I'm hosting another YouTube live steam, this Monday, March 20th at 8pm East.
You can chat your questions or post a comment here so we can talk about it!
im going to cover "women's" helmets (what does that mean anyway?), sizing for extra small heads and the best options for different shapes as well as your helmet questions.
Join me here: http://bit.ly/2n0xBg3
Some of you may know that I cohost a motorcycle podcast with my good friend Cristi Farrell aka Adventure Goddess. You can find every episode, up to #91 which we recorded earlier this week on our website.
Listen directly from the website on your phone, ipad or laptop/desktop .You can also listen on iTunes and Stitcher.
I am sad. Very sad. It's difficult finding top of the line women's motorcycle gear. Especially finding GORE-TEX motorcycle gear for women.
REV'IT released the Legacy GTX suit in the Fall of 2011. Just 2 seasons ago. I guess they didn't sell enough suits to keep offering this line. Which is really unfortunate. Given the price point, I guess I can't say I'm totally surprised.
But its really difficult to say exactly why women weren't buying this suit. I've recommended it to quite a few people and I know of 3-5 offhand that purchased it because I recommended it.
Both piece retailed for a little under $1100 total. Do you know any women who would spend that much on the best motorcycle suit? With the best abrasion resistance, great fitment and the main feature of an integrated GORE-TEX membrane?
Sadly I think most women wouldn't. What women do you know that spend more than $100 on themselves for anything these days? I dont know the answer to that. And I might just be thinking outloud. But I'm getting tired of hearing the same argument, that the women's gear isn't as good as the men's. Well, it WAS. Up until this suit went away. That's what sucks the most. I know that the products are out there and available for women. No, it's not the same number of options yet, for every 1 women's jacket there at least 10 others for men from various manufacturers.
But this is what I've been saying all along to everyone who tries to argue the case that there aren't enough options for women. There ARE. If I opened a store with Every line of women's gear in the shop, I'd probably need a few thousand square feet of floor space, if not more.
The real problem is that most shops only carry a fraction of what's available. How are women supposed to shop and buy more gear if 'more' isn't there to choose from? And that's the vicious cycle. Yes, the options are all online. But it's nearly impossible, and downright difficult to shop for gear online. Some sites have made a conscious effort to sell women's gear as best as they can, and that's great but not enough. So that brings me to another issue. If there's all these options online and most women are shopping that way, then why didn't this particular suit sell?
At this point, it has to be price point. But the problem is that you have to really see a suit like this in person to make it worth it. Seeing is believing and especially with more expensive motorcycle suits. It all looks the same online. Until you walk into a store, try it all on and see/feel/touch it for yourself. It works for me more often than not, and that's why I'm able to help so many women who come to Scuderia. You'd never think of jumping online and spending $1,000 until you put that suit on and feel the difference. Doesn't work for me every time, but it definitely does more often than not.
That's the key to selling more women's gear, more shops must carry more options. But more importantly, shops have to CARE about carrying more options. And they have to be invested in apparel specialists, training, informing and educating their female customers.
But it's a two way street. If you have all these options in front of you, you must be willing to SPEND more than $100 on your body! Come on, be honest for a minute. When's the last time you spent $500 on One piece of gear? I don't think enough women are willing to spend the $$ on themselves, either. Spending $500 on a new pair of shoes and an iPhone? NO problem. $500 on a helmet or a jacket to fully protect your body? Oh Hell NO. Way too expensive. WTF kind of logic is that?
/endrant
As many of you may know, I've been a part of the Scuderia West family for almost 5 years now. Mostly part time, a Saturday or two here and there, and most recently Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
I'm thrilled to announce that as of last week, I've officially joined on full time and will be working in a social media / marketing capacity. Of course, I will keep dedicating time to apparel and helping women of the San Francisco Bay Area shop for motorcycle gear as well! I will definitely continue to run GearChic as is and expect nothing much to change from this new adventure.
I'll be setting up personal shopping appointments during the week so that you can get my full one on one attention and you can find exactly what you want/need for your motorcycle or scooter.
I have had many offers over the years to work at various dealerships / shops in the Bay Area. But Scuderia has always been my home. It's where me and my husband bought our first scooter before moving onto motorcycles.
By working full time, I can not only continue to help Scuderia increase their presence in the Bay Area, but make myself completely available for all the women riders searching for gear. Wouldn't it be great if someone could actually look at you, know what size you are and recommend at least 2 or 3 gear options for you to try on? I promise that if you shop with me, I'll do my best to make the experience as quick and painless as possible. You'll leave the store knowing exactly what size you are in what brand, what fits and what doesn't.
I won't work anywhere else because the women's gear we have helps me fit a variety of women from the smaller, petite gals to the fuller figured, curvier gals. Knowing that I can help 99% of women that walk in the door helps me do my job.
To make a shopping appointment, or if you have any questions and need help shopping, please drop me an email or call me anytime during business hours. Of course you can always reach me via my website if I'm not at the shop.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Contact Info:
www.scuderia.com
joanne@scuderia.com
415-621-7223 phone
10am-6pm, Tues-Sat
