Aero Design & Mfg. Co. Inc.
TypeSole proprietorship
IndustryCatalog/Online Retail, Clothing Design & Manufacturing
Founded1983
FounderAndy Goldfine
HeadquartersDuluth, Minnesota
Area served
US & Canada, ships worldwide.
Key people
Andy Goldfine
ProductsMotorcycle rider suits and motorcycling accessories
ServicesSuit alteration and repair
RevenueUS$ 6 million (2004)
OwnerAndy Goldfine
Number of employees
100 (2004)
Websitehttp://www.aerostich.com/

Aerostich, formerly Aero Design & Mfg. Co. Inc.,[1] is a company based in Duluth, Minnesota that produces and sells motorcycle safety clothing and other motorcycle related equipment, such as GPS systems, luggage, and hand tools. It was founded in 1983 by Andy Goldfine, who is also the founder of the nonprofit Ride To Work, Inc. and was elected to a third three-year term as an American Motorcyclist Association board member in 2008.[2][3][4][5]

They are best known for the textile protective clothing they create, including the one-piece Roadcrafter suit and Darien jacket.[6] Some track day organizations, such as NESBA, allow riders to use textile suits such as the Aerostich instead of full racing leathers.[7]

The company was founded to produce a new recipe for armored all-weather protective clothing, combining these components for the first time: lightweight highly abrasion-resistant Cordura® nylon, breathable-waterproof Gore-Tex laminates, tape-sealed waterproof seams, multiple zippered airflow vents, large areas of reflective material, 'viscoelastic' energy-absorbing impact armor (a tempered slow-recovery foam), ergonomic pocketing and highly water-resistant zippers. These components had never previously been combined for use in motorcycle rider's gear.

By the end of the 1980s Aerostich's ground-breaking once piece Roadcrafter suit had become the benchmark which helped make synthetic armored textile rider's gear broadly market-acceptable. The purpose of that suit was (and is) to help make motorcycle commuting and utility transportation uses easier, safer and more comfortable. The company's product range expanded later with products for touring, adventure, and dual-sport riding applications.

Other influential and pioneering products included the first ever advanced-technology adventure touring and off-road oriented Darien jacket and pant (1987), the first ever use of the color high-vis lime-yellow in rider's gear (1999), the first breathable-waterproof three-digit glove raincovers (2000), the first electrically heated bib mid-layer (2009) and the first breathable-waterproof leather riding suit (2010).

In 2016, Aerostich founder Andy Goldfine was named Motorcyclist of the Year by Motorcyclist Magazine.[8]

The Aerostich catalog has been noted for listing humorous fake products,[9] such as a "magnetic baby onesie" for attaching infants to a motorcycle,[10] often at incredibly high prices.

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://www.aerostich.com/aboutus
  2. ↑ "GOLDFINE ELECTED TO AMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS". American Motorcyclist Association. February 16, 2004.
  3. ↑ AMA BOARD ELECTS SMILIE CHAIRMAN, APPOINTS BURLESON -- Goldfine, Long, & Sutton re-elected as corporate Directors --. American Motorcyclist Association. February 18, 2006.
  4. ↑ "AMA ANNOUNCES BOARD ELECTION RESULTS". American Motorcyclist Association. February 18, 2008. Andy Goldfine Aerostich/Riderwearhouse Term expires: February 2011
  5. ↑ "AMA Board Member Andy Goldfine". Home » About the AMA » Board of Directors. American Motorcyclist Association.
  6. ↑ "BUSINESS DIARY; Fashion Forward". The New York Times. February 14, 1999. Forget dressing for success: Loud Suits Save Lives. That grabber of a headline comes atop an announcement of a new line of clothing in Hi-Viz Lime Yellow, a bilious but hard-to-miss color used on fire engines. The line is from Aerostich/Riderwearhouse, which says the new garment option is intended to serve the special needs of the urban and bad-weather commuter and others who value visibility and recognition'
  7. ↑ "Personal Equipment Needed". NESBA Rider's Manual (PDF). Northeast Sportbike Association. Winter 2008. p. 20. Leather or textile riding suits (i.e., Cordura, Kevlar, or Aerostich-type). No textile suits will be allowed in the Advanced group. Two-piece suits must zip together; full circumference is required. Airmesh-style suits (where you can see your skin through them) will NOT be permitted.
  8. ↑ Sep 27th 2016 - 7pm, Brooks Johnson | (27 September 2016). "Aerostich founder named Motorcyclist of the Year". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved 2020-02-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ "Roundup: Ups and downs", Cycle World, p. 34, January 2005
  10. ↑ "Parts and gear – Aerostich Magnetic Baby Onesie: Magnetic baby clings to 140mph motorcycle!", Motorcycle Cruiser, April 2016


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