Custom Leathers for Cheap

bryanboonern · #1 (**permalink**) 11-02-2008, 12:40 PM

Have you all ever heard of this company?

Spartan Apparel - www.SpartanLeathers.com

This is buddy of mine's company and he builds one heck of a quality suit. He is anal about the quality and only uses top quality stuff. Custom fitted suits are cheaper than even the cheap off the rack suits.

You all ought to check it out.

pigrider · #2 (**permalink**) 11-03-2008, 11:47 PM

one heck of a good deal for a custom suit...

selfinfliction · #3 (**permalink**) 11-04-2008, 12:35 AM

wasn't he located in ky?

bryanboonern · #4 (**permalink**) 11-04-2008, 07:19 PM

He lives in southern IN right by Louisville, KY.

forceten · #5 (**permalink**) 11-04-2008, 10:56 PM

I was in on the first group that bought suits. In the pictures you can see mine that has forceten on the back. White, black and red suit.

My first custom suit. (currently at barnacle bills to be fixed and altered)

selfinfliction · #6 (**permalink**) 11-05-2008, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forceten

I was in on the first group that bought suits. In the pictures you can see mine that has forceten on the back. White, black and red suit.

My first custom suit. (currently at barnacle bills to be fixed and altered)

were there issues with it, or just wear/tear/damage?

forceten · #7 (**permalink**) 11-05-2008, 02:24 PM

It is brand new

The collar has to be taken off,

The snaps in the wrist have to go

The lettering in the back wasn't done right so its being redone.

Past those few things the rest of the suit is great. Good quality leather, fits almost perfect. Slightly tight since the leather is new - but that will loosen up.

For the money i spent i'm happy. No where you gonna find a custom cut suit for under $500 like that!.

bryanboonern · #8 (**permalink**) 11-06-2008, 01:16 PM

Yeah, he had issues with people feeling like they are being choked with the collar. His standard is now no collar or you can get a neoprene one. The snaps on the wrist are supposed be replaced by velcro.

What was wrong with the lettering forceten?

As time goes on and people give him reviews, the suit gets better and better.

forceten · #9 (**permalink**) 11-06-2008, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bryanboonern

Yeah, he had issues with people feeling like they are being choked with the collar. His standard is now no collar or you can get a neoprene one. The snaps on the wrist are supposed be replaced by velcro.

What was wrong with the lettering forceten?

As time goes on and people give him reviews, the suit gets better and better.

We were the Ginni pigs for the rest of you guys

Collar was killing me - but like he said dave now will order them with no collars and now velcro for the wrists.

Only problem for the lettering for me was me and dave misunderstood eachother on the lettering was all. I showed him white letters... but for me to show him white letters I had to put it on to a dark backround (so he could see the white.

He thought I wanted the backround with white letters so thats what he ordered for me - looked crappy. BB is gonna just take that off and give me straight white letters.

Like I said not daves fault. Just a miscommunication.

I will be wearing my new suit next season! Hope I'm not the first one to crash test it though

BC999S · #10 (**permalink**) 11-06-2008, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bryanboonern

This is buddy of mine's company and he builds one heck of a quality suit.

Perhaps you could clarify a couple of things:

- On the website, "my manufacturer" is referred to a number of times. Who is the maufacturer?

- Delays in delivery could be caused by "US Customs". Is the manufacturer offshore?

Thanks!

bryanboonern · #11 (**permalink**) 11-06-2008, 08:16 PM

Pretty much what happens is the company is owned by my friend, an avid motorcyclist who is passionate about safety and who started this business as a hobby and a fun way to make some extra coin if it works out that way. He designs the suits and picks out every detail from the type of zipper to where the seams are and what type of seam, the thickness of the leather, etc. He then has his "manufacturer" build the suit and ship them over. The manufacturer is in Pakistan. If you look at many large leather companies, you will see the little tag on the inside states, "made in pakistan." So yes it is offshore so the package must go through customs. He has them shipped to him, though, and then to the consumer so he can make sure everything is ok before sending it out.

