Just how crucial to road cycling is THE BRAND ?

jonomc4

For me a lot of it comes down to fit. I find the cheaper brands tend to be to baggy as generally they are aimed a more recreational cyclists and therefore space needs to be made for a more comfortable mid-rift. I don't like baggy clothes when I am on a road bike.

That said my compression wear and socks mostly come from Lidl and Aldi. But for tops and bibs I always go for better quality - I am a big fan of Endura Equipe stuff that fits me well - but even working up their price range there is a big difference in comfort from the cheaper to the more expensive range.

I don't want a sore a$$ and money spent on good bib shorts is well worth the reduced pain - I can afford these better items so why wouldn't I buy them - yes the profit margin on more expensive items is greater for the company selling them - thats the whole idea behind "luxury" goods but for me a good top and pair of bibs shorts is a necessity rather than a luxury.

Samvan77

well in my humble amateur opinion and - apologies for stating the blindingly obvious here- the beauty of cycling for me is that it is mostly about the rider and not the gear he or she uses. Sure the quality of kit and bike does play a performance factor but a good rider( for the record I do not categorize my self in this group) on a crap bike with crap kit will run circles around a rubbish rider with a top end ride wearing the most expensive kit.

MattC59

Samvan77 wrote:

well in my humble amateur opinion and - apologies for stating the blindingly obvious here- the beauty of cycling for me is that it is mostly about the rider and not the gear he or she uses. Sure the quality of kit and bike does play a performance factor but a good rider( for the record I do not categorize my self in this group) on a crap bike with crap kit will run circles around a rubbish rider with a top end ride wearing the most expensive kit.

True, but good quality high cost kit is still good quality high cost kit whether the rider is good or not.

♠ChumBucket♠

Samvan77 wrote:

well in my humble amateur opinion and - apologies for stating the blindingly obvious here- the beauty of cycling for me is that it is mostly about the rider and not the gear he or she uses. Sure the quality of kit and bike does play a performance factor but a good rider( for the record I do not categorize my self in this group) on a crap bike with crap kit will run circles around a rubbish rider with a top end ride wearing the most expensive kit.

Reminds me of a friend of mine, he was a multiple schoolboy motoX champion. He packed up when he was approx 16/17 & concentrated on a career, got married & had kids. Anyhow, he came back about ten years later on a serious budget. Old bike & riding gear from an age forgotten that didn't even fit him! You could see people in the paddock sniggering at what he looked like & what he was riding as they walked past with their brand spanking new bikes & hot off the press apparel!! Even WE were taking the urine out of him (but we knew how good he was on the track). The feeling was amazing as the gate dropped & this old ex champion, on his ancient bike & yesteryear gear proceeded to totally wipe the floor with them all & go one to win all three races of the day by some margin!! There were a few red faces that day!!

Crankbrother

Surely crowing about what you don't have is as equaly gauche as bragging about what you do ...

But please, continue ...

jane90

Didn't the OP start another thread the other day banging on about how anyone who wasn't riding a 30 year old bike cobbled together from rusty scaffolding tubes was betraying the "essence" of cycling?

durhamwasp

Most of my stuff comes from China.

I have some expensive stuff that i got massively reduced, and i can tell immediately that its much high quality, however i would still only buy it if it is massively reduced (eg BMC jersey & bibs for £20 in Belgium)

Raffles

jane90 wrote:

Didn't the OP start another thread the other day banging on about how anyone who wasn't riding a 30 year old bike cobbled together from rusty scaffolding tubes was betraying the "essence" of cycling?

stick the kettle on will ya jane, mines black coffee with no sugar.

y33stu

♠ChumBucket♠ wrote:

Reminds me of a friend of mine, he was a multiple schoolboy motoX champion. He packed up when he was approx 16/17 & concentrated on a career, got married & had kids. Anyhow, he came back about ten years later on a serious budget. Old bike & riding gear from an age forgotten that didn't even fit him! You could see people in the paddock sniggering at what he looked like & what he was riding as they walked past with their brand spanking new bikes & hot off the press apparel!! Even WE were taking the urine out of him (but we knew how good he was on the track). The feeling was amazing as the gate dropped & this old ex champion, on his ancient bike & yesteryear gear proceeded to totally wipe the floor with them all & go one to win all three races of the day by some margin!! There were a few red faces that day!!

