Icon jeans....wouldn't buy them or anything by Icon again

[skoobeesnak]

Just a bit of background.  I purchased some Icon standard riding jeans last June and wore them 5-6 times before they developed a large tear on one side of the crotch.  I was disappointed at the poor durability and thought...well perhaps it was something I did like snag it on something that started a small tear and didn't notice it until it was too late. 

I patched the hole up as best I could and set out on a 4 day trip.  By day 2 the other side did the same thing tearing a 4" hole in the other side.  I wrote to Icon explaining what had happened, hoping they would offer a replacement or a discount, something since they obviously had a design flaw.  Their response was basically since I had patched them myself they wouldn't be able to do anything about it.  I found this very odd and even sent them pictures of the tear showing that the patch on the one side had no affect on the other side tearing.  Anyway long story short, I won't be buying their jeans or anything else made by Icon in the future.  It wasn't a great deal of money but I feel that companies feel they can essentially treat customers like crap with no repercussions.  Has anyone else had a bad or good experience with Icon?

A regular pair of jeans would have lasted much longer but I was hoping to have something that looked decent with a bit more protection.   Even a pair of Dockers khakis would last better than these things did!

Here is their response to my request.

"I did get your photos the other week and do apologize for the delay in getting back to you. I forwarded your emails to the head of the warranty department and to the Design and Development staff in order to get second and third opinions concerning your jeans. Mike, the head of the warranty department, and Jason, the head of the D&D staff agreed separately but unanimously: because the jeans were mended, neither the D&D dept nor the warranty department would be able to authorize a warranty return."

[Special K]

I have a couple of Icon products and haven't had any problems however, I agree this is poor treatment. Now they have you on a forum read by thousands of potential customers sharing your disappointment. Not to mention that you initially repaired this yourself instead of immediatly going for the refund or replacement. Icon is a brand that engenders strong reactions, pro and con. It would be better for them to have given you a new pair, see if it happens again and figure out if this is a cronic problem. Then you would be on here saying " I had issue and they took care of me". In these troubled times it's better to take a small loss for good marketing. Of course if this is  a quality issue and lots of people have the same problem they'll go broke because of their poor product and so they should.

I think I'll stay away from their jeans. Thanks for the heads up!

[Duki09]

I use some ICON clothing for awhile now, including an older model of Anthem jeans, and even though their stuff is made in China, I always experienced good quality in their stuff and nothing has came apart on me.

The mistake here is that you attempted to fix the damage yourself instead of letting ICON see the damage first without any alterations/repairs done by yourself.

I'm sure ICON gets tons of requests from riders who messed up their ICON gear themselves and try to get ICON to exhange it for free, so maybe that is why ICON is so strict on how they give exchanges or free repairs.

Look at it this way, if you had a new car under warranty and the engine breaks down then you tear apart the engine apart yourself to try to fix it which you fail to do, then you try to take it in to the dealer to get it repaired, the manufacturer probably isn't going to  honor the warranty if they see you had already attempted to take apart the engine and repair it yourself.

[skoobeesnak]

I guess that it wasn't clear from my original posting that the other side tore in the exact same matter so nothing I did affect the other pant leg wear it joins the seat area.  So I feel that it is a design flaw that Icon could have at least show some willingness to acknowledge.  It isn't a great deal of money but I am more pissed at how since I fixed the other side it some how messed up the this side.  Live and learn, I have.

[redxblack]

You could reply to Icon's last message and point them to this thread. I won't be buying any of their stuff if they're looking for ways to  get out of standing behind their stuff. that's sketchy.

[skoobeesnak]

That is exactly what I just did.

"I find Icon's response disappointing since from my pictures it is clear that the side I patched had nothing to do with the other side of the pants doing the same thing.  In any case I felt it is my duty to notify fellow riders as to Icon's policies so they can avoid some of the problems that I have experienced."

And just for added affect I posted this on advrider.com

[Raux]

I have the ICON leg armor and the product is pretty good, but i can see the straps aren't the best material. i'm glad to hear about the jeans having the same issue.

I have to agree, ICON could have gone both ways on this, a yes, because it was the other side and a no, because you repaired it once.
The no, IMO was the wrong way to go for a rider. cause we talk.

