingers are rather short too. But even in snug mediums, my fingers arent pressed against the tips of the gloves.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll try the dealers and see what kinda selection they have.

Jeff in Kentucky

Also try ATV (all terrain vehicle) dealers. Their smarter customers wear helmets, gloves, and boots.

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strat1701

They used to be good, but they have really started to go down hill since 2008 if you ask me.

They are ramming the Bilt gear up everyone's ass. I only go there for tyres, oil, tools etc...

The only good thing is, if you find a "NOS" (new old stock) item the chances of it having the OLDER price tag on it and not the current pricetag is high. I got a second pair of dainese pants at the old sticker price ($349 vs. $429), PLUS 20% off coupon on the old price. The pants were literally about 18 months old, same model, same color, same size as the new ones.

Unless you have them order pretty much ANYTHING Dainese that isn't the shit that's been rotting on their racks since 2007. It took me 12 weeks to get my first pair of pants from CG who had to order them from fucking Italy. And heaven help you if you want the upper ended dainese gloves, why they don't order and stock those I don't know. The glove racks are rife with the low end shitty dainese glove lines, the ones that NO ONE buys. And CG pisses and moans about thier inventory not moving. Well what do you expect when you stock shite!

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