Speed and Strength Rage With The Machine Jacket

We tried the size Medium in this jacket on Huey and we put an XL jacket on Dewey. These are the sizes they normally wear and both fit well. The jackets are roomy. My primary advice would be to wear the size you normally wear in men’s clothing. If you are between sizes I’d advise you to go down. There isn’t a lot of taper from the chest to the waist, so there shouldn’t be concerns with fit if you have a bit of a belly. The large side leather adjustment straps can take up a lot of the slack, so those with a trim waist will look good too.

The jackets are fairly short in front… sort of like a race jacket and barely cover the belt line. This cut was no doubt used to add distinctive style (as if this one needs more drama, right?). The cut is a bit longer in back (as it should be). Nothing wrong with a short waist jacket mind you, but many buyers might not be expecting this and misjudge the fit. When you lean forward on the bike, you’ll appreciate a short waist style like this because it won’t bunch up in the chest area.

The chart provided by Speed and Strength shows chest sizes for each alpha size that are a bit larger than what you’d normally see for “standard” conversion from chest size to alpha size. Based on my observations (above), the chart seems just about right.

Need help measuring? Get it here.

The Rage With the Machine jacket is also a vest too. I’ll give this jacket the prize as the most “distinctive” style I’ve seen this season. You are gonna love it or you are gonna hate it, and if you love it, you’ll have a choice of exactly one jacket because there is nothing out there that is similar. When I saw the pictures of this jacket, I was hoping it would look as good in person as it looks in the photos. Why? Well, sometimes, products like this that are highly styled really don’t have much going in the practicality and quality department, but I’m pleased to say this jacket really looks good. The leather used on all the straps is high quality and the positioning of the Velcro and such makes it all VERY useful. As I mentioned above, this is a wide cut jacket and therefore will accommodate a really beefy build, but with the adjustability, trim builds will look good too… maybe even better because of the very square cut wide shoulders. The basic shell is textile and the jacket has a mesh interior. The jacket comes with Knox removable armor in the shoulders and elbows and a foam back pad. Take the “View Larger Images” link above and check out how the sleeves zip off and the jacket converts to a vest. It works well and looks good. One feature that is easy to overlook, and at first I really couldn’t figure out what it did, or was. I’m referring to the zipper you see in the lining that runs around the back protector. If you un-zip, you get full access to the jacket’s back area… it is for the easy installation of club patches… aka “your colors”. What a clever idea! If you are more interested in just a vest, see the two links below to the similarly styled leather vests by Speed and Strength. :: Paul, 11-12-12

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