Expense of clothing

rokt

Why is cycling clothing so expensive ?

I treated myself and my wife to some new cycle clothing
for the upcoming colder months. The gear arrived today
and it's a mix of Mavic, Castelli & DHB from both Wiggle
& Chain Reactions.

Don't get me wrong I'm happy with my purchase and the
kit all looks very nice but hell it was expensive and most
of it was in the sale with a good % discount.

What makes it so expensive ? I don't think it can just
be the name.

stevenb

I think it's probably down to production costs and shipping/import costs.
Let's face it, most clothes made across the world are our basic everyday wears eg shirt, trousers etc.
Most cycling clothes use non-standard synthetic materials and are manufactured in fewer places across the globe...in essence, we are a niche market.
Of course, import costs etc take their toll.
there are many people on here who are cost conscious when it comes to buying clothes but will happily spend millions on a nice bike (so to speak).
Good cycling clothes do cost a lot but they pay for themselves when it comes to winter comfort and comfort in inclement conditions.

cougie

Castelli has a cheaper sister company - Sportful - so you have paid a bit extra for the name there.
DHB are good value. Mavic make great wheels - not convinced about clothes.

Go to Aldi and you can buy winter jackets for £20 or so and gloves for £5. They might not have the right name on them, but they'll be fine for riding around in.

MountainMonster

I didn't know that Sportful was a sister company of Castelli. That will explain why the arm warmers I got from a seller on eBay are so ridiculously cheap and high quality. That settles my decisions when buying in future then!

mpatts

At the risk of appearing argumentative - compared to what?

Anything compared to H&M/F&F or whatever will appear expensive but when you compare (for example) the price of my castelli skinsuit with the price of my favourite jeans* or my walking boots they are broadly comparable


*note, these are not 'designer' jeans, just made by a little company in Wales

sloppyschleckonds

Rokt wrote:

What makes it so expensive ? I don't think it can just
be the name.

Buying for two, and all at once?

Anonymous

Stick with the 'expensive' stuff, its much better value than the supermarket rubbish and so ends up not being expensive at all ;-)
Get them in a sale and its win, win ;-)

Depends how much you use it too.
My cycling clothes/shoes cost more than my normal clothes/shoes but it is much better at its job, I enjoy wearing it (what I am doing whilst wearing it) more, and to me, its better value.

I would hope the people who make it have a decent wage/life too, and are not likely to have the factory they work in collapse on them.

Tjgoodhew

Different sport but im sure a lot of people remember the outrage when England released their new shirt for the world cup. I think the "pro" shirt was £90.

A number of papers / websites investigated and found that the cost of the shirt to make was under £5 in regards to raw materials however Nike justified it by saying they spend millions on research to ensure athletes have the most innovative technology, marginal gains etc....

So in terms of raw materials yes sports clothing is a total rip off but somebody has to pay for the R&D.

Personally and through experience i think cycling clothing justifys its expense to some degree and you really do get what you pay for - My Assos jersey is so much better than a muddy fox one i picked up for a fiver from Sports Direct and i dont begrudge paying £70 for it as it fits great and is comfortable

slowbike

cougie wrote:

Go to Aldi and you can buy winter jackets for £20 or so and gloves for £5. They might not have the right name on them, but they'll be fine for riding around in.

stevenb wrote:

Good cycling clothes do cost a lot but they pay for themselves when it comes to winter comfort and comfort in inclement conditions.

I don't tend to go down the really expensive clothing route - preferring to buy at the lower end of the market, but there is a huge difference between the bottom end clothes and the branded clothes when it comes to quality, fit and fit for purpose.
I have sportful arm warmers - great bit of kit and inexpensive. I also have some muddyfox shorts somewhere - but whilst they're cheap they're nowhere near as comfortable (for me) as the Altura ones. I have a high end specialized jacket that is really comfortable & warm, fit is far better than the cheaper jacket that I use for everyday commuting although they both do the same job.
For me, comfort comes above brand or price - so long as the item of clothing is comfortable for me on the bike then I'll wear it - apart from TTs where aero is more a consideration!

