Repairing synthetic (Teknic) gear...

[mattimeo]

Couple of weeks back I binned on some black ice - ended up sliding down the road for a way. My gear protected me 100%, however the road ripped up the material quite badly.

Anyone here have any recommendations as to getting it repaired? Its a teknic jacket & pants set... I want to sew leather patches over the rips (they're mainly on the knees & elbows - just wondering if anyone has any experience to share.

Recommendations of repair shops within the Palmerston North area would be appreciated too!

[vifferman]

I've got a Teknic Hurricane jacket, that I lowsided in when it was only 3 weeks old. I followed that up with another spill or two. I took it to Kerrie at MSW, and it now has leather on the outside of the sleeves and shoulders. It works REALLY well, apart from being a bit warmer in summer, due to less breathability (and three layers on the arms!)
It's still waterproof; initially I just put leather dressing on the leather bits, but now I wash the jacket, and spray the whole thing with two coats of silicon.

The only trouble now, is I can't find a jacket to replace it! There are few combination textile/leather jackets on the market (Macna, Spidi) and they're very expensive.

[mattimeo]

Sounds exactly what I had in mind. Where is MSW? How do I contact this Kerrie person? :)

[Pixie]

MSW 31 St Kevins Arcade
Karangahape Rd
Auckland

09 309 9522

The big thing with any clothing that has breathable membrane liners,is that any repair must not be stitdhed through the membrane.
This would create leaks.

[mattimeo]

Yeah. I went around various taylors in Palmerston North - none of them seemed very sure of what to do... I'd much rather it be repaired by someone who has handled biking gear before.

I think I'll contact MSW and see about couriering my jacket and pants up. From all i've heard it'd be a safer bet than getting it done locally. Vifferman - did Kerrie charge you much for this? I'm happy to pay for a good job, but I'd like to have some idea before I commit myself!

[slopster]

If your not too worried about how its going to look you could buy a leather sewing awl and do it your self. Its a little tool about the size of a screwdriver with a heavy duty needle on one end and a spool of thick nylon thread in the handle real easy to use. You can buy them at some outdoors shops and also equestrian shops. The sewing shops dont seem to know anything about them. Cost about $30 and useful for all sorts of repairs. But unless you're good it wont look too pretty.

[mattimeo]

I think I'll pay for a proper job.

[Antony N]

I got mine repaired from there, went for a slide down the road on my shoulder, repair job was good, little messy with excess glue and stiching that came undone after 2 weeks but im happy with it, cost me nearly $200... if I had know this (my wife dropped it in for me) I think i might have gone and found a new jacket, but it is done now and im happy with it.
Ant

[vifferman]

YVifferman - did Kerrie charge you much for this? I'm happy to pay for a good job, but I'd like to have some idea before I commit myself!
Look, it was years ago, so I can't remember Eggs Zachary, but I think it was $300. Bear in mind this was a substantial rebuild, requiring undoing the arm seams and sewing in new outer lower sleeves and patches that cover almost the whole shoulder. It's a brilliant job, and has lasted for about 5 years now. The alternative was ~$700-$800 for a replacement jacket, which wouldn't have had the same features: leather in the abrasion-prone areas, 8 air vents, no need for a waterproof liner (this one has an outer fabric that's waterproof / breathable, which as far as I know no other jackets have.)
I've also had leather pants repaired and altered by Kerrie, and I've no hesitation in recommending her work.


I got mine repaired from there, went for a slide down the road on my shoulder, repair job was good, little messy with excess glue and stiching that came undone after 2 weeks...
You should have taken it back, Ant. I'm sure she'd fix that.
The thing that I like about Kerrie is she does a lot of work for racers, and she knows full well what garments have to stand up to in a spill, so she does the work accordingly.

The first repairs I had done (before the leather patches) were fully waterproof - she sealed the back of the fabric to make
sure.

The thing I don't like about Kerrie is every time she sees me, she goes, "Oh! What have you done this time?!?"

Anyway, if you like I can give her a call and find out an approximate price for the repairs. Leather patches on elbows and knees? Is that all?

[mattimeo]

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but... My gear just came back from MSW. She did a fantastic job! Its totally improved the general quality of the jacket and pants. I'm really stoked.

[Sollyboy]

Just use duct tape , that new 3m clear duct tape is good

[The Pastor]

pics before and after and pricing would be cool :D

[mattimeo]

I'm afraid I don't have any detailed beforehand photos... But I'll get a few to show the general quality of workmanship. The total bill was $380 for pants and jacket. While this is expensive, I wasn't after a quick fix. She has definitely improved the overall quality of both garments.

[Oakie]

I now have a similar issue but for a much smaller bit of damage. A 1cm cut in my Dri-Rider pants to be precise. I'm thinking of trying a fix using a light rubber puncture repair patch that you'd normally use on a bicycle tube puncture. Comments anyone? Failing that, a bit of duct tape will do for now.

(If you really need to know, I fell on the road trying to stop a bike from falling over ... so just minimal damage)

[Daffyd]

I now have a similar issue but for a much smaller bit of damage. A 1cm cut in my Dri-Rider pants to be precise. I'm thinking of trying a fix using a light rubber puncture repair patch that you'd normally use on a bicycle tube puncture. Comments anyone? Failing that, a bit of duct tape will do for now.

(If you really need to know, I fell on the road trying to stop a bike from falling over ... so just minimal damage)

Yeah, right!