BMC kit going cheap?

schweiz

got mine today...so, the verdict.

I bought L. I'm 5'11, 80kg and big thighs. I would say all of my other kit (Giordana, Craft, Rapha, Pearl Izumi, Assos is L too)

Shirt is reasonable quality. Lightweight material not too dissimilar to our new Pearl Izumi club kit. Decent zip puller (rubber BMC logo) and elastic round the waist hem at the back feels like it will keep the jersey in place. Handy zipped pocket in the bottom of the right side panel. Stitching looks good i.e neat seams. Size runs larger than Pearl Izumi and Rapha.

Shorts, well for CHF 60 for a set, what did you really expect. There is a well shaped pad which is thick but compresses easily compared to my other shorts. Not sat on a bike yet but the pad feels well positioned. The lycra is very thin, but it was stretched tightly over my thighs as the shorts seem to run smaller than the tops! If you are a mountain goat, then I think they will be ok, but TT'ers and Trackies will struggle.

So not Assos quality by a long way. Although saying that despite the quality of Assos shorts, I still find the pad annoying! The top is decent enough for the cash and the shorts will do for commuting, spinning and turbo work but wouldn't like to wear them for a long day in the Alps.

The bag is okay to put your kit in after a race, but not $20 worth.

Deliveries to the UK from Switzerland are Swiss VAT free but then subject to import duty and tax. Import duty on clothes is usually based on £/kg (well it is when I get stuff delivered from the UK to here) and then there is VAT to pay on all that and then sometimes a post office/courier handling charge which can be the most expensive part! FedEx and the like will send you a bill after it's been delivered.

The final verdict, I've got no less then I expected given what I paid and the jersey at least will get used. I'll have to see how the shorts are 'in action' .

gwillis

thanks for the informative review, really helpful. Im 5ft 8 with a 40 chest and went for a L im thinking now I should have gone for a M .

Still if the quality is ok then happy days

KingCustard

gwillis wrote:

thanks for the informative review, really helpful. Im 5" with a 40 chest and went for a L im thinking now I should have gone for a M .

Still if the quality is ok then happy days

:shock:

gwillis

oh dear not the typo to make . now edited . I am in fact 5"8 and I will leave the rest to Mrs Gwillis :oops:

guttertrash

Anyone in the UK received theirs yet?

Kingtut87

Yup, got mine. Seems very reasonable for the price. Shorts look as good if not better than my FDJ replica ones and the jersey looks like a decent bit of kit for the money. Not Assos quality by any means but for the price very good imo. Sizing seemed on the small size, jersey is definitely 'racing fit' on me, but thats not a problem. Glad i got it, very reasonable.

amaferanga

gwillis wrote:

oh dear not the typo to make . now edited . I am in fact 5"8 and I will leave the rest to Mrs Gwillis :oops:

Still not right - you're 5 INCHES 8

CXXC

i'm 5'11" and a 38" chest and don't have thighs like sir chris, i went for L so hopefully it should fit well

can't wait to get mine now reading the above reviews

guttertrash

Beginning to wonder if mine has been randomly selected for a customs check. Ordered last Tuesday with priority delivery, and no sign of it yet.

I know its coming from Switzerland, but if others have had theirs already...

SLX01

guttertrash wrote:

Beginning to wonder if mine has been randomly selected for a customs check. Ordered last Tuesday with priority delivery, and no sign of it yet.

I know its coming from Switzerland, but if others have had theirs already...

The irony is I started the thread and have not got mine either!!

spotteddolphin

rich164h wrote:

I

Looking more carefully, the ones in the combo pack don't have the Hincapie logos so presumably they are different and presumably lower quality item? :?

It looks like the ones with the word 'Replica' are not the same as the standard race kit from Hincapie, and are just designed to 'look' like the actual kit. Probably still good though.

STEFANOS4784

gwillis wrote:

oh dear not the typo to make . now edited . I am in fact 5"8 and I will leave the rest to Mrs Gwillis :oops:

5 inches 8 what? :?

jimmythecuckoo

better or worse than "light in the box" quality?

