Budget or 2nd hand gear ?

ilovegrace

Newish to cycling so are starting to collect some gear.
I have been doubleing up with my running gear ,t shirts etc,
Cant believe how expensive this cycling lark is !!
Lidle are selling some gear this week , is it better to buy 2 of their t shirts or go second hand for a decent 1 on here ?
I suppose the question is pertinent for all gear ?
regards
ILG

mikeyboy12345

Gear - do you mean lycra, or just any old cycling equipment? I wouldn't want to go with second-hand clothing, especially shorts!!!! :x

What sort of riding are you doing? Lidl/Aldi clothing is well suited to commuting, or winter riding. The gloves tend to be garbage (although they had some decent ones two years ago and I pretty much bought a lifetime's supply ), I find the socks brilliant, and I use the base layers, tights, jerseys all the time for training rides, filthy weather, and the trip to work. The fit on the jerseys tends to be on the large side (and the pockets are often too shallow), so try before you buy. My opinion is that you can't have enough cycling clothing - if you do enough riding you'll use it all eventually anyway. I have a whole wardrobe full of cycling clothing, and my attire is different depending on the ride. For example I have four different jackets, depending on whether I'm on the MTB, a wet commute, a chilly autumn road ride, or a below-freezing road ride.

Looking at the Lidl offer page this week I personally would avoid the pumps and bike computer. The saddle bag kit is terrific value. They tend to have a few sales over the course of the year and sometimes have some jaw-dropping prices. Two years ago Lidl were flogging workstands and a (fairly) comprehensive toolkit for £15 apiece. Best £30 I ever spent!

Nowt really wrong with using a running t-shirt for cycling. Assuming it's a snug fit then all you're really missing out on are a few rear pockets (essential on something like a century ride, but I have no need for them on, say, a 30-miler). Decent shorts are a must-have though.

Beckers62

Lidl / Aldi kit will be fine to start out with

Also take a look at Decathlon kit. I picked up some Kipsta long sleeve base layers and I rate them very highly. The Decathlon shorts are a bit thin on padding for my liking.

IMHO Decathlon shirts for £15 but Endura shorts for £55

ilovegrace

Appreciate the replies chaps.
Most of my riding is commuting with a long one thrown in at the weekend.
Will definitely give the Lidle shirts a go .
Hard to know what is rubbish and what isnt, always used Gore, Nike etc for running but the gear for running is not huge amounts so you can get away with a couple of each. Running shoes every 500 miles or so.
Cycling kit !!! bibs ,longs thermals gloves overshoe jackets the list is endless.(thats not including the bike !).
Anyhow for someone my age (51) it is good to have a new interest .
regards
ILG

simon_masterson

It's a matter of getting what you pay for, really; variations across the pricing spectrum are quite similar to 'regular' clothing.

Inexpensive cyclewear can be perfectly adequate; just not much more. The fabric may not be quite as nice [as 'premium' level, it may not wick quite as nicely, the cut may not be quite as good, and pads on shorts won't be as comfortable. It may well not last as long, and if you do wear it out or shred it, there won't be any backup from the manufacturer.

I have an Altura short sleeve jersey that cost me about £40 a couple of years ago. I've ridden many, many miles in it. It's perfectly adequate: not exactly the most figure hugging, the pockets aren't very well elasticated and there isn't a zip one, and the jersey doesn't sit very nicely when they are loaded. After much less than a year of use (day in day out) it started looking very scrappy, including stitching coming undone around the pockets. It's still perfectly wearable for commuting. It's the cyclewear equivalent of a t-shirt from Primark.

For Saturday runs and commuting (and even more, for that matter), cheap clothing can be very effective - whether it's Lidl or DHB, and there are various bargains out there. Cheap fleece gloves work nicely over your mitts as winter gloves, for example.

If you're going to get something right though, make it your shorts.

Beckers62

From this Thursday at a Lidl near you

http://www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/www_lidl_ ... .htm?id=16

danlikesbikes

Personally I wouldn't go with 2nd hand clothing unless your thinking of a jacket possibly.

Lots of good budget items out there from Lidl, DHB, Tenn.

sancho_uk

Second hand clothing = Definite no for me personally.

As others have said go budget at least to start with:

I have lots of budget kit and it does me fine

DHB are good for pretty much everything
Decathlon pretty much the same if you have one near by

I have no knowledge of the Lidl or Aldi stuff so can`t comment, but have only heard good things for the price you pay.

Also had a couple of bib shorts from eBay.. Rutland have an outlet store on eBay which i highly recommend for cheap clothing does the job pretty well from my experience.

Pross

Budget for clothing, 2nd hand for bikes and components would be my general advice.