My new custom Aero Board Racer

[eugenesque]

I have always liked the Café Racer design but found that it was too boxy for my frame. Was advised that the Board Racer has a more slimmer fit but I wasn’t very fond of the flared-out bottom, the longer length and the fact that the zippers did not end at the bottom of the jacket. This has prevented me from making any orders from Aero as I thought I would not be happy with either jackets.

Then I thought to myself, why don’t I customise the Board Racer by reducing the length and changing the position of the zippers. I contemplated for some time and decided to pull the trigger. And so I ordered a custom Board Racer in russet goatskin. Was debating between russet goatskin and russet Vicenza but settled for the former.

The jacket has now arrived and I am immensely pleased with the outcome. The olive coloured stitching on the exterior even matched the interior sateen lining! I did post a few questions on fit and sizing some time ago and many thanks to fellow loungers for your advice.

Shall post some pictures soon.

 

[eugenesque]

Here are some photos:

 

[jacketjunkie]

Great fitting jacket! Well done, congratulations!

 

[Fanch]

Well done. No break in period with the veg tanned goatskin either.

 

[eugenesque]

Thanks guys! That's one of the reasons why I chose goat over Vicenza. Horse hide seemed a lot stiffer.

 

[ai00344]

Very nice, I share your dislike of short zippers. I considered buying a used boardracer and having the zipper replaced but I am not sure how much work is involved. Anyone have experience with this?

 

[AeroFan_07]

Well done!

 

[eugenesque]

Very nice, I share your dislike of short zippers. I considered buying a used boardracer and having the zipper replaced but I am not sure how much work is involved. Anyone have experience with this?

If I am not wrong, I believe Thurston and Aero provide zipper replacement/repair services. So I would think that the option of replacing the entire zipper should be possible. Though I am not sure if they will do it for other jackets? You could drop them a message.

 

[Fanch]

Thanks guys! That's one of the reasons why I chose goat over Vicenza. Horse hide seemed a lot stiffer.

The drape and break in of goatskin is second to none, although my two Vicenza horsehide Sheene jackets are both very supple and drape very closely to that of my veg tanned goatskin Maxwell, much better than my seal jerky Mulligan, and way better than my FQHH Teamster.

 

[eugenesque]

The drape and break in of goatskin is second to none, although my two Vicenza horsehide Sheene jackets are both very supple and drape very closely to that of my veg tanned goatskin Maxwell, much better than my seal jerky Mulligan, and way better than my FQHH Teamster.

How long did it take for your two Vicenzas to break in and reach that level?

 

[handymike]

Very nice, congratulations!

 

[Fanch]

How long did it take for your two Vicenzas to break in and reach that level?

There was no break in time for either of my Vicenzas, and both were basically as supple as my goatskin jacket from day one. Not true with any of my others though, including my only Shinki horsehide jacket. I can't recommend Vicenza highly enough. It is incredibly user friendly and IMO more than worth the upcharge and then some! My two Vicenzas are russet and black, but the richest color is seal Vicenza, at least to me, when I had the opportunity to try on a friend's seal Vicenza Premier HWM that unfortunately was one size too small for me.

 

[ProteinNerd]

Great fit and nice jacket.

Personally I prefer the slightly longer length and short main zipper of these and the J-100's. It helps them stand out a touch from the multitude of fashion cafe racers I see around but each to their own. That's the great thing about the makers we love, they can tweak the designs to our desires.

I'll second @Fanch and his endorsement of the Vicenza, I have 6 (OMG) Vicenza jackets now and its amazing. The original batches were fairly stiff but the later ones are coming out much "softer" and drape better. Again, its all personal preference but i dislike the pebble grain of Goat.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[eugenesque]

Great fit and nice jacket.

Personally I prefer the slightly longer length and short main zipper of these and the J-100's. It helps them stand out a touch from the multitude of fashion cafe racers I see around but each to their own. That's the great thing about the makers we love, they can tweak the designs to our desires.

I'll second @Fanch and his endorsement of the Vicenza, I have 6 (OMG) Vicenza jackets now and its amazing. The original batches were fairly stiff but the later ones are coming out much "softer" and drape better. Again, its all personal preference but i dislike the pebble grain of Goat.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

All this talk of Vicenza jackets is goading me to make another. I was honestly quite torn between the goat and Vicenza. I actually quite like the shade of the russet Vicenza over the russet goat. It was of a slightly lighter shade with more vibrancy in the red. I chose the goat because I thought the russet Vicenza may darken after a while.

Well this one is a keeper at least!

 

[eugenesque]

One more photo, I really like the vibrancy of the russet juxtaposed with the olive stitching. Am a sucker for green and green related colours.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Well done. I prefer tbe goat. But I have found that after 5 goat jackets they sometimes also need a break in period. Not as much as FQHH but goatskin can be far from comfortable for the first 2-3 weeks.

 

[eugenesque]

Well done. I prefer tbe goat. But I have found that after 5 goat jackets they sometimes also need a break in period. Not as much as FQHH but goatskin can be far from comfortable for the first 2-3 weeks.

I've actually had it since the first week of August and have worn it on or off. I feel it's starting to mould over my body. Not sure if you can see in the photo but it's more moulded as compared to when it first arrived in a box. The drape of goat is indeed excellent.

 

[Seb Lucas]

It's a lovely example of a beautiful hide.

 

[Harris HTM]

Really beatiful hide indeed.

 

[eugenesque]

Thank guys, here are some more photos courtesy of Carrie from Thurston. Pre-shipment photos but I thought it really captured the essence of the hide.