Sean1504

Slightly off topic but if anyone's looking for the 2009 team kit:



I got in touch with the BMC team and they're selling off what they've got left. Unfortunately they've only got small sizes left in most things but i've ordered a large Jersey that was dispatched today.

Available kit:

Gloves black sizes S,M,L $30.00
Summer jerseys Short Sleeve M,L $75.00
Roubaix jerseys Short Sleeve M $95.00
Bib shorts S $125.00
Skinsuits Long sleve M $145.00
Bib Tights M $145
Arm Warmers S,M $35
Assos Rain/Windbreaker White S,M $95.00
Leg Warmers one size fits all $45
Lazer helmets white new size XXS-M $125
Lazer TT helmets size L $125.00
Long Fingered gloves 851 $80.00

The guy to contact is Richard Sangalli - dsangalli@comcast.net

I've also been in touch with ASSOS in Switzerland and they're currently checking stock for me on these kits they produced based on the 2008 version, they retail for €99.00 for Jersey, socks and cap:

bigmat

Got mine this morning - seems decent quality, although the sizing appears to be German Swiss rather than Italian Swiss. Definitely more Aldi than Castelli - I'm 1m85 / 80kg so should be plum in the middle of the "Large" bracket, but both shorts and jersey are a bit bigger than I would have liked. Shorts not too bad - seem a bit loose at the end of the leg but might be OK on the bike. Jersey is a loose fit though which wasn't what I was looking for really. If anybody has a slightly too small medium, give me a shout.

guttertrash

When did you order? Still waiting for mine, ordered on 3rd August with priority post....

bigmat

Also 3rd August.

CXXC

Mine arrived this morning, ordered 4th August

No additional VAT / import duty to pay

Note that although sent from Switzerland, the postage label on the box says "origin: China"

No manufactuer label on the kit itself, but the invoice states Swiss Manufacturing Technology AG"

dodgy

CXXC wrote:

No additional VAT / import duty to pay

Yet 8)

The duty charges can come weeks after, as happened to me when I bought some electronics a couple of years ago.

guttertrash

Just out of interest, who is delivering it? Royal Mail?

CXXC

swisspost customs sticker

royal mail post stamp

CXXC

dodgy wrote:

CXXC wrote:

No additional VAT / import duty to pay

Yet 8)

The duty charges can come weeks after, as happened to me when I bought some electronics a couple of years ago.

mine was delivered to work, so i have to change job between now and then so they never catch up with me? this could turn out to be an expensive bit of kit

dodgy

The invoice could come to your work, generally there's a charge from the carrier as they take care of admin around the duty. It's a lottery if you get a bill or not, I've ordered various bits over the years, sometimes they get you and sometimes they don't. I just wanted to point out that you're not in the clear just because the goods have arrived without a charge.

Kingtut87

Any guesses on how much the duty would be? My kit arrived very quickly, 3 days after ordering, although I'm not taking that as an indication of whether or not I'll get charged.... Still good amount of kit for the cash. Extra charges or not.

CXXC

£10 max

£44 * 17.5% + any admin fee?

JD_76

Got mine through today, im happy with the quality and the fit, I ordered a Large and im 5'10" with a 38-40" chest. The top maybe a tad baggy at the front when leaning forward but not overly so, I think the medium would have been a bit too tight accross the shoulders. The shorts fit perfectly so the Large was the right size in those, although I do have large thighs.

Feels good quality especially for £42 (so far) as that kind of money would only buy you a jersey.

Few pics:


Air mesh at the top rear of the bib shorts

Grippy elastic on the bottom of shorts

Nice little zip pocket at the side

Large soft pad

Tags on jersey

guttertrash

Ohhh... i want mine now... where is it, dag nab it???????

StanwaySteve62

padding looks a bit low rent, whats you opinion?

JD_76

StanwaySteve62 wrote:

padding looks a bit low rent, whats you opinion?

It feels ok, its very soft as in soft to touch and there is plenty of it so it will provide comfort in the saddle.
I guess compared to some high quality shorts like Assos then it will appear inferior.

The conclusion is im happy with it for the price, if id spent more then id have expected more.

amaferanga

StanwaySteve62 wrote:

padding looks a bit low rent, whats you opinion?

+1

Looks very budget.