F4imane Posted December 30, 2008 Report Share Posted December 30, 2008 This name brand is not as easy to find as some of the others here in the us. Who has heard of Frank Thomas products? How would you rate the brand on quality on a scale of 1-10. 1 is the worst & 10 is the best. If you bought something from them or know someone that has tell us about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kane Posted December 30, 2008 Report Share Posted December 30, 2008 This name brand is not as easy to find as some of the others here in the us. Who has heard of Frank Thomas products? How would you rate the brand on quality on a scale of 1-10. 1 is the worst & 10 is the best. If you bought something from them or know someone that has tell us about it! Google his products...you might find your answer there. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukilme Posted December 30, 2008 Report Share Posted December 30, 2008 I just purchase a pair of gloves when i was in Florida and it seems to be good quality. I haven't had much of a chance to try them out on the bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobie Fair Posted December 30, 2008 Report Share Posted December 30, 2008 This name brand is not as easy to find as some of the others here in the us. Who has heard of Frank Thomas products? How would you rate the brand on quality on a scale of 1-10. 1 is the worst & 10 is the best. If you bought something from them or know someone that has tell us about it! Pretty sure it is an English company, I'll see if our UK guys have some opinion on him. C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F4imane Posted December 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 Thanks Cobie! I think they are a English Company, there is a string of stores thoughout the US called "cycle gear" where they sell alot of Frank Thomas products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyIbbott Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 This name brand is not as easy to find as some of the others here in the us. Who has heard of Frank Thomas products? How would you rate the brand on quality on a scale of 1-10. 1 is the worst & 10 is the best. If you bought something from them or know someone that has tell us about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyIbbott Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 Hi there, Frank Thomas used to be more of a 'budget' brand. However, last year they bought BKS and I believe that this has increased the quality of what they do. That said, without using their products it is very hard to give an honest and accurate reply to your question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F4imane Posted December 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 Ya Andy, there prices are really competitivie with other name brands. Was wondering about the quality. If it is close than that would be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyIbbott Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Ya Andy, there prices are really competitivie with other name brands. Was wondering about the quality. If it is close than that would be good. Close to what? They are not in the same league as Aplinestars or Dainese. it is a case of you get what you pay for... For me leathers are like crash helemts, buy the best you can afford. Some leathers are better than none... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F4imane Posted January 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Andy you say that "They are not in the same league as Aplinestars or Dainese". How so? They both use about 1.2mm-1.4mm leather. How can there be that much difference to not be in the same league? Because they dont advertise and sponsor as much? Thats a big part of what your paying for when you "get what you pay for". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kane Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Andy you say that "They are not in the same league as Aplinestars or Dainese". How so? They both use about 1.2mm-1.4mm leather. How can there be that much difference to not be in the same league? Because they dont advertise and sponsor as much? Thats a big part of what your paying for when you "get what you pay for". Check this out...another Forum discussion on FT Leathers. http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/s...d.php?p=3714675 Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyIbbott Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Andy you say that "They are not in the same league as Aplinestars or Dainese". How so? They both use about 1.2mm-1.4mm leather. How can there be that much difference to not be in the same league? Because they dont advertise and sponsor as much? Thats a big part of what your paying for when you "get what you pay for". You are asking mfor my opinion and I have given it. I am sorry if it is not what you wanted to hear. Both Astar ad Dainese put a massive amount of money into research and I have visited the R&D deptments of both companies. Frank Thomas do not have this same ability and commitment that I have seen from the other two. If you are asking if I would put my own money on the table to buy Frank Thomas then the answer is no. I do not feel as confident in their product as I do say Aplinestars. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ap430 Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I believe just like most say here you pay for what you get. When I bought my suit, I was looking for things... Such as fitment, quality, reputation and price not so much, this is my skin we are talking about, some things are not replaceable. First thing I really did was is, asked my self what are the pros wearing, you see some of them guys having a get off at 120mph+ sliding down the track into the dirt, and get up an walk away just fine, with some scuffs to there suits, so i was like what is he wearing???? I look around at motogp, afm or whatever... an see things like alpinestars, dinease, helimot etc. I didnt see no frank thomas. I went to the local stores an got a hands on feeling for the all these suits, and honestly frank thomas felt the cheapest in quality. They where nothing like the alpinestar or dinease top suits. But then again its your skin and what you feel comfortable in, peace of mind comes a long way when your riding. But like some one above said, if you are on a budget, some leather is better then no leather, i dont recommend going out an riding in jeans an sweatshirt at all. Andy you say that "They are not in the same league as Aplinestars or Dainese". How so? They both use about 1.2mm-1.4mm leather. How can there be that much difference to not be in the same league? Because they dont advertise and sponsor as much? Thats a big part of what your paying for when you "get what you pay for". You are asking mfor my opinion and I have given it. I am sorry if it is not what you wanted to hear. Both Astar ad Dainese put a massive amount of money into research and I have visited the R&D deptments of both companies. Frank Thomas do not have this same ability and commitment that I have seen from the other two. If you are asking if I would put my own money on the table to buy Frank Thomas then the answer is no. I do not feel as confident in their product as I do say Aplinestars. