What clothing does the begginer need?

EightOhEight

After deciding on my budget and bike to start road riding I move on to the clothing....

I think I need just the following to get going

Shoes/Cleats
socks
Bib shorts (3/4?)
base layer top
jersey (s/s l/s both?)
arm warmers
gloves
helmet

What did you wear on this glorious spring sunday if you rode?

spotted a few cyclists today rocking what seems to be a 3/4 bib with shorts on top combo. is this usual for the weather conditions?

Looking forward to your ideas and suggestions...

Im Bald Ok

I would add to the list a pair of overshoes/socks - Probably won't need full on winter ones now, but a good spring pair if you intend on going out when it's chilly. Nothing worse than freezing feet.

You sure you saw 3/4 bibs and shorts over the top? I would hazard a guess that you saw bib shorts and knee warmers. Which i would also add to your list (or leg warmers).

Possibly a pair of 8) as well.

Happy shopping

geebee2

I just bought a helmet and 2 x pairs of shorts at Lidl.

Both seem ok to me.

Hard to beat if you are on a budget.

Philby

Suggest just getting bib shorts and leg warmers rather than 3/4 bibs if you want to save a bit of cash, as we'll soon be enjoying warmer days.

Would be good to have both s/s and l/s tops.

Also think about a waterproof top that you can roll up small - e.g. Montane Featherlite.

And don't forget some decent sunglasses that are suitable for riding - might be good to get a set with interchangeable lenses.

nakita222

all you need is :
Helmet
Cotton cap/ buff
Glasses, unless you like eye infections
Short sleeve jersey
arm warmers/ convert short sleeve jersey to l/s and can be removed if you get too hot
gilet
Softshell
Windproof jacket/ Rain cape
Knee warmers/convert bib shorts into bibknicks
Legwarmers/ convert bib shorts into bibtights
Overshoes
Shoes and cleats
Baselayer?
Mitts and gloves

rick_chasey

Now?

Jersey, shorts, arm warmers.

Everything else is a bonus.

edwardmlyte

And where are the good online shop recommendations for clothing?

Usually_Lurking

www.wiggle.co.uk
www.chainreactioncycles.com (pay paypal if you go here, they've had issues recently)

There are others but these seem to be the big two.

CyclingBantam

I can't stress enough that it is worth buying less kit but spending as much as you can on each item eg. if you can really manage on 2 pairs of shorts, buy 2 @ £80 as opposed to 4 @ £40. When I first started buying kit I got quite a bit of the 'value' stuff and have ended up buying the same stuff again but of a better quality.

You will also need to assign more to your clothing budget than you already have. I bet everyone on here spent a lot more than they originally planned.

Like someone has said, I wouldn't bother with 3/4 shorts, they are a nice extra but not needed. Arm and Leg wamers are very usefull though (Assos do some excellent ones, expensive but well worth the money as opposed to cheaper ones which you will replace after a season's use).

The other thing I would say is go for lots of layers. No point in having a really warm jacket that you will only use on really cold days. Better to have a jersey, Gilet, lightweight water proof that you can mix and match with.

Things that keep the wind off are perfect for spring and autumn (I was wearing my featherlite waterproof yesterday and was lovely and warm despite a cold wind).

nakita222

accessories such as warmers/overshoes prendas ciclismo
Pretty much everything else http://www.cycle-clothing.co.uk/ or encove cycling
If you're a rich bitch assos, rapha, mcipollini,castelli.

I think most people wil tell you though, the best thing to do is look for bargains. Buy summer gear in winter, winter gear in summer. It works everytime,cheap.

alanmck1971

I have also used Wiggle

and

Iv'e managed to purchase a couple of bargains from evans cycles site recently:
Giro helmet = £30
Pearl Izumi top = £22

These offers have passed but keep looking and you can pick up some good deals:

http://www.evanscycles.com

and also try cyclesurgery

IanTrcp

nakita222 wrote:

accessories such as warmers/overshoes prendas ciclismo
Pretty much everything else http://www.cycle-clothing.co.uk/ or encove cycling
If you're a rich ***** assos, rapha, mcipollini,castelli.

I think most people wil tell you though, the best thing to do is look for bargains. Buy summer gear in winter, winter gear in summer. It works everytime,cheap.

***** = "rider"?

Matt the Tester

Rick Chasey wrote:

Now?

Jersey, shorts, arm warmers.

Everything else is a bonus.

this.

im abit nesh but im not wearing Full length Bibs anymore.

EightOhEight

Many thanks for your useful replies.