Aero highwayman and Simmons bilt roadster

[Sloan1874]

I agree that the brown tends to age in a more interesting way. You might want to see if they have a black over-dyed steer with a brown base. As it develops wear and patina, the brown tones will come in under it.

 

[Superfluous]

Neither fit as well as your Himel Frobisher(s)?

True dat.

But, if I had to make space for a new one I would probably think about selling.

Not a space issue.

 

[Edgar Laurel]

Edgar, if you are regaled by the workmanship of GW, Himel and alike in that price segment as SF is, Aero has little to offer to you, especially when you are not a fan of their trademark, the CLX hides.

I'm quite satisfied with the quality of Aero hides.
Himel Bros. seem to be of spectacular quality but for an european citizen like me (a little bit like Lost Worlds) the import duties are heavy. I do not mind paying for the jacket, but with the amount of taxes you're paying these days the little extra (which in fact would be almost like buying a jacket from Aero) going to the tax machine really annoys me.
GoodWear has all to do with the turn around time for the jacket. I can wait a month, two even three for a jacket. One year or plus would be almost unbearable (even for such a patient guy).

 

[Superfluous]

Black tea core is ideal for aging.

 

[ton312]

especially when you are not a fan of their trademark, the CLX hides.

I still can't wrap my brain around how this is even possible
Don't come at me SF. I know your preference! High five man.

 

[Superfluous]

I still can't wrap my brain around how this is even possible
Don't come at me SF. I know your preference! High five man.

I still can't wrap my brain around how people like suits of armor. High five right back at ya. Wouldn't this place be boring if we all liked the same stuff.

 

[cuchulain]

After two weeks with my Aero 1930's HB in CXL FQHH I can say unequivocally that it is breaking in much quicker and nicer then the AL Roadster in the standard veg tanned FQHH. If anyone remembers when I bought the AL Roadster I thought about selling it because it was so dang stiff. I wore that Roadster for three months straight and it's still pretty dang stiff. The Aero with the CXL HH is nice and in two weeks much more broken in than the Roadster after three months.

The Roadster is very nice but I would consider it a bulkier jacket, a bit more substantial than the 1930s HB, that may be the cut, liner, or leather I'm not really sure. But if I'm spending my money again it's on the CXL FQHH.

 

[ton312]

After two weeks with my Aero 1930's HB in CXL FQHH I can say unequivocally that it is breaking in much quicker and nicer then the AL Roadster in the standard veg tanned FQHH. If anyone remembers when I bought the AL Roadster I thought about selling it because it was so dang stiff. I wore that Roadster for three months straight and it's still pretty dang stiff. The Aero with the CXL HH is nice and in two weeks much more broken in than the Roadster after three months.

The Roadster is very nice but I would consider it a bulkier jacket, a bit more substantial than the 1930s HB, that may be the cut, liner, or leather I'm not really sure. But if I'm spending my money again it's on the CXL FQHH.

The oils in CXL give it much more "memory" than the stuff SB uses and I think that aids the break in. Wrinkles and molding occur and stick at a much faster rate.

 

[jacketjunkie]

The SB Horween Horse and Steer don't feel as smooth and waxy to the fingers as the CLX Aero Hides do and they also take longer to break in. I suppose the wax in Aeros CLX which is highly temperature dependant helps there, it warms up due to body heat, the leather gets softer. SB leather takes longer to get soft but no as strong dependancy on temperature in return. In the end I'd still pick CLX over SBs HH/SH though, knowing both. CLX just feels so great under the fingers.

However I love SB's Horween Bison leather. Broke in real quick, it's super thick and now the softest leather jacket I own (with the exception of some tumbled stuff from Johnson Leather) and great grain, too. I uploaded pictures a while back.

 

[the loco]

I have an Roadster, it's wool lined and steer CXL. I would say it's not particularly warm, because it's cut loosely in the waist area, similar in cut to the Levi's Trucker jacket. It does have storm cuffs though, and adjustable waist but I don't like to fit it there.

About the FQHH, it's s less warm than steer.

Something more fitted, like the Schott 689H or even Aero M422a that has much thinner goatskin, is usually warmer.

That being said, I exercise frequently. For some the HWM design may be fit, so it's relative.

One thing that I do noticed is that the Roadster runs about true to size, while the HWM runs very big.

 

[Hammerklavier]

Thanks for informations, I am considering to get their bison, since it is 20%discount, it is an alternative for HH


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[Edgar Laurel]

I have an Roadster, it's wool lined and steer CXL. I would say it's not particularly warm, because it's cut loosely in the waist area, similar in cut to the Levi's Trucker jacket. It does have storm cuffs though, and adjustable waist but I don't like to fit it there.

About the FQHH, it's s less warm than steer.

Something more fitted, like the Schott 689H or even Aero M422a that has much thinner goatskin, is usually warmer.

That being said, I exercise frequently. For some the HWM design may be fit, so it's relative.

One thing that I do noticed is that the Roadster runs about true to size, while the HWM runs very big.

You have the Premier range HWM that fits slimmer for example.

 

[the loco]

You have the Premier range HWM that fits slimmer for example.

The 1930's HWM look somewhat different, but yes I have read it's more fitted than the standard HWM.