oldbazza

What I do now is just wait for anything in Sales and clearouts;have got Castelli,Sportful etc at more reasonable prices just because it's last years colours/styles.Also just got some Planet X gear at good prices will just see how good it is.
Have become a fan of Sportfuls no rain gear,especially the arm,leg and knee warmers;also want to try the hot-pack gilet if I see it at an advantageous price.

cookeeemonster

Basically do you have the cheapest house/car/clothes/tv/etc/etc/etc on the market? If not why not - they are all the same and blah blah blah

When starting cycling choose stuff at the cheaper end of the spectrum, see what works for you and if you can afford and justify it, work your way up. Some of the stuff at the top end is massively overpriced rubbish...some of it is not. 20/30% of the price for some items may well be due to the brand and the reputation they have built up, and through sites like this you can get alternative recommendations that don't have that premium and work just as well.

So I started off with sports direct and now I have a smattering of Rapha among others - it's funking great and I love it. There are other brands available that are as good or better and maybe cheaper though, but dont moan because we all got the choice!!

Anonymous

If you start off cheap and work your way up you will:

A/ Be riding around in crap for ages
B/ Be less likely to spend more on yet more kit
C/ Have kit you never want to ever wear again
D/ Have wasted money

Cycling clothing is technical clothing and it makes sense to get at least half decent stuff from the outset IMO/IME.

Generally I find you get what you pay for.
Some brands stand out as really good value but they are all mid price ones IMO.

cookeeemonster

Carbonator wrote:

If you start off cheap and work your way up you will:

A/ Be riding around in crap for ages
B/ Be less likely to spend more on yet more kit
C/ Have kit you never want to ever wear again
D/ Have wasted money

Cycling clothing is technical clothing and it makes sense to get at least half decent stuff from the outset IMO/IME.

Generally I find you get what you pay for.
Some brands stand out as really good value but they are all mid price ones IMO.

Yeah I totally get your point, but it wont always apply to everyone. I do a lot of commuting miles in all weathers plus I run hot - which makes the cheaper non breathable stuff useless for me...and so I'm happy to spend a bit more if it's worth it.

Some people won't run hot, will only ride a few miles in nice weather in the summer and wont need to spend as much maybe...plus there's loads of people inbetween and loads of different scenarios.

But the main point I'm trying to make (badly) is you need to find out what works for you and not - there's so much info to take in at the start of your cycling career it's all a bit overwhelming...if you start out spending loads on clothes you may end up making a lot of mistakes...not necessarily but you know, the internet, people give amazing reviews of products with zero context and people get the wrong impression of products..especially with rain gear

kajjal

I just buy decent quality stuff in the sales. Most of it is half price or less which makes it a good deal. At full price it is not worth it for me. My wife's gore jacket was on sale for a third of its normal price, there are many other good buys if you look around. The cheaper stuff tends not to fit me as well and is of lower quality so I tend to avoid it in general.

cougie

I think shopping around is the best thing. I've sent big name kit back cos it was crap quality before - the name doesn't always guarantee quality.

Shorts - DHB, Planet X great kit. Assos obviously. Castelli were literally pants for me.

Underlayers - I cant tell between a branded vest and a cheapy.

Tops - I've ebay tops for a tenner that are as nice as branded kit that was 6 x as much.

Jackets - Gabba is great - but I think I'd try the sportful version and arms next time.
My Asssos jacket is nice - but is it worth 10x the price of my very decent Aldi jacket ? Hmmmm.

Ride fast and nobody can see your labels.

fatsmoker

cougie wrote:

Go to Aldi and you can buy winter jackets for £20 or so and gloves for £5. They might not have the right name on them, but they'll be fine for riding around in.

If you do this, don't stop at cafes popular with cyclists; they'll laugh at you. Snobbery is rife.

cookeeemonster

fatsmoker wrote:

cougie wrote:

Go to Aldi and you can buy winter jackets for £20 or so and gloves for £5. They might not have the right name on them, but they'll be fine for riding around in.

If you do this, don't stop at cafes popular with cyclists; they'll laugh at you. Snobbery is rife.

In your experience maybe (where exactly? Serious question) but not in mine.

