Beginner roadie clothing

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  • gingernash
    gingernash Posts: 123
    meanredspider wrote:
    Apart from Merino stuff, I've found Endura to be total rubbish and will never touch it again. To my mind it's mid-price but poor quality.

    I 100% agreed with this. I think my BaaBaa base layer is decent (but nowhere near as good as the new dhb base layers) but the other kit:

    - thermal socks don't really work that well

    - overshoes zip broke after about 10 uses and now consigned to the bin

    - bought some waterproof gloves, absolutely freezing fingers at anything less than 8 celsius and have horribly spiky bit in the liner that pokes my hand when i put weight through them.
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    orbeaorca wrote:
    Buy the best that you can afford.
    Prendas own branded base layers and socks, the Santini shorts from Prendas are a good bet and then theres the DHB range from Wiggle.
    Look around in sales especially for gear from previous years and discontinued lines, there are bargains out there to be had.
    Personally I wouldnt go anywhere near anything from Aldi , thats my choice and a previous comment posted stating that in terms of functionality and durability Aldi gear is on the same level with Rapha/Assos is complete horse poo.
    +1 - Aldi isn't that good, yes vfm but there is a reason why it's cheap as I've cited previously. Depends how much Aldi stuff one has bought to realise why it's cheap I guess.
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    Rolf F wrote:
    giant mancp wrote:
    And as echoed already you can certainly go too cheap, Aldi etc. Their gloves aren't too bad but other stuff like their bib tights and outers are not very good fit wise or for quality. You buy cheap you are going to buy twice.

    This isn't really true. Even the bib shorts, which seemed really wierdly sized to me, have their advocates. But the jerseys and softshell jackets are superb and insanely cheap. I have been using a couple of Aldi softshells, some jerseys and a waterproof jacket all year (better than Lidl ones due to ropey zips on Lidl - you get YKKs on Aldi kit) . Aside from fabric bobbling, they are in much the same state as new. And I've ridden 10,000 miles this year.

    What I would say is that the jerseys are rather long - so I can't use them for non-commuting purposes as the pockets are too low on my back. However, the quality really shouldn't be questioned - they are excellent.

    And, to be honest, even if you did think it was a case of 'buy cheap, buy twice' you are still going to be way ahead on a product that costs a tenth of the price of some of the opposition.

    Most of my other kit comes from ShuttVR - a UK company sourcing most of its fabric and all the stitching in the UK. Really a nice company to deal with: http://www.shuttvr.com/
    I've been using their unpadded Roubaix tights all winter and they are excellent.
    Yes it is true, the same goes for the much hyped and vastly overrated Shutt VR stuff, Assos it will never be!!!!!!!!
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    meanredspider wrote:
    I think the opposite is often equally true though - people kid themselves that the cheap version is as good as the expensive version. In my experience, it rarely is for any product.

    Absolutely - which is ultimately why the best balance tends to be in the middle ground. The expensive stuff is generally not as good as their fans try to make out and the cheap stuff isn't as bad. But all of it tends to do its job well enough and, when you are sat on your bike, I'd defy most people to tell the difference (a - assuming the fit is ok and b - assuming we aren't talking about the Aldi shorts :lol:).

    Hopefully things aren't as bad in the cycling world as they are in fashion (though I suspect they might be). Buy designer goods and you might be upset to learn that your wonderful Armani or Gucci is made in exactly the same Chinese sweat shop as the stuff you get in Matalan. The main difference is that the stitchers who work on the Armani are just the neater ones. Not a bad deal for the factory - they pay the good workers 50p an hour more and instead of making 50p profit per item on a £10 item for Matalan, make £999 profit on an equivalent item for Armani.
    giant mancp wrote:
    Rolf F wrote:
    giant mancp wrote:
    And as echoed already you can certainly go too cheap, Aldi etc. Their gloves aren't too bad but other stuff like their bib tights and outers are not very good fit wise or for quality. You buy cheap you are going to buy twice.

    This isn't really true.
    Yes it is true, the same goes for the much hyped and vastly overrated Shutt VR stuff, Assos it will never be!!!!!!!!

    No, it really isn't - honestly! I can understand that you might not like it but fit depends on your shape and I've found plenty of Aldi stuff to fit me well and the quality is entirely fit for purpose. How can you say that a garment that can last for thousands of miles in perfectly decent shape is not very good quality? I have not needed to buy twice and others would say the same.

    Now what I would appreciate is a good recommendation for gloves and feet - nothing so far has really managed to keep those toasty in winter. Woollie Boolies, line socks, Northwave Celsius boots, 3mm BBB overshoes, snowboarding gloves etc - I still end up with cold fingers and hands.
    Faster than a tent.......

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