B E N D E R's non sweary review site, roubaixcycling.cc (and general kit discussion)

teebs_123

Bender-Genuine question, are you paying for your stuff, or are Wiggle sending out FOC?

bendertherobot

Teebs_123 wrote:

Bender-Genuine question, are you paying for your stuff, or are Wiggle sending out FOC?

It's a fair question. And the genuine answer is, it depends.

The initial review of all the winter kit was my own money. Indeed, it was that good I decided to write about it. And that was how my blog was born. I followed it up with reviews of kit that I owned. And those "other pieces." The Supersix is also mine as are the Pro Lite wheels.

And the other stuff, Wiggle, Lusso, Parentini and Prendas to date are review samples. And that's where it gets interesting. To date I've not given a bad review, though I've picked up on issues to address. I've been lucky that what I've received is good kit and, frankly, I think a lot of what's produced now is very good.

So yes, in relation to the question, Wiggle provided me with the review stuff on this occasion for free. When I got into this originally (and let's face it, that was a mere 4 months ago) I did agonise over what to do with kit. I even emailed a few of the road sites to see what they did. And, of course, the answer was pretty much the same. They kept some, gave some to family and friends etc. No-one wants clothing back because a) its good to do a long term test and b) ewwww. So there we are. I intend to start to give some away as prizes soon but, of course, that does mean that only a similarly sized person can benefit from them. It may be that I can get a prize copy to go with a review, we will see.

So, the big question is, can the reviews be trusted. And, of course, that's impossible to answer. It's up to the reader. That remains the case with most review sites. You have to decide whether getting "free kit" is better or worse than upsetting advertisers (I have none). It's virtually impossible to avoid the implication of bias and, of course, it's quite hard for me to be sure that I'm not operating confirmation bias either. There is of course quite a bit of work and writing that goes into them. And today I've been out in 12 degrees testing short sleeve jerseys because it simply has to get done.

What I want to do is share a blog of genuinely good kit that deserves a wider audience. But the USP is to do so in a comprehensive way that you won't perhaps see elsewhere.

Hope that helps!

PTestTeam

DKay wrote:

That's me getting some then. I've had the Sportful NoRain arm warmers and their water resistance is now non-existent after multiple wears and washes. Even after re-proofing, their water resistance is still very poor.

Do Sportful use a DWR treatment? With Parentini's K-Dry armwarmers that have their 'Hydro' DWR treatment, you can 're-activate' them, by putting them in a tumble dryer on about 40degrees for about 30mins. OR you can iron them on a low heat setting (no steam) with a thin cotton item as protection between the garment and iron. Be careful around any logos or graphics that are applied with heat.

I've found that using soap flakes makes the DWR treatment last a lot longer too. This is the stuff I use http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/laundry-produc ... oap-flakes

teebs_123

bendertherobot wrote:

Teebs_123 wrote:

Bender-Genuine question, are you paying for your stuff, or are Wiggle sending out FOC?

It's a fair question. And the genuine answer is, it depends.

The initial review of all the winter kit was my own money. Indeed, it was that good I decided to write about it. And that was how my blog was born. I followed it up with reviews of kit that I owned. And those "other pieces." The Supersix is also mine as are the Pro Lite wheels.

And the other stuff, Wiggle, Lusso, Parentini and Prendas to date are review samples. And that's where it gets interesting. To date I've not given a bad review, though I've picked up on issues to address. I've been lucky that what I've received is good kit and, frankly, I think a lot of what's produced now is very good.

So yes, in relation to the question, Wiggle provided me with the review stuff on this occasion for free. When I got into this originally (and let's face it, that was a mere 4 months ago) I did agonise over what to do with kit. I even emailed a few of the road sites to see what they did. And, of course, the answer was pretty much the same. They kept some, gave some to family and friends etc. No-one wants clothing back because a) its good to do a long term test and b) ewwww. So there we are. I intend to start to give some away as prizes soon but, of course, that does mean that only a similarly sized person can benefit from them. It may be that I can get a prize copy to go with a review, we will see.

So, the big question is, can the reviews be trusted. And, of course, that's impossible to answer. It's up to the reader. That remains the case with most review sites. You have to decide whether getting "free kit" is better or worse than upsetting advertisers (I have none). It's virtually impossible to avoid the implication of bias and, of course, it's quite hard for me to be sure that I'm not operating confirmation bias either. There is of course quite a bit of work and writing that goes into them. And today I've been out in 12 degrees testing short sleeve jerseys because it simply has to get done.

What I want to do is share a blog of genuinely good kit that deserves a wider audience. But the USP is to do so in a comprehensive way that you won't perhaps see elsewhere.

Hope that helps!

Hi,

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I'm a big fan of the DHB stuff (their ASV stuff is ace)
The only item I dont agree with is the DHB Softshell jacket, to me it felt really cheap, but that's only my opinion

bendertherobot

And, to add, I've just got the Mrs into cycling. Virtually everything I got here was either from the Blok, Aeron or ASV range.

Lorez

I'm interested in the aeron range this spring & summer as I've been impressed with the roubaix micro bloc long sleeve top & roubaix tights. I just wanted to step up the quality. thanks for the reviews and comments

bendertherobot

https://roubaixcycling.wordpress.com/20 ... as-sprung/

Done the accessories. Jerseys and Bibs next.

mrfpb

Got the winter aeron Roubaix jersey last week and took it out tonight with the lightweight gillet in my back pocket. Very cosy, didn't need the gillet depite temp being just below zero for the two hours I was out. I did have a merino baselayer on, and my OH commented that I was very cold when I got in, but I felt fine. Very pleased with the jersey, hopefully I will get to test the gillet another day.

mechanism

Thinking about the Rain Defence Arm Warmers...

