Aero courderoy at the hem?

[Cyber Lip]

Excuse me for mispelling courderoy (I'm assuming I got it wrong). I'm too lazy to go look it up. Anyway...anyone have pics of an Aero w/the 6" courd reinforcement at the hem? Just curious what it looks like.

I've had a Cafe R on order for a few months and just got a call that they will no longer do the leather reinforced hem that I had specified when I ordered, but will substitute for courd. Will that work as well? I was told it would, but I'd imagine it would be just as prone to sagging as the cotton lining.

This is a real drag because fabric at the hem will get wet and soggy when riding in bad weather, and will get dirty if I place my jacket on the floor someplace. Plus I like the idea of 'double' the leather at the kidney panel.

IMO they should honor the specs of all orders placed before they made policy changes.

 

[Jeff M]

No experience with cord vs leather at the hem.
Own several Aero's. All with tartan lining...no corduroy or leather at the hem.
None have had any problems with sagging.,...though I am not a motorcycle rider.

 

[Grayland]

I have a new 30's Half Belt. Worn it twice and the tartan has already sagged below the bottom of the jacket. I "fixed" it with a few safety pins.

 

[wdw]

anyone have pics of an Aero w/the 6" courd reinforcement at the hem?

Here's a Stockman with a 5" strip. The back length is 30", so much longer than the Cafe Racer.

 

[Cooperson]

Real shame Aero have stopped the leather strip. It really adds a finishing touch to my Californian and I think it looks so much better than corduroy. Just my own opinion.

 

[Don Tomaso]

I've sent back my LHB 2 months (!) ago for some minor fixings, including the leather-strip at the hem. It would look very nice, I'm sure, but this week I finally got word from Aero that, as Ken does not approve of the leather-strip, they won't do it. Of course, I was quite disappointed because we allready aggreed to do it this way, and coming back to me after such a long time just to tell me "no, we decided otherways", is not the way I would handle customer's requests, but my objection was to no avail. Now, looking at the picture above I feel even more disappointed as I can see how nice it looks, really clean and tidy.
Anyway, I had to settle for the cord and I only hope it will be ok. Leaves a sour taste, though.

 

[Gancho]

When I ordered my Long Halfbelt two years ago, Will explained me that for the LHB they won't do the leather hem, only for shorter jackets. I am satisfied with my LHB with corduroy hem, but I agree that the leather hem looks much better.

For a Cafe Racer or any other short jacket the leather hem is a must. I can not understand why Aero makes such problem with adding this wish. I'm very happy to have all my jacket as I want them!

 

[Don Tomaso]

It could be that the leather-strip would make a longer jacket, like the LHB, balloon below the adjustable side-straps. If so, their stance on the longer jackets would be understandable, but, as you said, not for the shorter ones. I'll wait and see the results. Nothing I could do anyway...

 

[Fanch]

It would be nice for Holly to comment on this thread. I vaguely recall this being brought up before with the response from Aero being that the leather hem makes replacing the lining problematic. I suspect that Ken has a valid reason for his position since it would be to Aero's economic advantage to provide a leather hem with the significant additional charge unless there is an overriding concern to the contrary.

 

[rocketeer]

It would be nice for Holly to comment on this thread.

I dont think Holly is about at the moment, like most of us maybe she want's a break from work as it's the weekend.

 

[Fanch]

I dont think Holly is about at the moment, like most of us maybe she want's a break from work as it's the weekend.

I realized that but hoping for a comment from Holly when she has a free moment, maybe in 3-4 days, assuming that this thread flies inside her radar.

 

[Carrie @ Insurrection]

As the main dealer of Aero here in the USA, Ken explained his reasoning, in detail, to us regarding the inside leather facing as follows...

The inside, leather facing affects the way the jacket hangs (the jacket's lines) on individuals, adds unnecessary cost to the Aero consumer (I applaud Ken in his efforts at trying to ride that very thin line between incredible quality and making the product cost-prohibitive!), and is every bit as effective as the inside leather facing in avoiding liner-sag as well as rips to the lower liner from the belt.

Ken is also trying his best to keep products from Aero very, very true to their vintage roots, and he is quite right that you just didn't see this inside leather facing on '30s, '40s, and '50s pieces (save pieces with belt loops or buckles at the bottom hem). We see a ton of vintage jackets and it isn't often that we see the belt line ripped in the liner. An armhole seam will tear far easier and quicker than will the jacket's liner at the belt line. With this said, we still sometimes come across a ripped liner at the bottom hem of a vintage jacket and we repair it with either a heavy corduroy or drill. If done properly, which is what Ken is wanting to do in the first place, it is a sure cure and doesn't affect the drape, lines, or fall of the jacket.

Wade is currently specifying all of our Aero orders, both custom and off-the-rack, with a three inch strip of corduroy at the bottom hem, as he feels that the three inch strip will do the same job as the two inches of leather facing, look a bit nicer than a full six inches of corduroy, and finish off the bottom of the liner, what ever that liner might be, very nicely.

I hope that this helps...

