Racing Leathers help.

[spyderchick]

You'll probably have to give him a call (859) 336-7375.

[bambam]

+1000 for barnacle bill. my suit is so perfect. we too made a small mistake in out measuring and it was caught by bill and solved when he called me to ask. my suit was right around $1000- $1100  i think and being 6'3" and 275 there is no off the rack suit to even come close to my size. the design is all mine, made from a combination of pictures that i sent to him with a note. I like this from that suit and so on. I cannot wait to have him make a suit for my wife. don't know when but we will. and in the mean time he will definatly get all my business. please tell him that bambam sent ya.

[xseal]

do the barnicle bill perforations do the job? They look crude compared to the off the rack suits.

[Super Dave]

although wearing black in the middle of summer gets rough the further south you get

Maybe it's a Super thing, but I've been wearing suits that have a whole lot of black since 1994.  

I haven't seen the difference.  

I've raced everywhere with them.  I think I pretty much single handedly hammered everyone at a warm endurance race in 2001.  

Radiators are black.  There's a reason for that.

[Protein Filled]

Maybe it's a Super thing, but I've been wearing suits that have a whole lot of black since 1994.  

I haven't seen the difference.  

Yeah, this coming from a guy who rode 197 miles of a 200 mile Team Challenge by himself in 104 degree heat at Mid-America. I don't think your opinion counts here Dave. You are some kind of freak! I almost died after doing a 30 minute GT race!  ;)

For everyone else, yes, black does get hot in the middle of a 100 degree day. At least hotter than a perforated lightweight white suit I would say!

[secularist]

do the barnicle bill perforations do the job? They look crude compared to the off the rack suits.

I talked to him about that.  He intentionally spaces larger holes farther apart.  you get better airflow without compromising the integrity of the material (as he has seen time and time again with repairs on suits with the array of smaller holes).  I'm going off memory here, so I hope I'm not putting words in his mouth.  on my suit the holes look mean!!! of course my suit is old school solid black so I'll need all the help I can get this summer at VIR and Summit :D and I'm partial to all the venting.

[spyderchick]

Maybe it's a Super thing, but I've been wearing suits that have a whole lot of black since 1994.  

I haven't seen the difference.  

I've raced everywhere with them.  I think I pretty much single handedly hammered everyone at a warm endurance race in 2001.  

Radiators are black.  There's a reason for that.

This is an intersting side discussion.

From all of the scientific evidence I have seen, black does not "absorb" any more heat than white or other colors when applied to different objects.  For the most part, this is a wive's tale.

I do think that the thickness of the leather, the volume of the perforations, as well as their placement, along with the content and constuction of the lining materials can play a significant role in cooling on warm or hot days. If you live in the southern regions of the country where it is warmer most of the riding season, you'll need to make your gear choices appropriately.

Also, the dew point and relative humidity can affect your body's ability to cool itself effectively. The higher the relative humidity (no matter the temperature), the more difficult it will be for your body to cool due to the fact that the additional moisture produced through sweating has no where to go. This is where perforations can play a critical role by allowing air to pass over your body while riding or racing.

Just a little food for thought.

[xseal]

Hey secularist, lets link up at some point. I'm sponsored by Rick also, and I'd like to see your suit. In in DC, and will be at Summit 4/25 and for the races that following weekend.

CCS # 53

[Jeff]

Venting is the key...  I had unvented black leathers through that weekend in 01 which I believe Dave is speaking of (MAM, Africa hot...).

I ran a GTU, got off the bike and puked my guts out.  I thought I was gonna die, and I had more than enough water going through me.  I'd bet my temperature was in the 103-104 range.  I was stupid hot.

Bought vented leathers over the phone on the way home...  Haven't turned back since...

[Super Dave]

I think most of Africa doesn't have humidity.

My Vanson's are perfed, but still are really, really heavy.  I knock over trains.