Is Assos gear worth it?

grahamfocal

Anybody think that Assos gear is worth it?
I keep considering it, but when a BIB is £135!! and I can get a cannondale one for £50 from good old chain reaction its obviously tricky, but if there is a noticable difference with fit and quality then I will get some Assos stuff.
I am very confused.
any advice would be much appreciated. I do like nice quality stuff.
Is it purely for pros doing 1000miles a month (I do about 130miles per week)

sward29

I have to say that I've had a lot of Assos gear over the years and the only thing I can highly recommend are the shorts. Whilst the fit of the jerseys is really good the material is often a little thin, prone to pilling, and not strong enough to keep my minipump from falling out of the back pocket.

Ive recently bought some more gear from Giordana and Gore and I have to say that the quality is at least as good for a lot less cash. The only thing they don't have is the same desirability as Assos.

grahamfocal

Very helpful thanks, it does seem a little over the top compared to the rest. What other recommendations do people have for cycling gear?

grahamfocal

ps. am also looking for some decent shades, was thinking along the lines of the specialized Arcs (for thier polarising, does this work that well)
I have a fairly big head, so need the quite large lenses.
cheers for all your help

J2R2

I have got some Assos kit - it was previous season's kit which I bought in Majorca for half price back in April.

It's good, but I'm not sure it's so good that it's worth double what everyone else are charging. I think to some extent you're paying for the label.

kmahony

sward29 wrote:

I have to say that I've had a lot of Assos gear over the years and the only thing I can highly recommend are the shorts. Whilst the fit of the jerseys is really good the material is often a little thin, prone to pilling, and not strong enough to keep my minipump from falling out of the back pocket.

Ive recently bought some more gear from Giordana and Gore and I have to say that the quality is at least as good for a lot less cash. The only thing they don't have is the same desirability as Assos.

Totally agree. Shorts are great.
F1.13.S2 (rrp 135) great fit and pad is very comfortable on long rides
F1 Uno (rrp 75) also great fit, the pad is better than most other shorts, but not as good at the S2 (above)
They're available cheaper on the usual websites.

I've also got one top and a couple of pairs of socks. These are ok, but no better than Gore etc, so probably not worth the premium.

giant_man

Assos is definitely worth the money. Like all cycling kit, you get what you pay for.

Their jerserys, jackets, bib shorts and tights are all excellent. The fit and cut is always good, fitting is always recommended and usually last several years. Their socks are also very good, but I don't buy their gloves which IMO are not usually good value.

In my book if you don't have to think about the kit you're wearing whilst you're wearing it, then it's the right fitting kit for you.

Sure it's expensive, but always worth it.

oldwelshman

I have several items, but all from ebay.
The best I have is the airblock jacket which I got for £40 off ebay. That is great.
I would not get bibs as I have got some great ones from Decathlon for £35 to £45 and have been out in them in minus 6 so see no need to pay more.
Same for gloves and shorts.

penugent

J2R2 wrote:

I have got some Assos kit - it was previous season's kit which I bought in Majorca for half price back in April.

It's good, but I'm not sure it's so good that it's worth double what everyone else are charging. I think to some extent you're paying for the label.

That is exactly my position as well.

My wife wanted to buy me some Assos for xmas but I plumped for some equally excellent Giordana instead and now I'm looking forward to twice as much new kit

HungryCol

I heard somewhere the Giordana were made by Nike? Is this right?

grimpeur

Nike is a brand and as such doesn't make anything, they spec the kit and another manufacturer makes it with their branding.

Nike kit is made by Giordana and in all truth Trek was a middle man as well. The Nike cycling range was developed by Trek with the various items composing it being outsourced. The clothing was apparently Giordana for example and the shoe range came from Italian manufacturer DMC.

grahamfocal

where is the best place to find Giordana gear for a good price?

oldwelshman

Talking of assos, I just gor 2 gillets off ebay, new old stock from parker, for £39 each
i wasn't going to mention it in my last post as you lot would have outbid me
Ok it is 2004 stock but who cares, it is un used and half price, that makes it worth buying, would not pay £80 though .

Turnbull2000

Recently spent £110 on their intermediate jersey, and after two rides and two washes, two small holes appeared on the inside of the right arm. The inner lay has remained intact, but the damage on the blue outer layer is spreading at the slightest stretch.