Warmest Regards,

Carrie

 

[pauleway]

I have on order a 30's HB with a lot of Mods, and one of them was a Wind/Storm flap that Ken told me in an e-mail that it was a real no-no for a 30's HB. I told Amanda that I have so many mods on the jacket that it wouldn't really matter, but this is one example of Ken trying to stay true to the original patterns - which I give him credit for at least trying to give you good advice on staying true to the original era jackets!

 

[seabass]

i have a deluxe Half belt with the 3'' leather strip....I regret getting it & should have gotten the Coduroy strip instead......
I got it due to my vintage biker belts that i wear & i wear high waist jeans.....
well the double layer of HH is too thick, it causes a line to appear from the exterior, & i do ride occasionaly & a ridged frame & i dont feel any support at all to the kidneys,& its uncomfortable in the car driving & makes the jacket ride up.
so it's not a substuite for a kidney belt...yes it does offer protection from my studded belts but....................................
I also have a Highwayman with the very thick Coduroy & that jacket looks great no lines or bulges & it offers great protection from the old biker belt's & high waisted jeans
& its super comfy all around bike or car or casual wear...
So dont dwell on specific things unless you have a real need for it....a good tailor or leather shop can replace lining & add Coduroy when the time comes & is actually needed..
if you instist on leather strip get a softer leather maybe goat for the strip or something thinner....Heck the Coduroy seems original to a Vintage Design,
I have quite a few old jackets in HH that have a coduroy bottom strip some as wide as 8'' & those jackets seem more intact than others.. the sleeves will go before anything else
because of more body movement.....
so save your $ have cleaner lines on the exterior & if you ride a ridged bobber than get a Kidney Belt for long rides.....Hmmm maybe thats why some of my vintage have Coduroy
placed high for the kidney belt of the wearer....& if you do go for a HH strip on your areo it wont support your Kidneys for crap, due to the jackets areo makes seem wide at the waist compared to a vintage tapered cut (probably cut for todays tummy).......Oh but your getting the Cafe Racer model which might be fitted at the waist, the thick Coduroy does offer some support i do notice that with my vintage & not much with my highwayman & it looks cool
hope this helps & save you some $

 

[Fanch]

Carrie's response makes complete sense. When I was in Seattle a couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to meet Carrie and watch her as she repaired a vintage leather jacket that someone had sent in to Insurrection for repair. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with Carrie and Wade while I was there and was very impressed with what I saw.

 

[too much coffee]

Excuse me for mispelling courderoy (I'm assuming I got it wrong). I'm too lazy to go look it up. Anyway...anyone have pics of an Aero w/the 6" courd reinforcement at the hem? Just curious what it looks like.

I've had a Cafe R on order for a few months and just got a call that they will no longer do the leather reinforced hem that I had specified when I ordered, but will substitute for courd. Will that work as well? I was told it would, but I'd imagine it would be just as prone to sagging as the cotton lining.




























This is a real drag because fabric at the hem will get wet and soggy when riding in bad weather, and will get dirty if I place my jacket on the floor someplace. Plus I like the idea of 'double' the leather at the kidney panel.

IMO they should honor the specs of all orders placed before they made policy changes.

Hi Cyber Lip;
Since you're in Seattle, you might wanna pop on into Insurrection. They might exactly what you're looking for.
I don't know where you are financially or contractually with Aero but it might be worth a look.

And let's face it, Langlitz in Portland isn't that far away. That is another viable option to you Something used on their rack just might have your name on it. Man you could then drive down to Langlitz, pickup a jacket, go South into Scapoose and check out WESCO for some serious boots.

Great country this America!

Regards,
coffee

 

[Graemsay]

Holly's already answered the question about the leather strip.

The cord would sit much better than the leather does, which is why we don't want to continue offering this as an option. It can risk spoiling the line of the jacket.

Cord is the traditional method to stop this from happening. It is used for two reasons in particular, the cord grain is running across the bottom, not up and down which makes it a strong choice. And the lining sagging is caused by the fact certain materials don't have a tight enough weave which is why it tends to hang down if there's a lining like tartan, whereas cotton drill won't and neither will cord.

Ken doesn't like it, and neither did Will when I spoke to him at the factory in August for reasons articulated above, and also because it makes replacing the liner more difficult. I certainly wouldn't have opted for it after hearing why it's a bad idea from the source.

Given that Aero have been making jackets for an awfully long time, they might actually know something about it too.

 

[schitzo]

i have a deluxe Half belt with the 3'' leather strip....I regret getting it & should have gotten the Coduroy strip instead......
the double layer of HH is too thick, it causes a line to appear from the exterior, & i do ride occasionaly & a ridged frame & i dont feel any support at all to the kidneys,& its uncomfortable in the car driving & makes the jacket ride up.
so it's not a substuite for a kidney belt...yes it does offer protection from my studded belts but....................................
I also have a Highwayman with the very thick Coduroy & that jacket looks great no lines or bulges & it offers great protection from the old biker belt's & high waisted jeans
& its super comfy all around bike or car or casual wear...

Thanks Seabass I think you just put this one to bed