Someone said in another thread recently that 99.9% of snobbery etc exists on Internet forums and nowhere else...I agree

EDIT: if that really is your experience then I see it as a positive thing - you find out from the start who are the d*ckheads to be avoided and who are not - May save you time in the long run

fatsmoker

No, it was said in jest. I'm sure there are snobs in cycling, as there are everywhere. You're right about forums.

stevenb

Its worth trying various brands for sure.
When an item needs replacing do some research, read reviews etc to help your decision.
As long as what you buy does the job well enough for your needs then its been worth while buying.

I dont care what I look like when Im on my bike. I just ride and enjoy riding. Ive got some Funkier branded clothes that do the job nicely for my evening rides and training sessions. They work spot on and were a great buy.
Ive got my LBS kit for when I want to wear eg Sportives etc or just when I feel like it.

IanRCarter

DHB are my go to brand, I'd recommend them to new riders. Their shorts in particular are great, a really nice pad in them. I do think they could do a better waterproof jacket though.

I have a Torm jersey and have recently bought a Rapha jersey half price in the sale, they cost me exactly the same. The Rapha jersey is better, but only slightly, certainly not worth twice the price it would be outside of the sale. It's a case of diminishing returns as you go higher up the price range and having to pay extra for a desirable brand (or not, if you look up at 'the Rapha snobs' in disgust).

bigjim

Depends on your mindset. What is cycling to you. Is it a sport? Not for me. I see it as a hobby that keeps me fit. Much like the gym and I don't wear designer gym gear. I've got 10yr old Aldi tops that serve me very well. My Sports Direct tops I think are very smart. The only thing I find is the rear pockets are too shallow compared to the more expensive stuff. I don't buy the expensive stuff. My kids tend to treat me on birthdays etc. Personally, given the choice, I don't like wearing gear with somebody's name or sponsors adverts/logos all over it. There again I would not wear a shirt with Rooney written on it either.

zak3737

I'm new back to cycling, and needed to pick up some gear as I only had MTB'ing stuff from a few years ago, so didnt think that was too cool.
Friend of mine reccomended some Decathlon stuff, so after browsing, got myself a couple of long sleeve jerseys, one with full zip and other with half zip, and both absolutely fantastic, and for peanuts, 1 was £7.99 and other was £13. Really really nice quality, and devoid of logo's and all that rubbish, more Rapha'esque !
I also got a heavier Jacket type thing for cooler days, with built-in neck warmer and cuff sealers, and again, for £24.99, its fantastic.
The Btwin Bib shorts are very good, although the padding could perhaps be better, but then again, it could be my @ss that needs wearing in more !
Lastly, I got their Hi-Viz Waterproof Jacket, which seems great, and fits superbly, - cant vouch for its 'breathabilty' etc as yet, but hey, for £20.........and I also got their 'Superlight' Wind Gilet, which again, for £20, is fab.
Even got one of their Helmets too, which for £30, is brilliant, fits really well.
All in all, for what I've paid, I am delighted, and altho I concede that perhaps better gear IS available, it all costs way more, - perhaps I'll move up the ladder as time goes by, but for now, this DEcathlon stuff is as much as I need.
:-)

tangled_metal

What a load of...

Everyone has preferences and compromises to make in everything. Cycling clothing, like any other none mainstream clothing, has a premium at the name end. Manufacture is not a big deal as the fabric gets delivered to the factory that cuts and puts it together. That same factory employs the same sorts as H&M/F&F do. You think just because it costs £200 it isn't made in China or Cambodia or India or other place in a sweat shop? Manufacture is cheap. Fabric is more expensive with the higher spec ones but still a fraction of the cost of your shop price. IMHO if you see something expensive in the sales at 50% or even 60% off the brand is still making a profit. R&D crap. There's not as much in that as they make out. I've worked with fabric weavers in new, technical fabrics and it is all just a marginal gain here an there with some production improvements allowing for performance improvements (i.e. the active shell Gore product is really just a progression from earlier Gore products. Heck the original Gore Tex was just re-used as Gore Windstopper believe it or not!! I am talking the very original product that hit the outdoors/walking/climbing market.

