Edward
Bartender
- Messages
- 25,081
- Location
- London, UK
The bike was originally black, but the previous owner had it resprayed this colour. It makes it more closely resemble a true vintage bike I think, rather than a modern retro style. I like the colour but it's perhaps not what I might have chosen if I were given free range. I think a different colour might be in the future.
I've always adored the belted style. Over the years I've had innumerable Barbour Internationals, a beautiful unlined Trialmaster in tan canvas, Speedwear, and assorted no-brand versions. My everyday all purpose jacket is a knackered old SMU Barbour International in olive green. I wear it for riding sometimes too, layered over an armoured Kevlar shirt.
That's what I wore at the weekend when I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours on a friend's Bobber.
Made for a fitting ensemble.
I've tried leather options in this style too, but agree with you that it's harder to get right. I once had to be physically restrained from buying a Barbour X Alexander Leathers (? I think, not sure) in prosperously heavy oxblood (cordovan?) hide. It was a beautiful tank.
Personally, for a leather version to work for me it needs to for far slimmer than they usually tend to be cut. This style often has a wide sleeve, which breaks in better for me in waxed cotton than in leather. Something akin to the fit of a Belstaff Panther might be nice - if they ever did an armoured variant.
The Bobber is a stunner; that one in particular really captures the look of a vintage bike much more so than the 'all black' version I've seen.
Yeah, Alexander Leathers / Simmons Bilt were outsourced to produce a run of leather ones for Barbour. It wasn't marketed under anything other than the Barbour brand, though. I believe AL/SB, although a fairly small operation, do a fair bit of outsourced manufacture under other brand names. That version look quite good, presumably using patterns supplied by Barbour. AL did used to (not looked at their site in a long time, may still) have a belted jacket in their range, but it was all... 'off'. I remember they did it with a shirt-style collar, and the pockets were oversized which gave it an odd look. They did, at least back in the Will Lauder days, have a strange obsession with adding oversized and/or extraneous pockets. I suppose that was them seeking to put their own spin on the designs, but for me it didn't work.
