Cheap cycling product success shocker !

shipley

I had a collection of spares in the garage so bought a cheap 2nd hand frame from the LFGSS forum and built a bike. The only thing I didn't have was a saddle and given the bike will probably only ever live on my turbo I didn't want to spend a fortune.

All my other bikes have pricey Fizik saddles but I thought I would give a Charge Spoon a try. £20 brand new and I have just climbed off the rollers after 90 mins and all is well with my gentleman's area !

Nice saddle, and a great bargain......I'm off to buy another for my winter bike now !!

Anyone else found similar little gems ?

andi1363

Love it when you have low expectations but the components bats above its weight. Conti Ultra sports £22 a pair delivered from Ebay are my. Contribution along with Fulcrum racing 5's!

davep1

I bought one of them about two years ago for my old road bike. The saddle on it wasn't great and I had read good reviews but the alloy seat stem had fused in the frame and I couldn't get it off. Will dig it out and try it on the new wheels

arthur_scrimshaw

Wait till the stitching starts destroying your bibshorts :-(

mattsccm

I like Spoons but my shorts have buggered the stitching after only 10k miles.

borisface

Used to love the spoon but I found that the stitching was tearing the skin in my nether region, so have swapped over to a Gilles Berthoud which after about 500 kms is super comfy.

g00se

If you like the Spoon - try the new Charge Scoop. Similar shape but more 'road' - no stitching etc.

keef66

Another owner of bobbled lycra courtesy of the Spoon. Which is a pity since it was pretty comfortable.

So anyone with a kevlar @rse who wishes to try it, make me an offer. (It's grey with white rails)

I've since acquired one of Spa Cycles Aire leather saddles. Not quite as comfy out of the box as the Brooks B17, but we're slowly coming to a satisfactory accommodation.

£45 vs the wrong side of £100 for the equivalent Brooks, I suspect this is going to be another cheap cycling product success shocker.

lakesluddite

g00se wrote:

If you like the Spoon - try the new Charge Scoop. Similar shape but more 'road' - no stitching etc.

I've got a Spoon on the winter/commuter bike, and a Scoop on the sunday best, and I really get on with both. The Scoop is just as comfy as the Spoon, and as said, looks a bit sleeker. No real problems in over 8 hours on the Fred Whitton last weekend.

rolf_f

keef66 wrote:

£45 vs the wrong side of £100 for the equivalent Brooks, I suspect this is going to be another cheap cycling product success shocker.

They are supposed to be good. But for me, the price difference is worth paying for something made in the UK rather than the Far East. And it's probably easier to get a Brooks refurbed.

Any Aldi top/jacket is good for the money as are the shoes. Solid kit for the commute.

downhill paul

I've still got two pairs of mitts I bought from aldi a few years ago, I also bought the winter trousers and jacket and a pair of winter gloves. the mitts are the ones with the towel like material between the thumb and index finger and the gel across the palm. much better than the cheap flimsy gloves they are selling now. mine have been used and washed countless times and they are still almost like new.
the winter trousers and jacket were a bit bulky but they did the job. I managed to sell them with the winter gloves on ebay as I had only used them a few times.
you certainly can't beat a good quality pair of mitts for £3.49. considering I could spend £20 or more on a pair.

giant_man

the charge spoon isn't good for everyone, no matter how cheap they are.

wotnoshoeseh

Lidl thermal longsleeved and regular tank type undervest - great VFM, especially the thermal one!!

laurentian

Aldi windproof base layer . . . £9.99 very well spent

ai_1

giant man wrote:

the charge spoon isn't good for everyone, no matter how cheap they are.

To be fair that goes for all saddles!