I noticed a third and larger hole had appeared before Sunday's ride, and don't understand what's causing it. All three signs of damage are within an inch of each other. 110 quid. F**king sickening :x

stevejmo7

Turnbull2000 wrote:

Recently spent £110 on their intermediate jersey, and after two rides and two washes, two small holes appeared on the inside of the right arm. The inner lay has remained intact, but the damage on the blue outer layer is spreading at the slightest stretch.

I noticed a third and larger hole had appeared before Sunday's ride, and don't understand what's causing it. All three signs of damage are within an inch of each other. 110 quid. F**king sickening :x

Sounds like damage from something splashing onto the fabric - acid or something - to be that localised.

grimpeur

Turnbull2000 wrote:

Recently spent £110 on their intermediate jersey, and after two rides and two washes, two small holes appeared on the inside of the right arm. The inner lay has remained intact, but the damage on the blue outer layer is spreading at the slightest stretch.

I noticed a third and larger hole had appeared before Sunday's ride, and don't understand what's causing it. All three signs of damage are within an inch of each other. 110 quid. F**king sickening :x

Send it back, Assos are very good at replacing things if they fail early in the life of the product. The shop from which you bought it should do a straight swap.

Turnbull2000

Took it back to my LBS and they're posting it back to Assos tomorrow. No straight swap, so no riding this weekend. If Assos believe there's no fault on their part, then there's probably nothing I can do.

It looks like it's been nicked on something, but can't recall the inside of my arm ever getting caught. Not feeling confident about a replacement tbh

giant_man

Assos are very good at returns have to say, usually repairing free of charge and posting back. Part of the service you pay for.

Not much reassurance I know, but my Element One jersey has been brilliant for over two years now.

Turnbull2000

Thanks for the reassurance. LBS posted the jersey off today. Will post back with the result.

ricadus

It looks like it's been nicked on something, but can't recall the inside of my arm ever getting caught. Not feeling confident about a replacement tbh

Perhaps the shop pinned a sale tag through the material?

Pagem

couple of points made from my own findings (including people i ride with):

1) assoss stuff is fantastic all round, bar the gloves - however, you need to get the right fit.

2) assoss stuff is incredibly durable - many cheaper alternatives are not and can therefore be false economy.

3) assoss demonstrates fantastic customer care.

4) if you shop around you can make considerable savings on assoss kit.

just a note on nike; i heard a few months back that they are moving out of cycling... not sure how true this is.

top_bhoy

My only experience of Assos is with their Roubaix leg and armwarmers. I decided to try them as, unlike their bibshorts, they weren't all that more expensive than other brands. My verdict on the Assos - armwarmers OK, legwarmers absolutely crap. The material is fine but the bleedin' things keep falling down. Going on my own experiences I certainly wouldn't go out and buy Assos again nor could I recommend them to anyone else either.

There are in my opinion, one or two other manufacturers who can provide top quality clothing at far more competitive pricing. The Giordano stuff I select is at the upper end of their ranges and the quality and comfort is superb - and importantly, affordable.

giant_man

Assos jerseys, jackets and short and tight bibs are excellent - up there with the best of them. Absolute value for money. I would recommend anyone to this kit.

But not all their stuff is to this standard - legwarmers, armwarmers and IMO their gloves. Their balaclava is quite expensive for what you get also.

grimpeur

Agree Giant Man, I am a great fan of Assos bibs, jackets and jerseys and don't really touch other brands. Their gloves on the other hand aren't very good in my opinion and don't last long.

Turnbull2000

After two weeks of waiting, my patience broke and I asked my LBS to contact Assos for the status of my jersey. They had a glance this afternoon and deemed the damage is the fault of myself, therefore no free replacement.

They did however, offer a replacement for 50% of the full cost. Not sure whether to take it up.

gkerr4

I hear good things about Assos but it isn't my cup of tea - it's a bit too .... I don't know - just weird for me. I just don't like the design, but as I say, I do hear that it is worth the money for technical function and durability.

I think that if you liked the top, you should probably consider the 50% offer - sounds like decent customer service to me.

top_bhoy

if you honestly don't think you are at fault, ask for a more detailed explanaition (even requesting it to be in writing) than a stock, 'its your fault, answer.

dennisn

Is it worth the money? Only if you really, really, like the stuff after you get It or
you've got tons of money. It's all relative. One mans "greatest stuff ever made"
is another man 'total junk".

Dennis Noward