Good idea to buy clothing online?

[KWCFC]

As the title suggests really.

I've found that a lot of motorbike gear is cheaper if you shop online rather than go to a local store.. But obviously it's a bit of a lottery I guess with ordering the right sizes?

Would anyone recommend buying online for this stuff or is just better to go local and try it even though it's more costly?

[Mawsley]

If you buy online then do it from somewhere that'll do free returns if stuff doesn't fit.

Or go to a store and try things on then order them online.

Or ask the store to match the online price.

[Joeman]

Go local and ask them to price match the online store.

They might not be able to totally match the price but then it's worth paying for the service of someone to help you out and get your sizes right and to take the stuff away same day. That's worth more than the saving you get online.

Trying stuff in in-store then ordering online should be illegal as it's not fair on retailers and and if everyone did it there would be no stores left!

[Andy Mc]

I was looking at ordering my helmet online, but decided to go in to local store (where I work) to get it, it was slightly more expensive, and they only had the one on show, so I thought I would just order it in through the local shop, a week later I went back in store...sorry no helmet! so I was a bit peeved about it, then I said well I just choose another..so eventually after going through another 3 lids that were not in stock (I did not want a show piece), they said they would check in the store room to see what was actually in, they came out with something totally different, £20 more, but the colour scheme was pretty good so I just took it at left. dismal if you ask me for a very well known store. I tried it on a week earlier, should have just walked out and ordered online with next day delivery (hindsight) .. besides that the staff were very helpful and knowledgeable, so I guess you cant beat that. Just crap stock levels.

[bonio]

It partly depends on your options for buying locally. If you've got stores with a good selection of stuff nearby then using them might be a great option. For me, I've got to go about 40 miles to get to a decent clothing store, and even then it's sometimes worth the trip to be able to try things on and get a good fit or advice from the people in the shop or whatever.

Most of the time, though, I end up buying online. It works well, but like has been said, you can get caught with the cost of returning stuff as most clothing items are pretty heavy. Sportsbikedirect do free returns on everything, and I use tend to use them more than others for this reason.

One thing I've found out though is that some items, like leathers and summer gloves, are really hard to buy online as the fit needs to be quite snug. And of course you need to try a helmet on before you know whether it's going to fit and provide the protection you need.

[Mawsley]

I bought my leather in J&S because I liked it and wore it for the rest of the day.

Brown leather jackets are the best. Just like rum and coke is the best. And, for this 12 hours, being a Dad is the best. Tomorrow I'll be hungover and my kids will hate me again, and I'll not care about the jacket.

TL;DR: rum FTW.

[Bhawk]

i ordered some biking jeans online. lucky i did, theyre the only pair of jeans that fit me now, my gut gets bigger by the day lol

[madcow87]

I bought all my initial gear from a shop. Problem is that the only shops stocked up are a fair old drive away...usually around a 2 hour drive down the motorway. It was worth it for my initial stuff, and when I come to buy another lid I think i'll travel and try them on, for other stuff like jackets, pants etc i'll probably take a gamble and buy online now that I've got a good idea on sizes.

[2WheelSolo]

I'm fortunate enough to live near a large J&S but no matter how big they still only stock a limited range. So most of my stuff I order online. My preferred site these days is sportsbikeshop.co.uk because I get the stuff next day (shipping is usually free above a certain value) and if I'm not happy with it I can send it back for refund or exchange.

[mike_1984]

I bought my textile gear online, sizing guides were pretty good so no problems really, i bought helm in a store so i could try it on and see what i was getting, if there was a bike store in sunderland i woulda check them out though.

[Westbeef]

Got most of my stuff off sportsbikeshop, returns process was nice and easy