Any other kit out there as good as Assos ?
nicensleazy
Posts: 2,310
Having been an Assos convert, I find it very difficult to buy kit as good as Assos. Most other jerseys and shorts don't come up to the Assos standard. Can you guys recommend any other names out there which make good kit?
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2XU gear tends to be clones of the Assos stuff. I really liked their sub-zero stuff for winter commuting, and sometimes wear the sub-zero legs when it's really windy. Their gloves are amazing too, I've never had such thin gloves be so warm and windproof.0
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Rapha appears to be excellent but I can't afford it so I'm stuck with lowly Assos!
Gore is very good as well, a little cheaper than Assos but grand quality...0 -
Rapha = poor quality tat.
Assos is supreme, worth buying their shorts cos you can't be too careful with the family jewels.
I got my new Assos skinsuit yesterday, scary stuff but a wonderful piece of clothing.0 -
Why is rapha poor quality tat? Their stuff looks and feels top notch and some of it is wonderfully designed. Can't justify the expense over assos for me though...0
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Both me and my mate dont rate the assos shorts - padding is too big, but they are well made I'll give you that. He's got Assos tops too - but he reckons the club LG top is a much nicer fit and well made - at half the price.
I have some Rapha kit too - thats nice - but I'd never have bought it full price. Look around - theres lots of decent kit around now at not stupid prices0 -
I've looked at Assos and Rapha but would never pay those prices.
How can they justify over £100 for a pair of shorts?
I buy a lot of Campag clothing and my last shorts were £40 and feel great, I've also got last years CSC team kit which I think is made my Craft and again these feel great and only cost £40.The other brand I wear is Decathlons own brand stuff, not the cheap entry level but the higher end £40-£50 range and these too fit well and feel comfy.
One thing that may help me is that I always use chamois cream and this is worth buying imo.
Don't get me wrong I'm not tight with money and often buy stuff I don't really need but that much money on shorts.0 -
I much prefer Giordana shorts to Assos.
I do fancy a Rapha sportwool jersey though!0 -
rapha is top quality and looks great
I'm sure assos is also top quality - but makes you look like some kind of euro-gimp
I also rate endura and Gore stuff0 -
Wappygixer wrote:How can they justify over £100 for a pair of shorts?.
Where's the myth that Assos shorts cost more than £100 come from? I've never paid anywhere near that for any of my Assos shorts.
I reckon the Assos jerseys are overpriced though - I've got plenty of cheaper jerseys that I've had for years, commuted in, and they haven't fallen apart, and are still in good condition. My most expensive jersey cost £45 and was a long sleeve Castelli one, it's got better styling than Assos.
Shorts + winter jackets are the only things Assos sells that are IMO outstanding, the rest is just overpriced.0 -
Reddraggon hers where I see the prices http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mc/cycle/7/Assos/Shorts_-_Lycra/0
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Rapha's sportwool is horrible IMO I much prefer proper Merino wool tops.
I love my Assos shorts and always use the for long rides, however I have a good pair of Campag bibs and specialized BG shorts too.0 -
I have NOT found anyother shorts that top Assos. When it comes to shorts.........Assos are indeed the number one!0
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Outrageous - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Assos ... 360042785/
No, not the bird. £188.99 !0 -
AndyRubio wrote:Rapha = poor quality tat.
How much Rapha do you own or have you worn?!!!!0 -
Thighs are a bit scrawny - not noticed that before - but still...dodgy wrote:Outrageous - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Assos ... 360042785/
No, not the bird. £188.99 !
Never worn Assos stuff. I'm one of natures cheapskates, so I'm always looking for best VFM. All my lower body kit's Endura. This is partly to do with my favourite LBS which stocks a lot of Endura kit, but when I was searching for the right stuff for the TDC Endura came out best and I bought another 5 pairs of shorts. I've never had to use, or thought about using, chamois cream - which seems to be almost ubiquitously posted on any thread that includes the words Assos and shorts.- and haven't had any problems.
I'm also a Gore whore!
A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject - Churchill0 -
Castelli stuff is excellent - particularly the Rosso Corsa line. I reckon it's on a par with Assos and I prefer the design as well.