That's like me when I used to play Ice + Roller hockey. The team i played for merged with another team for this tournament, and we couldn't decide which jerseys to wear. We decided not to wear either, and bought some god awful luminous yellow tops, and used duct tape to put numbers on the back. We turned up for the first game, and had virtually every other team laughing at us, with them in their sponsored jerseys and team kit.

We went on to win all 5 games that day, and won the tournament. You could see the disbelief in the other teams. So for me, its not the kit you wear, its about what you do with what you've got. I wear Aldi, Lidl, DHB, mostly cheap stuff. If some top end stuff is in the sale, at DHB prices, I'll buy it, if not, I'm happy with the cheapo.

I'm the same with clothes. I would never pay £80 for a T-shirt cos it has a designer name on it. Even if I had the money to do so. However, I have no issue with those that do. Each to their own.

jonomc4

What really annoys me is people who blab on about - I have crap kit but I beat this guy in expensive kit - it is like saying I am at one with the earth but I am so awesome and I don't need fancy stuff to be awesome, just imagine if I had the fancy stuff - then I would be super awesome! Bow down to me.

I go past people in crap kit and good kit - people go past me in crap kit and good kit. It is totally irrelevant! You buy what you can afford and what you want to spend. But I see no point as an average cyclist having to wear cheap stuff just because the illuminati of cheapskate cycling say I should wear it. I will wear what I like and what I want to spend - if it doesn't meet with your standards (i.e. it is either too good or too bad) I personally don't give a f*ck as to what you or anybody thinks, it is my choice and to those who feel they should be telling what I can and cannot wear - please talk to the hand.

Rant over

thegreatdivide

jonomc4 wrote:

What really annoys me is people who blab on about - I have crap kit but I beat this guy in expensive kit - it is like saying I am at one with the earth but I am so awesome and I don't need fancy stuff to be awesome, just imagine if I had the fancy stuff - then I would be super awesome! Bow down to me.

I go past people in crap kit and good kit - people go past me in crap kit and good kit. It is totally irrelevant! You buy what you can afford and what you want to spend. But I see no point as an average cyclist having to wear cheap stuff just because the illuminati of cheapskate cycling say I should wear it. I will wear what I like and what I want to spend - if it doesn't meet with your standards (i.e. it is either too good or too bad) I personally don't give a f*ck as to what you or anybody thinks, it is my choice and to those who feel they should be telling what I can and cannot wear - please talk to the hand.

Rant over

Get in! ;-)

griffsters

jonomc4 wrote:

What really annoys me is people who blab on about - I have crap kit but I beat this guy in expensive kit - it is like saying I am at one with the earth but I am so awesome and I don't need fancy stuff to be awesome, just imagine if I had the fancy stuff - then I would be super awesome! Bow down to me.

I go past people in crap kit and good kit - people go past me in crap kit and good kit. It is totally irrelevant! You buy what you can afford and what you want to spend. But I see no point as an average cyclist having to wear cheap stuff just because the illuminati of cheapskate cycling say I should wear it. I will wear what I like and what I want to spend - if it doesn't meet with your standards (i.e. it is either too good or too bad) I personally don't give a f*ck as to what you or anybody thinks, it is my choice and to those who feel they should be telling what I can and cannot wear - please talk to the hand.

Rant over

Back o' the net. One in the eye for inverted snobbery

dodgy

jonomc4 wrote:

What really annoys me is people who blab on about - I have crap kit but I beat this guy in expensive kit - it is like saying I am at one with the earth but I am so awesome and I don't need fancy stuff to be awesome, just imagine if I had the fancy stuff - then I would be super awesome! Bow down to me.

