Cycle Gear Bilt Products - any good?

[LeftCoast]

I agree.:agree:

When Cycle Gear was a young up and coming company they featured a variety of brands with no house brand and they grew rapidly. They got bought out by a conglomerate company (Now owning Revzilla BTW) and came out with the low end Chinese BILT brand. I've found their helmets (they have to be DOT or they can't sell them), jackets, boots, and gloves are all at the very low end of the spectrum, but completely serviceable. Some of their undergarments, like their Freeze out and Heat Out lines, and socks are actually pretty decent.

They have in the last year or two came out with a higher end house brand, Sedici, which is supposed to be a little higher quality than BILT. In speaking to the clerks at my local store they did this because they got too many complaints about the lack of quality in the BILT stuff. Some of the Sedici stuff doesn't look half bad for the money, but I haven't tried it.

I've found over many years of riding that you get what you pay for in the gear department. If you don't ride much, then BILT or Sedici will be okay. If you put a lot of miles on your gear, then don't fool around and buy the best you can afford. (I personally like BMW gear, which frequently goes on sale for reasonable prices, considering the quality.)

I didn’t realize Sedici was a house brand. I have a pair of Sedici summer over pants that are decent but the fastening system needs better design. Their weight, ventilation and padding are all good. I don’t wear them much since I got the Bohn armor that I now wear under my jeans.

The Sedici jacket is great for fall, Calif winter and early spring. Hi viz, 2 layers to remove depending on the temp. The only thing I’d change is more zippers for ventilation when it’s warmer.

Now that I’ve written this I guess I should just wash all the gear and get ready for being able to ride again!

 

[triplethreat]

Just curious.....how many of those that have posted that "Bilt" products are good, have actually crash tested that claim and was still happy with the product after the crash? I'm talking about hitting the pavement type crashing!

 

[Navydad]

Just curious.....how many of those that have posted that "Bilt" products are good, have actually crash tested that claim and was still happy with the product after the crash? I'm talking about hitting the pavement type crashing!

My son has a Bilt mesh jacket. I compared it to my Tourmaster mesh jacket. The padding is the same CE approved in both jackets. The mesh material on the Bilt is as heavy as the Tourmaster. The big differences are in the zippers and other fasteners, they are rather cheap, Also the liner with the Bilt is much thinner and less quality material. For those that can't afford the high $$$ stuff the Bilt brand is miles ahead of the T-shirt or denim jacket that a lot of folks are wearing. It's called variety and I'm glad we have it. Buy what you can afford or are comfortable with and enjoy the ride.

 

[triplethreat]

My son has a Bilt mesh jacket. I compared it to my Tourmaster mesh jacket. The padding is the same CE approved in both jackets. The mesh material on the Bilt is as heavy as the Tourmaster. The big differences are in the zippers and other fasteners, they are rather cheap, Also the liner with the Bilt is much thinner and less quality material. For those that can't afford the high $$$ stuff the Bilt brand is miles ahead of the T-shirt or denim jacket that a lot of folks are wearing. It's called variety and I'm glad we have it. Buy what you can afford or are comfortable with and enjoy the ride.

I appreciate your input and comparison. What you stated about zippers, fasteners, and many times the amount of stitching (or lack of it) and the material used for the actual stitching, can make a huge difference whether or not a product survives in a crash or get off scenario. Even the highest rated CE armor doesn't do much good if the jacket or pants that contains it comes apart during an incident. And I also know that not everyone can plop down a couple of grand for helmet, jacket, pants, gloves, boots, etc. but my opinion is that you should always try to buy the very best that you can afford....and like you said, any type of protective equipment is usually better than Zero equipment or blue jeans and t-shirts.

 

[troop]

Just curious.....how many of those that have posted that "Bilt" products are good, have actually crash tested that claim and was still happy with the product after the crash? I'm talking about hitting the pavement type crashing!

I hope I don't crash enough to test the Olympia/Cortech/Toumaster/Alpinestars/Indian/Harley/etc gear I have to verify effectiveness

 

[JeffandLori]

Just curious.....how many of those that have posted that "Bilt" products are good, have actually crash tested that claim and was still happy with the product after the crash? I'm talking about hitting the pavement type crashing!

How many times have you crash tested your gear?

 

[ARtraveler]

Enough of the "crash test" discussion :bowdown:. I was going to delete the references last night, but let it run through today.

No more back and forth on the subject please. Unless you are consumer reports, or some like testing agency...the question is out of line. It started as a discussion about the brand. Like or no like. We don't need to go beyond that here.

Happily...most of us have not needed to "crash test" our safety gear.

We all have choices. There are many brands to choose from. The reasons for choosing are many. No need to diss a particular brand.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Enough of the "crash test" discussion :bowdown:. I was going to delete the references last night, but let it run through today.

No more back and forth on the subject please. Unless you are consumer reports, or some like testing agency...the question is out of line. It started as a discussion about the brand. Like or no like. We don't need to go beyond that here.

Happily...most of us have not needed to "crash test" our safety gear.

We all have choices. There are many brands to choose from. The reasons for choosing are many. No need to diss a particular brand.

:agree: ...100% with what you are saying about ...in-appropriate / un-necessary comments ...... WHY does this happen ??? .... because imho people " see a thread ... don't read any other comments ... and just post their point of view !! " .... an example of this is : people start a Question thread .... and the Same answer is repeated multiple times ....WHY - because nobody read ANY other posts .... personally when I try to give an answer, I try and re-view what has already been said .... if I can Add something new, that's what I do ..... frankly I think the world is getting LAZY, folks won't take the time to READ ..... if there is NO video or pics ..... ( just a detailed explanation ) ... I read comments like " well no video/pics - it didn't happen. ...... sorry end of rant, procede with caution ...:roflblack:......ride safe - ride happy .... Mike hyea:....PS, I think the long time members have a better sense for " not re-peating answers in the same thread " .....:thumbup:

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Thanks guys for all the comments. To sum it up the way I see it, Bilt products are OK, and pretty good taking price into consideration, but are at the lower end of the quality and durability spectrum overall for such products. I'm thinking their gloves would be decent, but probably ought to be replaced reasonably often, like every year. Plus, a pair of new Bilt gloves would undoubtedly be better than my several years old Icon gloves.

 

[SpyderAnn01]

We like to say they are Bilt, not well built.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Mac, buy the best gear you can afford. Bilt products are cheap, value vs quality. You ride a lot, and I’m afraid you would be disappointed. Have you ever been unhappy with the very best?

Well yes, I have. I bought a new Nolan 104 modular helmet at their closeout price during WingDing 2016 in Billings. I'm sure I tried one on, but don't recall now. I had and used three earlier 101, 102, and 103, Nolans. I really liked them. But the 104 wasn't quite the same shape and size as the earlier ones, even though the size designation was the same. It has never fit properly, even after squashing down some of the styrofoam liner around my ears. I think it's time to dump it and find me another helmet. And it may be time to loosen up on brand loyalty! :dontknow:

 

[Motorcycledave]

How many times have you crash tested your gear?

Just once, I dont want to do that again and my BILT armor worked just fine.

 

[RICZ]

I have gloves, riding pants, and jackets I bought decades ago at CG. There's not only years on them, but tens of thousands of miles with only natural wear.
I recommend CG.

 

[SPECTACUALR SPIDERMAN]

i like cycle gear because i can try stuff on & they helped me install & tune my sena on my helmet i didn't buy from them. the one i go to sells tires
but they don't do installs so my dealer has to take care of my indian.