Simmons Bilt
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Thanks for the positive feedback gents!
@Selvedgeslave @Finkster @Graeme Not sure what the rivets are originally for to be perfectly honest
I see them on a lot of similiar period jackets and thought it'll be a coold detail to spec them on mine - glad I did now that I have the result in hand!@Jordonf9 I went with Vintage Brown FQHH. It is indeed a bit reddish for a brown, that's is not just the camera, but still far from their Burgundy. I would have prefered a ''truer'' brown to be honest but I couldn't tell from the (small) sample.. all good now. CXL steer is great and highly recommeded (marbling, grain and comfort) but I wanted Horse. The non-vintage is so tough that it will take years before it starts becoming comfortable, so vintage was a no brainer for me. Only difference I found between the 2 samples is in the suppleness and malleability of the hide, not as much in colour or texture. The Vintage HH is comfortable right out of the box.
Good luck with your own Roadster, I found it a very rewarding process and output to have your custom-made jacket that fits YOU (and possibly only) you like a glove.@khaki8 Thanks! I hear what you're saying. It's already starting to break up on the sleaves and elbow creases and the grain is looking more and more complex, textured and natural - a far cry from the vinyl-like start. It's evolving rather rapidly for the limited wear it got. Can't wait to see it in a couple of years time
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Nice jacket mate. What is the purpose of the rivets in the bottom corners ?
A few pics of jackets with these bottom eyelets, including the RMC Steinbeck. Not sure what they're for but it is a nice touch IMO:
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So right now I have a custom(with a lot of personalized/custom pieces) roadster jacket in burgundy steerhide( might do the FQHH in burgundy vintage…maybe) at only 750 USD. Amazing! Simply amazing..if the quality is as good as people report, I will be beyond belief satisfied.
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The bottom eyelets are rivets that attach to a metal plate at the bottom of the zip. This is a vintage "Hookless" style one, and you can see where they should be fitted.
And here's one in situ, on a jacket.
Vintage zippers seem to be a bit of a thing on some reproduction jackets. Apparently the Hookless ones can be hard to use at first, but I like the fact that a metal plate will stop them from failing at the bottom. That's where it split on my old Aero. Twice.
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Perhaps someone should give this info to the guys at Simmons Bilt as they clearly think they are just decorative. The Riri zip is not a grommet type zip so shouldn't need rivets and even if they are there for effect they are no where near the zip.
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Mr @Red Devil I put this on to take the photos and the guys working on the office extension were queuing up to spec exactly the same thing. Subtle it aint, mind blowingly beautiful it most def is….
… and apparently nobody knows their function. 