I go past people in crap kit and good kit - people go past me in crap kit and good kit. It is totally irrelevant! You buy what you can afford and what you want to spend. But I see no point as an average cyclist having to wear cheap stuff just because the illuminati of cheapskate cycling say I should wear it. I will wear what I like and what I want to spend - if it doesn't meet with your standards (i.e. it is either too good or too bad) I personally don't give a f*ck as to what you or anybody thinks, it is my choice and to those who feel they should be telling what I can and cannot wear - please talk to the hand.

Rant over

Way to convince us that you don't give a f*ck about what anyone thinks

the playing mantis

surely you have more important/interesting things to worry about/do in your life than come up with threads like this!

if you dont get out there and find some.

Pross

jonomc4 wrote:

What really annoys me is people who blab on about - I have crap kit but I beat this guy in expensive kit - it is like saying I am at one with the earth but I am so awesome and I don't need fancy stuff to be awesome, just imagine if I had the fancy stuff - then I would be super awesome! Bow down to me.

I go past people in crap kit and good kit - people go past me in crap kit and good kit. It is totally irrelevant! You buy what you can afford and what you want to spend. But I see no point as an average cyclist having to wear cheap stuff just because the illuminati of cheapskate cycling say I should wear it. I will wear what I like and what I want to spend - if it doesn't meet with your standards (i.e. it is either too good or too bad) I personally don't give a f*ck as to what you or anybody thinks, it is my choice and to those who feel they should be telling what I can and cannot wear - please talk to the hand.

Rant over

Yep, people are missing the point with all that. I don't know anyone who thinks better quality clothing makes them quicker on the bike - you pay the extra because it is more comfortable. In terms of shorts, I get the most comfortable I can within my budget range (mid priced) which I find to be Endura FS260 Pro. I've got some cheaper jerseys that get worn on my commute but as someone said above they are generally a bit on the baggy side (so great when I started back cycling with 3 stone of excess baggage!).

Pross

Raffles wrote:

jane90 wrote:

Didn't the OP start another thread the other day banging on about how anyone who wasn't riding a 30 year old bike cobbled together from rusty scaffolding tubes was betraying the "essence" of cycling?

stick the kettle on will ya jane, mines black coffee with no sugar.

Caught bang to rights so revert to 'joking' sexism

jane90

Raffles wrote:

stick the kettle on will ya jane, mines black coffee with no sugar.

I would do, Raffles, but unfortunately I don't have any 30 year old rusty pots or a one-ring cooker. I only have a sleek, modern Gaggia expresso-maker which looks great in my kitchen and consistently makes the best flavoured coffee, so I'm afraid it probably wouldn't be to your taste. So sorry about that.

alihisgreat

jane90 wrote:

Raffles wrote:

stick the kettle on will ya jane, mines black coffee with no sugar.

I would do, Raffles, but unfortunately I don't have any 30 year old rusty pots or a one-ring cooker. I only have a sleek, modern Gaggia expresso-maker which looks great in my kitchen and consistently makes the best flavoured coffee, so I'm afraid it probably wouldn't be to your taste. So sorry about that.

well played!

Raffles

jane90 wrote:

Raffles wrote:

stick the kettle on will ya jane, mines black coffee with no sugar.

I would do, Raffles, but unfortunately I don't have any 30 year old rusty pots or a one-ring cooker. I only have a sleek, modern Gaggia expresso-maker which looks great in my kitchen and consistently makes the best flavoured coffee, so I'm afraid it probably wouldn't be to your taste. So sorry about that.

glad to see you drink "real" coffee as I do too, I had you down for buying jars of asda own brand instant.

MattC59

Raffles wrote:

jane90 wrote:

Raffles wrote:

stick the kettle on will ya jane, mines black coffee with no sugar.

