Thoughts on RSD RONIN

[jkoj]

So I’m a huge fan of Vanson and Schott. I currently have 2 Vanson and 1 Schott. Recently picked up a RSD Ronin in Tobacco. I was surprised how nice it feels and looks for being made in a 3rd world country. I do think they are a bit overpriced but I got it for $200. I would like to know what others think about this brand.

 

[Guppy]

A couple RSD jackets have caught my eye, but I haven't bought one or tried one on yet. I have the feeling that I would be disappointed by them after having experienced so many others by the likes of Vanson, Cal, Langlitz, and Schott.

I'm still curious about how they work as riding gear. What I notice is that they tend to use thinner leather, and smaller panels. This means more seams and more places of potential failure. It also looks like by using smaller pieces they can use more of the hide, which would make them more efficient to produce (less waste) and therefore be less expensive without necessarily sacrificing quality. But by having so many more panels it also tends to make for a jacket that looks like it's trying to be stylish through being gimmicky. Some of their jackets look really cool, don't get me wrong. I'm pretty on the fence about them, really.

 

[barnabus]

I'm m still curious about how they work as riding gear. What I notice is that they tend to use thinner leather, and smaller panels. This means more seams and more places of potential failure.

The leather is apparently 1.2mm thick on the Ronin jacket, and it's CE AA rated as riding PPE. That means it's pretty safe, it's the second-highest rating possible.

 

[Guppy]

The leather is apparently 1.2mm thick on the Ronin jacket, and it's CE AA rated as riding PPE. That means it's pretty safe, it's the second-highest rating possible.

Yeah, but I don't know that I have complete faith in the ratings.

I'm certainly not trying to say that I know more than the bodies that test these things, but at the same time I can't help but think that fewer seams is better, and my preference is for minimalist design, rather than something more ornate. So it's just me.

And I know 1.2mm is adequate for riding gear, but I really like 1.5mm+ thick. 1.2mm + armor is probably just fine for anything that you're going to survive, though.

 

[Guppy]

To be a bit more helpful to the OP's original question, I had to go to look at the Ronin model specifically.

From the front, it looks like a fairly standard center-zip "cafe racer" design. The back looks a bit different, with a main back panel that looks more like it came from a Trucker jacket, and a large kidney panel. I'm curious how those contour to the body in riding position on a bike, but have no bias one way or the other on how they look. I'd assume they were designed for function. From the back the jacket looks OK to me. And the leather has a nice appearance.

From the outside, the only thing I don't care for is the upper sleeves and chest, which feature a series of repeated lines of stitching, which I can't tell what purpose they serve. I suspect only to add visual interest, which if so is only detrimental in my view. Good leather doesn't need fancy stitching to draw attention to itself. If it is quilting, or serves some other functional purpose, I still don't really care for it, but at least it's serving some function if so.

The inside of the jacket looks modern, and raises some questions. The inside of the kidney panel features perforated leather... as does the storm flap on the main zipper. So is the storm flap there to let in SOME of the storm? Or wtf? I don't think the perforations on the kidney panel would allow for much, if any, airflow, given the position, and how thick the kidney panel looks to be, and doesn't seem to be perforated on the outside. So, again, decorative perforations that either do not serve any functional purpose, or actually counteract the purpose of the leather being there in the first place in the case of the storm flap. From the outside it does look like there's some perforated leather used on the inside of the sleeves, which might help ventilate the jacket a bit, but overall it doesn't look like the ventilation is being done functionally, but rather ornamentally.

The lining looks like either polyester or nylon, and probably using modern synthetics helps to protect the jacket from riders getting sweaty on hot days. The inside pockets look pretty generously sized, which may be a plus if you want to carry a lot with you in there, but on the other hand look like they might be so big that stuff will not necessarily stay put once pocketed, leading you to have to fish around a lot for the thing you want to pull out when you need it.

I say all of the above with no actual experience of the jacket, and without having ever seen one in person, much less worn one, so I could be completely off base, but based on what I see, I see it as a hit-and-miss design that doesn't interest me further to want to try one on for riding. I wouldn't refuse the opportunity to try one on if offered, just to be thorough in evaluating it. But I like my Vanson Model B and V7 jackets well enough that I don't see this RSD Ronin pushing either of those out of the way when it comes time to suit up for a ride.

 

[Schambach]

I had a Ronin for a bit. It was comfortable, and honestly looked very nice. Definitely a warm weather jacket. I sold it and bought another Vanson.

 

[jkoj]

Thx for all the replies. I enjoy reading them.