 

[Sloan1874]

If you are slim yourself, the standard HWM may be too roomy. The standard 30s HB on the other hand is a fitted look from the get-go.

 

[Edward]

CXL HH and Steer behave very similarly - steer to my eye has a more finely-grained look as it creases. You can get a much heavier steer jacket than a horse one, though. It should be noted that Will, while working for Aero, was passing off steer jackets as horse. These were returned, replacement ones traded, and the steer ones sold off during the sale in August.

Yes, steer does seem to be much more variable on the wieght front. The hefty stuff would be fantastic for a bike jacket, imo (especially if Aero were to be open to fitting pocket in the lining for CE armour at the shoulers / elbows / back). It's not ideal for dvery design, though. Pleats, for example. When I was at the factory, they showed me a custom order jacket where somebody had really wantedc the heavy stuff. I was shown how they didn't much like to do thosed designs with it because the hided is just too hefty to really allow the movement they are designed for - even compared to the CXL FQHH, which is also stiff but allows them to move from the get go. The CXL steer willage very much like the CXL FQHH, though - aside from its increased weight when new, there will come a point in time at which itisn't easy to tell apart (which, of course, is why Will was able to pass steer off as horse for some time). A lot of the way in which these hides age has to do withthe CXL tanning process as much as the hide itself. I've seen, handled and owned other tanning-type steer and horse which goes a very different way.

If you want something more pliable and lighter from the off than the CXL steer, there's another tpye of Steer Aero use which is worth asking about. My HWM is made from it - smoothe, very similar to Schott and Johnson steerhide jackets I've owned. Same thickness as the CXL FQHH, but soft and drapey right from the off. An excellent choice for a boxy-design jacket like the Highwayman, though, of course, the CXL FQHH will also have that softness and drape after break-in.... this is just a short-cut to it. Stays uniform andsmoothe, though (which I like in black) - if you want something that patinas more obviously, this won't be your birdy.

With goat and steer, depends on the weight, otherwise you're not comparing like with like. Also, a jacket made of goat tends to use smaller panels because of the size of the skins.

Yes. I was actually looking at the black goat Aero now have for my Dustbowl originally, but changed my mind when I saw the bison. Lovely stuff, though - eventually I'll haqve another jacket made from it. But very different than the heftier hides like the CXLs.

Buffalo is an interesting one. I have a heavily broken-in A-2 made from analine russet buffalo. It's similar to heavy steer, so takes a fair bit of breaking-in to get it to drape. @Edward of this parish recently bought a fantastic Aero made from midnight blue bison, which has, I would say, similar characteristics and weight. You might want to try that if you're averse to steer.

The one I have is actually black, but yes - Horween Bison, black on the surface, with a couple of wear spots which have now revealed a coppery-brown undertone. Lovely hide. Seems very light and thin when you handle the hide as a flat sheet, but made-up into a jacket it's as hefty as CXL FQHH. Softens much more quickly - after a couple of weeks of daily wear, mine is as soft as my odler Bootlegger in CXL FQHH. It's softer than the latter, and yet lsightly thicker at the same time. Still works just fine on a more 'delicate' design like a halfbelt, though. The various panels, especially the back pleats, on my Dustbowl work beautifully. Very nice grain indeed.

I'm not sure whether Aero still have this hide or no; when I bought mine, they had some in to try, but they weren't putting it up on the website until they were certain they wanted to keep working with it, and they ould make sure they could get enough in in batches. When I spoke to the Aero boys at Goodwood Revivial in September, they remembered my jacket, and they were asking how it had aged; I don't recall the full details, but I think they'd made one or two others than seemed to 'age' much faster (in terms of the black wearing through) than they obviously felt was ideal. If they do still have it and if you want that faster patina, teacore look, it's a very good choice for that. It'd look great in the HWM pattern too, as well as something like a J106.

 

[Sloan1874]

I've had jackets that were designed to age at an accelerated rate and it can be quite unnerving when it starts to wear through after a couple of days. Not keen myself.

 

[ton312]

^agreed. Had a CR that was this way and the black top coat would literally flake of. The result was actually quite beautiful but my trust in the jacket was undermined a bit.

 

[Harris HTM]

Does anybody know whether there is/will be a legal issue regarding the patterns? The story about the theft of the jackets and the resulting conviction is well known here but was there any reference to the patterns as intellectual property or so?

 

[jacketjunkie]

I think Aero has made no official statement whether they settle with the convinction of WL or also want to sue SB at civil court. Maybe it is telling they haven't done it yet? Also, with design elements so commonly used in the repro scene and the ease with which a pattern can be tweaked minimally to not to be identical again (e.g. SB added 1" to the body of the Roadster and moved up the armholes a signifacant bit), it is probably a hard matter to claim copyright for the styles currently offered by both companies.

 

[Monitor]

^agreed. Had a CR that was this way and the black top coat would literally flake of. The result was actually quite beautiful but my trust in the jacket was undermined a bit.

Same! The sleeves turned brown on after a week, people would literally ask me was that jacket not black a while ago. It was just the finish dusting off and the jacket looked cool but I also couldn't deal with it. It's weird but even though I knew for a fact that the jacket was fine, there was just no way I could sit on a motorcycle wearing it.