I would do, Raffles, but unfortunately I don't have any 30 year old rusty pots or a one-ring cooker. I only have a sleek, modern Gaggia expresso-maker which looks great in my kitchen and consistently makes the best flavoured coffee, so I'm afraid it probably wouldn't be to your taste. So sorry about that.

glad to see you drink "real" coffee as I do too, I had you down for buying jars of asda own brand instant.

Well someone has to say it......... Hypocrite !
:roll:

jordan_217

This thread is ace....

I don't give a flying fook what brand my kit is. If it's a good bit of kit that will just let me put it on and forget about it then that's great, I just want to get on with the business of riding my bike and enjoying a few hours doing what I love. I have expensive stuff, I have cheap stuff. I know what kit is best suited to weather, ride duration etc so I just dress accordingly.

I don't think it's any coincidence though that the stuff I pull on for a 4+ hour ride is the more expensive kit . That is particularly true of foul weather kit IME (with the exception of my trusty £6 Aldi base layer) . People can try deny it all they want but you do generally, get what you pay for and I've found that the people who try and argue that point are usually those with no experience of higher end kit and who have a chip on their shoulder with those who can afford to buy it.

I know someone who's not long got into cycling and he's a brand snob. His shorts had to be Assos and his bike had to be upgraded to what everyone else in his club was using (or better). He sniggers at my Aldi base layers and the fact I only spent £8 on Prendas' oversocks. He even talks about saving 20g on pedals a 'marginal gain' (Team Sky fan boy). He's about 3 stone overweight and absolutely 5hit on a bike. So, I don't think he's a knobber for being able to afford nice kit, I think he's a knobber because he barely rides his bike, talks it up like he's in the pre-peleton and 'carbs loads' for a 30 min ride, 'taking on some gels' during said ride. Why can't these people just do what they've been doing for years and stick to taking up golf?!. Anyway, I've digressed and just wanted to get that out of my system

ddraver

There are an awful lot of similarities between cycling and golf....

alihisgreat

jordan_217 wrote:

This thread is ace....

I don't give a flying fook what brand my kit is. If it's a good bit of kit that will just let me put it on and forget about it then that's great, I just want to get on with the business of riding my bike and enjoying a few hours doing what I love. I have expensive stuff, I have cheap stuff. I know what kit is best suited to weather, ride duration etc so I just dress accordingly.

I don't think it's any coincidence though that the stuff I pull on for a 4+ hour ride is the more expensive kit . That is particularly true of foul weather kit IME (with the exception of my trusty £6 Aldi base layer) . People can try deny it all they want but you do generally, get what you pay for and I've found that the people who try and argue that point are usually those with no experience of higher end kit and who have a chip on their shoulder with those who can afford to buy it.

I know someone who's not long got into cycling and he's a brand snob. His shorts had to be Assos and his bike had to be upgraded to what everyone else in his club was using (or better). He sniggers at my Aldi base layers and the fact I only spent £8 on Prendas' oversocks. He even talks about saving 20g on pedals a 'marginal gain' (Team Sky fan boy). He's about 3 stone overweight and absolutely 5hit on a bike. So, I don't think he's a knobber for being able to afford nice kit, I think he's a knobber because he barely rides his bike, talks it up like he's in the pre-peleton and 'carbs loads' for a 30 min ride, 'taking on some gels' during said ride. Why can't these people just do what they've been doing for years and stick to taking up golf?!. Anyway, I've digressed and just wanted to get that out of my system

I love mu Prendas oversocks.. one of my most useful pieces of kit.

jordan_217

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

jordan_217 wrote:

This thread is ace....

I don't give a flying fook what brand my kit is. If it's a good bit of kit that will just let me put it on and forget about it then that's great, I just want to get on with the business of riding my bike and enjoying a few hours doing what I love. I have expensive stuff, I have cheap stuff. I know what kit is best suited to weather, ride duration etc so I just dress accordingly.

