Segura Spencer Jacket And Overalls
SEGURA SPENCER JACKET AND OVERALLS
EVALUATION
THE NEXT-BEST THING TO A CLOSET FULL OF RIDING GEAR
IDEALLY, THE PERFECT CLOSET OF RIDing gear would contain one of everything. On the shelves would be one of every helmet, boot and glove. And hanging inside there’d be a garment for every season: a lightweight jacket for summer, a lined jacket for spring and fall, and an arctic-proof suit for winter. But if there were only a single suit inside, one designed to send those other garments packing to Goodwill, it just might be Segura’s Spencer leathers, a combination of jacket and bib overalls.
Your first clue to the Spencer’s versatility lies behind the jacket’s Eurostyle offset zipper: The jacket is generously cut, with blousy arms and a roomy torso. That extra room can make the wearer look somewhat paunchy, but it also allows him to peel off or pile on several layers of clothing should the weather turn fair or foul. Seven expansion panels—behind the waist, and from armpit to knee in the bib; behind the shoulders and down the sides of the jacket—add to the suit’s roomy feel, and help provide excellent freedom of movement, with only slight bunching at the bib’s waist. There also are copious amounts of soft foam padding at the knees, elbows, shoulders and in the stand-up collar, and both garments are lined with nylon. The leather itself feels somewhat thin, but it’s glove-soft and supple.
Besides, it’s the inner lining in the jacket’s torso that’s the key to the suit’s multi-season adaptability. On top of a conventional quilted layer of acrylic insulation is what Segura calls an isothermic aluminum lining, a material similar to that found in space blankets. Segura first used the lining in suits made for competitors in the Paris-to-Dakar rally, where riders have to endure temperatures ranging from alpine cold to desert heat. In theory, the material contains body heat when it’s cold, and reflects away unwanted heat when it’s not.
Practice bears out that theory, too. With just a heavy shirt and sweater on underneath, the Spencers keep a rider as warm as an insulated nylon touring suit would in temperatures down to the 40s. Although the bib lacks insulation, the jacket keeps the torso sufficiently warm so that the extremities don’t suffer.
When the mercury threatens to break the bottom out of the thermometer, though, the Spencers can’t equal the heaviest winter suits, and a rider needs a closet full of sweaters or an electric vest to stay toasty. Still, the jacket’s roominess keeps him from feeling too bulked up when he starts layering on clothing, and an electric vest points up how well the lining retains heat; the warmth remains long after the vest is turned off. And when Paris—or Yuma, or wherever—sizzles, the lining helps make sure the rider doesn’t. In 90-degree heat, the suit is warmer than a ventilated summer jacket and jeans would be, but not as stifling as some other insulated touring suits.
Segura’s Spencers also have several nice touches a rider will appreciate regardless of the weather. The suit is virtually draft-free, and it features a two-way zipper for the bib; large, easily grasped zipper pulls; gusseted sleeves; and eight pockets—four each in the jacket and bib.
Still, the bib could use a couple of improvements; there’s no access to pants pockets, the dye bleeds through, the straps tend to roll off the rider’s shoulders, and on some bikes the pant cuffs ride up.
Overall, Segura’s Spencers (imported by Engmann Distributors Inc., 951 Oakton St., Elk Grove Village, IL 60007, in men’s and women’s sizes in black or burgundy-andgray) make good on their promise as a multi-season riding suit—provided that your seasons don’t run to extremes. That versatility doesn’t come cheaply, though; for the $229 each for the jacket and bib, you could almost buy a closetful of riding gear. But if you’ve only got one hanger, Segura’s Spencers are the next-best thing.