I'm with you, i won't be buying ICON items anymore until they square with you.

[junior varsity]

I have no use for their products generally. Most of it looks like it was designed purely to be worn "around" bikes, rather than while riding. It looks like its made for, and marketed to the local "bike night at the bar" crowd. I had a pair of their Super Duty Boots. Uncomfortable as hell for the a long time, finally broken in and the laces are on their way out. Just not great stuff, as far as motorcycle gear should be evaluated.

Much rather spend my money on the gear that seems to hold up well and is designed for actual sport riding. I think Dainese's fit and finish is my favorite, and I also like AlpineStars stuff. Better luck there for you, hopefully.

As far as riding jeans, I know they are expensive, but you might look at draggin' jeans: http://www.dragginjeans.com/ or http://www.dragginjeans.com.au/

[DoubleEagle]

I have about 23 leather riding Jackets, mostly Dainese , but I do have 4 Icons, ( 1 Merc Hero and 2 Daytona Retros and a Stealth ) and I'd have to say they are very well made ( 1.2-1.3 mm thick cowhide ) and that comes from someone who has the best Dainese leather Jackets , leather pants and racing gloves as well as a Ducati Corse Racing suit and 2 Ducati Corse Jackets , and a 80s Ducati leather Jacket which are also made by Dainese.             

I also wore the Icon Field Armor Knee & Shin Armor and Elbow Armor before I found Dainese . I found it to be very well made for the price and felt like the Armor would protect me in a crash.

                Dolph     

[Jarvicious]

Mmmmmmm, Daineeeeeeese.  If only I had $650 to spend on a coat .  I agree with ATO memphis in that the stuff looks more like it was meant for the runway, not the straight-away (you like that? I have tons of them )  I don't watch TV much, but there was some sportbike show on speed after a WSB race that featured Icon and the designers/Icon reps sounded like a bunch of blathering idiots.  Their stuff is pretty yeah, but not worth it's weight in your skin. 

[ghosthound]

ive always thought that icon's styling is just over the top and just for show... Another thing i dont understand is their field armor vests..

I understand it gets hot in the summer but most people that i know of who went down with leathers had huge scuffs on their shoulders and elbows... rarely on their backs and chests.  In that case, what good is a vest. 

[junior varsity]

the most common places to strike are the palms of the hands and elbows. when you trip and fall, you shove your hands out to protect your head - so your hands hit, then your elbows.

I cringe whenever i see somebody riding without gloves. Sure, the cut-off fingers gloves are better than nothing, but no gloves at all is crazy - if you go down, your hands WILL hit, there's no way around it. And fabric MX gloves? As soon as they hit the asphalt, they blow out (but absorb the initial impact, so they are somewhat useful), ask me how I know. .

Upper hip also gets road rash pretty frequently on riders that go down, so high wasted riding pants + the Icon Vest might protect a little there, but really I think it is safe to say it is intended to be a fashion statement. Albeit a different fashion statement than the leather jackets with embroidery and fringe, but a fashion statement nonetheless.

[DoubleEagle]

Save YOUR HIDE by wearing some COW HIDE !

Leather is your FRIEND !                             Dolph     

[rockaduc]

I actually laugh out lough each and every time I see someone wearing one of those Field armour vests or whatever they call 'em.  Yes, you might avoid 3rd degree burns on your torso (if the guys weraing them have them zipped that is), but that just means you can concentrate that much more on taking care of the 3rd degree burns on your arms and shoulders.

[sbrguy]

check out the sporbiketrackgear.com site they have a short video from an icon rep, they basically explain their stuff, they say they are catering basically to the guys that normally wouldn't wear armor and trying to get them to wear soemthing. 

they are not trying to make race gear for that matter, they have a definite niche for their clothing.  it sounds honestly like they are a great 'gateway' product for people that dont' want to wear armor and clothing first and then maybe they move on. 

i don't have a problem with what they do, they are catering to a certain crowd and it definitely needs to be done (better some armor than none),

honestly i would guess probably 99% of the people on this board with ducati's are not in that niche since we are always talking about bmw/dainese/ducati/astar gear all the time.