IME from buying for other demanding outdoor activities you start off with cheap and not right for you then move on to mid price and works more than adequately. Then finally if you get almost obsessive about it, or have a lot more money than you need. you get the real high end stuff. Me? I got upper mid range stuff in walking/climbing activities. I pick and choose what suits me. Some things I spent £260 on (hard shell climbing top) and that was worth it as it has lasted 4 years and counting plus it actually works well for cycling too so I have saved when buying for this newer obsession. I do buy Aldi for cycling but never for the hills purely because I am further along the journey in that. I know what works for me so can be sure that spending over £100 on one item (albeit in the sales or a few favoured, cheaper shops) is going to work well, fit well and perform. I do not know what works for me on the bike...yet. so I will restrict spending lots on items until I know a bit more from experience.

However one thing I reckon is very much true, cycling clothing brands mark up hugely because they know they can. Rapha anyone?? just how much is the off bike cotton t-shirts?? Those SKy ones!!!!! H&M unbranded cotton t-shirts do the job as well albeit without the branded logos. Your choice, your bank balance!! Just enjoy the cycling, that's important.

cookeeemonster

Tangled Metal wrote:

However one thing I reckon is very much true, cycling clothing brands mark up hugely because they know they can. Rapha anyone?? just how much is the off bike cotton t-shirts?? Those SKy ones!!!!! H&M unbranded cotton t-shirts do the job as well albeit without the branded logos. Your choice, your bank balance!! Just enjoy the cycling, that's important.

To be fair the 'off the bike' t shirts are at the same price or cheaper as other designer brands (whether you consider them designer or not I dont know) so in that context they are at the right price. All of those sort of t shirts are massively overpriced regardless of brand. H&M could sell them the same price as primark if they wanted but dont...so are a rip off too

Jules Winnfield

Carbonator wrote:

Stick with the 'expensive' stuff, its much better value than the supermarket rubbish and so ends up not being expensive at all ;-)

Some supermarket (ALDI) stuff is rubbish, that I agree with, but not all of it is. I bought one of their winter jackets and a compression top when they came out last September. They saw me through a full winters riding and will be my clothing of choice this winter too. They are incredibly warm.

KnightOfTheLongTights

Cycling gear is expensive compared to, say, running gear - though some of it is necessarily more technical.
I think it's because of the demographic of the surge in cycling popularity in the last 10-15 years - weighted towards men in above-average-income professions.

kajjal

KnightOfTheLongTights wrote:

Cycling gear is expensive compared to, say, running gear - though some of it is necessarily more technical.
I think it's because of the demographic of the surge in cycling popularity in the last 10-15 years - weighted towards men in above-average-income professions.

This is very true on the price mark up. If you also compare mountain bike components to road bikes you can see the large price hikes. An example of this is hydraulic disc brakes on road bikes. Also the prices of road bike groupsets as you move up the range. There is a lot of up selling going on.

MountainMonster

Surprise, surprise. The bike industry works the same as every other industry on earth.

What a novel conclusions.

Bar Shaker

Rokt wrote:

Why is cycling clothing so expensive ?

I treated myself and my wife to some new cycle clothing
for the upcoming colder months. The gear arrived today
and it's a mix of Mavic, Castelli & DHB from both Wiggle
& Chain Reactions.

Don't get me wrong I'm happy with my purchase and the
kit all looks very nice but hell it was expensive and most
of it was in the sale with a good % discount.

What makes it so expensive ? I don't think it can just
be the name.

What makes it expensive is the factors that made you choose it.

The styling - it was actually designed by someone who knows how to design technical sports clothing
The materials - they perform better and will do so for longer, than the cheapest options
The brand - it has a brand profile which suit the image you want to project

Each of these factors adds to the cost, but every time you pull on your Castelli bibs or your Mavic jersey, it will make you feel good and you will enjoy your hobby more than if you were wearing poorly designed/made alternatives.

rokt

Bloody hell....this post generated a few replies !

Like I said, I'm more than happy with the gear, it's just expensive.

Note to self: like someone stated, don't buy all at once and not for two.

thegreatdivide

IanRCarter wrote:

It's a case of diminishing returns as you go higher up the price range and having to pay extra for a desirable brand (or not, if you look up at 'the Rapha snobs' in disgust).

Is that not being a snob?