Clothing for mountain biking

brum_rich

Looking to buy some clobber for mountain biking. Need some trousers, windproof/breathable top and jacket and a pair of shoes. Most of the stuff I've looked at seems over priced. Can anybody recommend any items that they are pleased with and not too expensive?

supersonic

Try the cheaper sports shops such as Decathlon - often some great bargains.

Sometime syou don't need bike 'specific' gear or brands as generic stuff can work very well ie base layers, thin fleeces, or even a good old footy top for riding in the summer!

I use a golf jacket as a breathable/waterproof top, works well. Ok doesn't have pit vents or a pocket on the back, but then again my pocket does have 50 quid more in it.

Northwind

For trousers, I'd recommend any old shorts to be honest. I've got a nice pair of altura shorts but they're not much better than the random £5 shorts I wore before, they just have better pockets.

Shoes... Do you ride on flat pedals, or clipless? If you use flats (and they're halfway decent) then a cheap pair of Vans or similiar is perfect.

I wear base layers bought cheap from the local mountain/walking place, which work perfectly. Over the top, I have a pretty nice Fox shirt most of the time but that's just for the bling Don't wear cotton, tshirts, hoodies etc, not good but like Supersonic says a fleece makes a fine top layer when it's cold.

Lastly, windproof/waterproof. Hopefully by now you've saved some cash on the other stuff, I do reckon it's worth spending a bit more on this to avoid being a boil-in-the-bag case. Cycling specific stuff tends to be more breathable than most, but also (very important imo) some packs down tiny. Mine is a Montane Featherlite from Chain Reaction, which is still inexpensive, but not cheap. I'd have liked to spend more though for breathability, it's a bit sweaty. But the size is perfect, it packs to the size of an apple so it's always in my bag. A good waterproof makes the difference between a spoiled ride and a good one sometimes.

I used to ride in an army surplus goretex jacket from camden, army surplus kit can be very good, hard to beat goretex.

janwal

look out for Lidl next thursday.They have some bike gear on sale Always good value

janwal

Look out for Lidl next week.Gear is always good value.

allthegearnoidea

www.cycle-clothing.co.uk normally have some great deals on bike kit, might be worth a look, and also look on chainreaction in the sale sections, occasionally they'll have a normal size in! you can get a royal all day jersey i think it is for £14 at the mo (08 range)

i got my shorts at the lbs, they are madison ones that have the detachable liner in for £30, but to be honest, i got a pair of bib shorts for a tenner of ebay (cycle clothings ebay store) and just wear any shorts!
got my windproof trousers of ebay too, occasiojally some good deals pop up!

.blitz

brum_rich wrote:

Looking to buy some clobber for mountain biking. Need some trousers, windproof/breathable top and jacket and a pair of shoes. Most of the stuff I've looked at seems over priced. Can anybody recommend any items that they are pleased with and not too expensive?

As mentioned above, Lidl/Netto/Aldi/Tesco sell cycling gear, as do Decathlon. You could also try your nearest TK Maxx - they have some surprises when it comes to 'multisport' kit. I got a Dare2b softshell for £25 and a Nike windshirt for £12. They're not up there with the likes of Gore/Endura etc but they are outstanding VFM.

jairaj

Pretty much same advise as above, don't always need to go for cycling specific clothing general sports clothing does the job just as well. Defiantly don't go for cotton, it just soaks up the sweat and stays wet, heavy and clingy.

The areas i would suggest spending a bit more is padded under shorts, these can make long days in the saddle a lot more comfortable and can be worn under any normal shorts. Also good idea spending a bit getting a decent waterproof jacket. Doesn't have to be a cycling specific jacket, just one made from a half decent techy material thats gonna keep the rain out.

dave_hill

Have a look at the Sombrio gear at Wiggle - they're selling it off at up to 50% discount at the moment and it's top kit.

Agoogy

http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages ... .index.ar6

hoochylala

+1 for having a look in TK Maxx, got a great Regatta Softshell there for £20 quid! - I know it is not the best but it is great VFM. Another online store to try is www.alwaysriding.co.uk - they seem to always have money off selected lines.

Mancunianfightingcat

some cheap stuff here....


http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20090226.index.ar9


oooops too slow!

Northwind

The aldi kit is really decent, they don't have it in stock all the time but when they run it, it's well worth a visit... I use mine for commuting in now, the softshell jacket is brilliant, the longsleeve tops are OK but wear out very fast. Not tried the lidl stuff but generally they're a wee step down the ladder from aldi.

robertpb

I've been riding all winter in an old base layer top, an Aldi winter top, a Montane featherlite as a waterproof/windproof and a pair of Aldi winter tights.

The only expensive bit I've been riding in is a pair of merino sealskinzs and my 5 10's

At temperatures below freezing I haven't been cold.