...assuming its going to be a wet ride is the idea to wear them with a wind/shower-proof short-sleeve jersey? Do dhb have such a thing? Or would you wear a gilet with a regular jersey?

bendertherobot

Mechanism wrote:

Thinking about the Rain Defence Arm Warmers...

...assuming its going to be a wet ride is the idea to wear them with a wind/shower-proof short-sleeve jersey? Do dhb have such a thing? Or would you wear a gilet with a regular jersey?

Not yet. They do have a very cheap and very good looking DHB Classic Rain jacket though.

I'll ask them where they stand with the rain jersey though. It's a very popular niche now and something most marques have.

Camcycle1974

Have a Roubaix jersey and windslam gilet on their way. Just in time for the good weather! Went for yellow/blue, hope I made the right choice.

bendertherobot

First impressions of the new Aeron range are very positive. I like the new Elastic straps on the Speed shorts. The Speed jersey is very nice. The Aeron jersey very good value.

Will be wearing them soon I hope. I'd read a review about the switch back to normal rather than flatlock seams on the Aeron shorts. Not a huge issue for me. I looked inside my favourite Assos Mille shorts to see that the seams are pretty much identical.

alex222

Just ordered a pair of the Aeron mitts based on your review. Looking forward to testing them out.

bendertherobot

Gulp! No pressure......

alex222

bendertherobot wrote:

Gulp! No pressure......

I'll let you know how I get on.

bendertherobot

Which colour did you go for? I really like the look on the white ones but they would clash.

step83

Great reviews, been umming an arring on some warmer long sleeve jerseys for the colder spring mornings. Made my mind up to go with the Aeron Roubaix Long Sleeve in blue/yellow. Dont have the (flat) stomach yet for the ASV bits

wahla21

I too bought the Roubaix Jersey and the Gilet on the back of your excellent review...
I will report back after this weekend.

alex222

bendertherobot wrote:

Which colour did you go for? I really like the look on the white ones but they would clash.

Went for the all black I am afraid. White would have worked with my bike and kit too, but as bike is predominantly black have gone for the closer matching option.

edit - just has a second look on the site and the white do look good. I might have made the wrong choice, but then black is a safe option (well perhaps not safe in terms of visibility, but that's another debate)

norvernrob

I hope the new Aeron bibs last longer than my old (2014) Aeron Pro. Less than 1k miles on them and I noticed a big hole had appeared on the inner leg, shame as they were really comfortable.

wahla21

I got the Roubaix jersey in yellow/blue. It's excellent and the fit fantastic.
However, I got the Roubaix gilet in the same colour and that didn't work at all together! That will be going back to be changed for a black one. But the quality of the gilet is really nice and fit perfect.

fenix

NorvernRob wrote:

I hope the new Aeron bibs last longer than my old (2014) Aeron Pro. Less than 1k miles on them and I noticed a big hole had appeared on the inner leg, shame as they were really comfortable.

Catching on your saddlebag maybe?

Camcycle1974

wahla21 wrote:

I got the Roubaix jersey in yellow/blue. It's excellent and the fit fantastic.
However, I got the Roubaix gilet in the same colour and that didn't work at all together! That will be going back to be changed for a black one. But the quality of the gilet is really nice and fit perfect.

Got the same jersey as you and the windslam gilet, also in blue/yellow. Do the colours clash then? Mine has not turned up yet.

wahla21

I just found it was way too much yellow and it was no real line between jersey and gilet.
I hope the Black one will be good.

Camcycle1974

Thanks. Will see how it looks when they arrive. Jersey today, gilet Monday probably. Had to get L in the gilet whereas I am normally a M in DHB kit so it may go back anyway.

mechanism

The dhb elves need to knit a few more medium aeron gilets as they're all out-of-stock at the moment.

bendertherobot wrote:

I'll ask them where they stand with the rain jersey though. It's a very popular niche now and something most marques have.

I'd be interested to hear what they say. The same could be said about rain-proof knee and leg warmers with standard shorts.

bendertherobot

As soon I hear anything I will let you know.

I've just ordered a few more pieces myself, with my own money

Another Aeron Jersey (black). But wanted to see how the large sized up.

But also this which is languishing away with no trumpeting about it. Looks interesting.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-classic-sho ... ix-jersey/

Camcycle1974

Jersey came today. Quality looks very good, definitely a step or three up from my Altura long sleeve jersey. I like black kit but the bright yellow version is "sensible" as I intend to use it for early morning commutes and club runs. Fit is perfect in medium as expected. I think I will be sending the gilet back if it comes up any bigger than the jersey.

norvernrob

Fenix wrote:

NorvernRob wrote:

I hope the new Aeron bibs last longer than my old (2014) Aeron Pro. Less than 1k miles on them and I noticed a big hole had appeared on the inner leg, shame as they were really comfortable.

Catching on your saddlebag maybe?

I checked that, it's a tiny bag and no other shorts are marked at all. I'm 68kg with skinny legs so not exactly a big lump grinding my thighs against the saddle!

bendertherobot

bendertherobot wrote:

As soon I hear anything I will let you know.

I've just ordered a few more pieces myself, with my own money

Another Aeron Jersey (black). But wanted to see how the large sized up.

But also this which is languishing away with no trumpeting about it. Looks interesting.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-classic-sho ... ix-jersey/

Just arrived. Seems very nice though looks like aeron long sleeve for battle on the beach.