Dave is the owner and a great guy. He is going to try to join the board as I told him I started this thread, so he may be able to give some more insight soon.

forceten · #12 (**permalink**) 11-06-2008, 09:15 PM

Like i said, for the money - such a great deal for a custom suit!! Most custom suits can be $1,000+ easy. I know BB's are depending on what you want.

So if you having trouble getting a suit to fit good off the rack (as I was) then a custom suit for under $500 is a steal.

I never had a suit fit me so well. The leg length was cut exact to me, arm length and so on.

Off the rack I would get a good size up top but always made for taller people and i would have to bunch up the legs into my boots.

With the changes dave made to the collar and sleeves, that makes this suit perfect for the money!

The only thing we don't know is how well it will hold up in a crash! I think we all hope it can take a few spills and not be toast. Time will tell.

wingnutt · #13 (**permalink**) 11-07-2008, 01:03 PM

I wonder if my vintage leathers were made by a different company ???

bryanboonern · #14 (**permalink**) 11-07-2008, 03:17 PM

Yes they were a different company. Way back in the day spartan was evidently a line that one of the larger companies had that is no longer in production. Every once in a while this will pop out.

Rule is if they look like they were from the early 90's, they are not Dave's.

Again, he will be able to explain this more when the admins give him rights to post.

wingnutt · #15 (**permalink**) 11-07-2008, 03:26 PM

Bryan, these smell like the 70's

but they got me through my first trackday

mtmansl · #16 (**permalink**) 11-15-2008, 04:31 AM

Is there any padding in the hip area?

Matthew

3stripes · #17 (**permalink**) 11-15-2008, 06:47 AM

he needs to fix his website. Not very user friendly and not very informative. I have a few friends that maybe ineterested but the website is going to turn them off.

Tai

DrummerDave · #18 (**permalink**) 12-08-2008, 01:09 PM

Hey Guys,
This is Dave from Spartan.
Sorry it has taken me like a month to reply to this thread - my account was just validated.

So lets see. . . where to start.
1) Collars - My suits are now standard with no collar. If you want one, they'll be added at no cost, and they now have neoprene & some padding that make them far more comfortable than they originally were.
2) Wrist snaps - they're now velcro, instead of metal snaps.

Spartan from the 90's:
Bryan pretty much got it spot on. Spartan was a line of leathers back in the 90s. They havent sold anything in probably 10 years or more, and a trademark (the Spartan name) is abandoned after 3 years of non-use. So it's all good & legal that I use the name. Actually, when I started the company, I didnt even know they ever existed.

Website:
3Stripes - What in particular did you have issues with? Im not sure what info is lacking. I've got specs, pics, a store to purchase, a FAQ page, a way to submit measurements, templates and measurement instructions. . . Granted, I built this website myself, and Im no pro web designer, but I'd be happy to hear any suggestions you have for improvement.

Anyway, now that Im here, let me know if you've got any questions. I'd be happy to assist.
Later,
Dave
Spartan Apparel

DrummerDave · #19 (**permalink**) 12-08-2008, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtmansl

Is there any padding in the hip area?

Matthew

Yes. There are hip pads.

DrummerDave · #20 (**permalink**) 12-08-2008, 01:14 PM

Quote:

The only thing we don't know is how well it will hold up in a crash! I think we all hope it can take a few spills and not be toast. Time will tell.

True, I've had no crashers yet.
According to Alexa (Spyder leather works) the suit should hold up fine in a crash.

The suits are made well, with triple stitched seams in all impact areas (this means butt, side seam (running from ankle to armpit), arms, etc.
There are as few seams as possible to reduce the number of potential failure points. Double layer leather in butt and forearms.
If it's not triple stitched, it's usually double stitched. Only zippers and things that cant be double stitched are single.
Armor is GP style, with the foam inside w/ the hard plastic outside. It's heavy duty stuff.