I don't think it's any coincidence though that the stuff I pull on for a 4+ hour ride is the more expensive kit . That is particularly true of foul weather kit IME (with the exception of my trusty £6 Aldi base layer) . People can try deny it all they want but you do generally, get what you pay for and I've found that the people who try and argue that point are usually those with no experience of higher end kit and who have a chip on their shoulder with those who can afford to buy it.

I know someone who's not long got into cycling and he's a brand snob. His shorts had to be Assos and his bike had to be upgraded to what everyone else in his club was using (or better). He sniggers at my Aldi base layers and the fact I only spent £8 on Prendas' oversocks. He even talks about saving 20g on pedals a 'marginal gain' (Team Sky fan boy). He's about 3 stone overweight and absolutely 5hit on a bike. So, I don't think he's a knobber for being able to afford nice kit, I think he's a knobber because he barely rides his bike, talks it up like he's in the pre-peleton and 'carbs loads' for a 30 min ride, 'taking on some gels' during said ride. Why can't these people just do what they've been doing for years and stick to taking up golf?!. Anyway, I've digressed and just wanted to get that out of my system

I love mu Prendas oversocks.. one of my most useful pieces of kit.

I've just taken delivery of 2x the new Cordura version, they appear a little thicker. Hopefully, going to give them a try at lunchtime, thought it's a little milder today so may have to wait.

ugo.santalucia

I don't know how such a stupid thread makes it to 8 pages... we must be really bored...

Raffles

ugo you must have serious boredom issues mate.................................cos ya keep coming back

♠ChumBucket♠

jordan_217 wrote:

This thread is ace....

I don't give a flying fook what brand my kit is. If it's a good bit of kit that will just let me put it on and forget about it then that's great, I just want to get on with the business of riding my bike and enjoying a few hours doing what I love. I have expensive stuff, I have cheap stuff. I know what kit is best suited to weather, ride duration etc so I just dress accordingly.

I don't think it's any coincidence though that the stuff I pull on for a 4+ hour ride is the more expensive kit . That is particularly true of foul weather kit IME (with the exception of my trusty £6 Aldi base layer) . People can try deny it all they want but you do generally, get what you pay for and I've found that the people who try and argue that point are usually those with no experience of higher end kit and who have a chip on their shoulder with those who can afford to buy it.

I know someone who's not long got into cycling and he's a brand snob. His shorts had to be Assos and his bike had to be upgraded to what everyone else in his club was using (or better). He sniggers at my Aldi base layers and the fact I only spent £8 on Prendas' oversocks. He even talks about saving 20g on pedals a 'marginal gain' (Team Sky fan boy). He's about 3 stone overweight and absolutely 5hit on a bike. So, I don't think he's a knobber for being able to afford nice kit, I think he's a knobber because he barely rides his bike, talks it up like he's in the pre-peleton and 'carbs loads' for a 30 min ride, 'taking on some gels' during said ride. Why can't these people just do what they've been doing for years and stick to taking up golf?!. Anyway, I've digressed and just wanted to get that out of my system

Nowt wrong wi' tellin' it like it is!!

johnny25

Just bough a pair of dhb R1.0 Road Cycling Shoes. So there.

Do the job very well. And only cost £40.

How crucial is the brand? As crucial as you want it to be.

iPete

Picked up heinously expensive ski jacket in the sales that makes a rapha soft shell look like a coat for the plebs because firstly it was the best looking in the shop and secondly because it said The North Face and Gore on it.

ballin'

I don't ski either.

MountainMonster

iPete wrote:

Picked up heinously expensive ski jacket in the sales that makes a rapha soft shell look like a coat for the plebs because firstly it was the best looking in the shop and secondly because it said The North Face and Gore on it.

ballin'

I don't ski either.

Yeah, I hear you on that. At least you will be warm while flashing about!