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I wear DHB 3/4 bib shorts almost exclusively, apart from summer when I wear Adidas bibs. Am I missing something amazing by not having expensive shorts? I'll happily knock out 120 miles wearing my normal shorts with no noticeable discomfort.0
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Much of my none club stuff is Assos. I have various shorts, intermediate long sleave tops, themal longs and a matching thermal jacket. I know I'm going to have a comfortable ride when in this kit.
I do not, however, have Assos short sleaved jerseys nor base layers, as I don't think the price/performance ratio is justified, especially since the Helly Hansen, Infil and Undergear base layers that I have are excellent.
I also have a Giordana skinsuit, for use on club time trials when I have the club colours in the wash, which is much more comfortable than the club's TAL kit. The club were looking to move to Giordana for this year, but it didn't come off unfortunately.To err is human, but to make a real balls up takes a super computer.0 -
I love the Castelli styling, it's probably my favourite out of all the (as has been previously described) Euro gimp gear. The only reason I don't own a lot of it compared to Assos and Gore is the fact that no where near me stocks it so I can't try it on.jashburnham wrote:Castelli stuff is excellent - particularly the Rosso Corsa line. I reckon it's on a par with Assos and I prefer the design as well.
I loved my Assos shorts the most, may they rest in (more than one) piece...
I love the understated looks of Rapha kit too.
In fact, I love all sorts of kit!0 -
+1 for the Euro-gimp look. I see a business opportunity...
mox senex dormit0 -
Lusso are a small under-rated brand of cycle clothing. They make very comfortable shorts and some top notch limb warmers. Although I can't compare with Assos having never used any of their stuff.Shazam !!0
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Well, I have a Rapha club top and I think it's lovely.
I like Gore stuff as well - I have a winter jersey from them and it's fantastic, their Function Vest is also top stuff. Going to try the bib shorts next because I am coming round to the view that bibs are better than regular pull-ups.
For base layers though I mostly use Ice Breaker but my mountain-bike riding pal swears by Ground Effect stuff.
What do I ride? Now that's an Enigma!0 -
I agree that Castelli come up nearly as good as assos - but their prices are similar to assos as well so I guess you'd expect top quality and design for the money. Another top quality make with similar styling to assos is Giordana - again, with similar pricing. Scott also make some nice stuff and it's a bit cheaper than the others I've mentioned - more a mid-range price (like Gore, Specialized etc). Someone mentioned Lusso, but I've never rated them. They used to be a budget brand and OK if you have a tight budget, but I'm afraid you seem to get what you pay for with cycle kit and Lusso never used high tech fabrics, or a good design/pattern so they didn't fit too well. All the Lusso stuff I had was enormous and arm/leg warmers just fell down. The asthetics were always a bit pants in the past too. Their new kit does look as though it has improved somewhat in quality, design and style in the past year or two though. I don't know what the fit of this new-design kit is like, but the fabrics look more technical and certainly feel nicer to touch.
Rapha are different to all of the above, with a more "retro" style. I prefer the more "sporty" look on the outer layer, but I do lilke the Rapha merino wool base layers for functionality and looks, and own several.0 -
Castelli and or Santini. Although I have never had anything that has Assos written on it, apart from the chamois cream 0
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Stewie Griffin wrote:Castelli and or Santini. Although I have never had anything that has Assos written on it, apart from the chamois cream
That is not what we mean by 'base layer'
To err is human, but to make a real balls up takes a super computer.0 -
dodgy wrote:I wear DHB 3/4 bib shorts almost exclusively, apart from summer when I wear Adidas bibs. Am I missing something amazing by not having expensive shorts? I'll happily knock out 120 miles wearing my normal shorts with no noticeable discomfort.
I have never worn any really expensive gear. I have had various cheaper brands and have ditched them all in favour of the DHB bub tights/Shorts. I have found them to be excellent. Am I missing out on something amazing with the more expensive brands?0 -
You can have as many imitators as you want but you won't get near the quality of Assos.0
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I mainly stick with Endura, Gore and the higher-end dhb stuff, and I reckon that's as high up the scale as I need to go. Some of the Assos stuff does look very nice but I just can't bring myself to believe that it's that much better than the rest. Maybe if money was no object...0
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+1 for lusso. However, I am being seduced by Assos (or is it the bird?)0