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobie Fair Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 There is a pretty big difference in the quality of leathers, for sure. I'm not expert in this area, but have seen a fair amount of road testing in the last years. I'd heard that (on the very top end) one of the Japanese manufacturers used leather where they picked the cows beforehand and not allowed them to touch electric fences. So the leather itself can vary, and many other things in the making. I've heard there is one leather tanner that does a lot of the companies, maybe someone knows for sure? It would be good to get some solid info up here on leathers. We have experience with AGVSport, and are pretty impressed with their off-the shelf suits. C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybird180 Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 We have experience with AGVSport, and are pretty impressed with their off-the shelf suits. C Their SP6 looks similar in design to my SP4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F4imane Posted January 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 In response to andy when you say they are not in the same leage that is a big statement and should be followed up with some type of solid facts not jlust they research more. But I do value everyones opinion and feedback or I wouldntve asked no matter what it is. In response to amit you said you looked to see what the guys on motogp was wearing and since you didnt see frank thomas you assumed they werent the brand for you, cool. But the bikes, helmets, tires, suits and just about everything else the guys on motogp use isnt available to the public, most is not mass produced for you to walk into your local store and take off the hanger even though it may be the same name. I do agree with anyone that says that your skin is worth a few hundred more or whatever but what do the rest of you guys think about frank thomas? O and a big thanks to kevin for posting that link! cheers! There was alot of good feedback on that link! I dont think anyone that had frank thomas and went down said that it was junk and didnt do its job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobie Fair Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Hi F4, You are quite right, a bit more specific info would be helpful regarding the leathers., Andy's response was pretty brief. Since Andy is one of "my guys" I'd like to brag about him for a moment, as he has some unique experience: He came to the Superbike School as a journalist 13-14 years ago, working for FASTBIKES magazine at the time. He has continued as a journalist, but he also started the European branch of the Superbike School, and is still the School Director (one of the only coaches in the world to achieve Class IV in our training program). In addition to that he has personally coached Thomas Luthi to a world championship (125 GP), ridden 500 GP bikes, interviewed Rossi, pretty much eats, sleeps, breathes riding and racing. Any time I want to get info on European gear, he is the guy I ask. He's also the author of his own book, Performance Riding Techniques. How about if we see if we can get him to elaborate a bit more on what he knows about the different leather manufacturers. Andy--without asking for a nauseastingly detailed description, can you give some specifics on say what you know about A-star, and their quality? Best, CF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyIbbott Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Hi F4, You are quite right, a bit more specific info would be helpful regarding the leathers., Andy's response was pretty brief. Since Andy is one of "my guys" I'd like to brag about him for a moment, as he has some unique experience: He came to the Superbike School as a journalist 13-14 years ago, working for FASTBIKES magazine at the time. He has continued as a journalist, but he also started the European branch of the Superbike School, and is still the School Director (one of the only coaches in the world to achieve Class IV in our training program). In addition to that he has personally coached Thomas Luthi to a world championship (125 GP), ridden 500 GP bikes, interviewed Rossi, pretty much eats, sleeps, breathes riding and racing. Any time I want to get info on European gear, he is the guy I ask. He's also the author of his own book, Performance Riding Techniques. How about if we see if we can get him to elaborate a bit more on what he knows about the different leather manufacturers. Andy--without asking for a nauseastingly detailed description, can you give some specifics on say what you know about A-star, and their quality? Best, CF Hi all, First off, and this typically English, thank you for the CV Cobie! LOL In is not strictly true that you cannot get the same stuff that the GP get. For a start Astars have a made to measure service so you can get EXACTLY what the GP guys wear. It is s very expensive service but you will get the same. As far as the leathers are concerned, the ONLY difference between the GP riders and buy from the shop is the sizing. The leather, the armour, all of it is exactly the same. Yes, from time to time they will use the GP and WSB guys to try something new, the neck airbag from Dainese is a good example of this. As this is the top level then it is used as a test bed. Interestingly, again Astars, they have even used and are using body position datalogging to see how the rider moves on the bike and then researching different materials and cuts, designs to see if they can make the suits more comfortable. We are very lucky here to have been sponsored by Alpinestars for over 14 years and I personally was part of the testing of their very first suits over 10 years ago. I also in the time had a set of Frank Thomas. At that time I can tell you with 100% conviction that what I had definitely WAS NOT what you could buy in the shops, so I do know this happens. Once I found this out I refused to where their leathers in Fast Bikes magazine anymore. So, you could say I favour Astars. YES I DO. I have seen how and what they do, used, tested and still use their products. I have, in the past, done the same with Frank Thomas. And finally, for the record, when I was a test rider at MCN I used Dainese a lot. They were good leathers as they did a great job in protecting you in a crash, a situation when testing I did do. The downside was they were 'one crash' and needed to be replaced after most crashes. That said, I walked away each time... All the best Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fire337 Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 I had a high speed get off in a set of Frank Thomas leathers and they held up perfectly. Also had a friend who went down hard and wore a hole through the knee area of his Frank Thomas but his leg was pinned under his bike and it never got to his clothing or skin, just the leathers and armour. I wear an Alpinestars suit now but the Frank Thomas held up well for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F4imane Posted January 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Thanks for letting us know your first hand experience. Glad to hear your ok and the suit did its job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fire337 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Thanks for letting us know your first hand experience. Glad to hear your ok and the suit did its job. No worries, that is why we are all here my friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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