The cyclists wardrobe

bmxboy10

Just been going through my clothing which to be fair is pretty basic Altura, Specialized etc all bought in the sales cos im tight

When I go out I see lots of nice gear being worn by guys who are aiming for the pro look. Loads of Castelli and Rapha around the Surrey Hills area! Don't get me wrong I am quite envious however I would still not pay £200 for a jersey or jacket.

I started thinking about what other sports are there where you buy kit some of which can total up to well over £500 which you then go out and get wet and muddy? When you think about it its bloody daft. Would you for example buy a designer suit then do a tough mudder in it? I appreciate the suit is not going to be fit for purpose in this case but hopefully you get my drift?

iPete

Have you tried any nicer kit? Perhaps people are not trying to emulate pros but just maybe find it fits and functions better?

£200 on a jacket seems like nothing when it's still doing a great job 5 years later.

letap73

Rapha, ASSOS and Castelli can be bought on significant discount if you look carefully. For example Rapha sold on Ebay - until recently - every so often they would put something out like Rapha Condor pro team bib shorts for circa £80. When they have a sale it always coincides with a discount voucher that might be sent out for doing the survey. The Castelli Alpha jersey - great piece of kit - has been discounted to around £80. Both the above are still expensive, however, these prices are inline with Endura and Altura

daniel_b

I'm a cheapskate too, very little I buy is full price, but there are some discounts out there to be had, but you need to be fast quite often to get them at the reduced price.

The Alpha (£175) jersey has been mentioned above, mine I bought for £78. Espresso 3 (£230) I bought for £90, Rapha summer bibs (£160) for £81, Mavic h20 waterproof jacket (£230) for £77, Sorpasso bibtights (£120) for £54, Perfetto jersey (£125) for £63, plus loads of other items, but you get the idea :-)

And for me, it's nothing to do with looking pro, just a case of trying to get the most comfortable, most suitable, best performing, and highest quality clothing I can for my money.
My winter kit does not get covered in mud either, as my winter bike has factory guards ;-)

peteco

I understand golf clothing and kit can be stupidly expensive too.

Pete

andcp

Skiing can be expensive so I believe.

stueys

Define expensive I guess. I buy Rapha jackets, jerseys and bibs, they are all excellent fit and quality. I hover stuff up in the sales and very,very rarely pay full price. I like castelli jackets and jerseys as well but not as keen on the bibs. Endura do some nice jackets. It's a case of finding what works in terms of fit and performance and staying with it.

Re skiing I learnt a few years ago that Arcteryx stuff fits and performs brilliantly. It costs a small fortune but when a nice snow blizzard hits at 3800 meters it seems like money well spent on breathable, performant gear.

The other thing to think aboutis the resell value. Check out the ebay prices for the top brands and factor that in, in particular arc ski jackets do very well. With some exceptions you get what you pay for in my experience, though Ralpha do have a brand premium, hence the sale only buying.

iPete

I've never ever seen anyone own up to buying anything from Rapha at retail. Somebody somewhere at some point in history must have?

PTestTeam

If everyone used mudguards and flaps then cycle clothing wouldn't get muddy.

crescent

iPete wrote:

I've never ever seen anyone own up to buying anything from Rapha at retail. Somebody somewhere at some point in history must have?

That's like buying a full price sofa from DFS.

As for cycling clothing, I think the old adage about never regretting paying for quality applies. I have some fairly expensive Gore kit which is still going strong 3-4 years later. I also have some "budget" Altura shorts for £40 that are very comfortable and look good. I took a punt on a set of leggings from Lidl for a tenner - they feel as if they're lined with cardboard and do a job but not a patch on the branded stuff.

webboo

I think my Assos Windblock top and Gillet that I was wearing today are about 18 years old. I hope to leave them in my will to my grandson aged 2.

cookeeemonster

As above. Buy in the sale / with discount, sell on ebay for not much less after a fair bit of use (and sometimes at a profit) and in the meantime you get a really nice, great fitting, comfortable and performing bit of kit that - SHOCK HORROR!! - might even look good, or at least subtle compared to most cycle kit (of course it all mostly looks the same to non cyclists, but we don't care about them).

Your choice. No one gives a monkeys about what other people wear in real life, all snobbery is found on the internet (99% of it reverse snobbery in my experience)

chippyk

Paid £56 quid for some Raph PT bibs from Rapha and 30 quid for a Ghent Hustle top when they were getting shut of their Sky kit. Quality and cheap.

poucher

I ride a motorbike as well, you think cycling gear is expensive, its dirt cheap compared to motorbike gear!

I use Decent gear, mid range, not the most expensive stuff, from top to toe :_

Helmet £400
Leathers £800
Back protector £80
Gloves £120
Boots £200

Total £1,600

That doesn't include odds and ends like fog inserts for visors, bluetooth intercoms, any gore tex wet gear etc!

rick_chasey

iPete wrote:

I've never ever seen anyone own up to buying anything from Rapha at retail. Somebody somewhere at some point in history must have?

I saw a guy walk in to the rapha shop.

"I've just started cycling, so I need all the kit for all weathers".

About 40 mins later, when I'd finished my coffee, he walked out with a big bag full of kit and a couple of grand lighter.

kingstongraham

solboy10 wrote:

Would you for example buy a designer suit then do a tough mudder in it?

Would you buy a designer suit and go to work and sit around in it? A Next suit would be cheaper.

fenix

Rick Chasey wrote:

iPete wrote:

I've never ever seen anyone own up to buying anything from Rapha at retail. Somebody somewhere at some point in history must have?

I saw a guy walk in to the rapha shop.

"I've just started cycling, so I need all the kit for all weathers".

About 40 mins later, when I'd finished my coffee, he walked out with a big bag full of kit and a couple of grand lighter.

Good job Rapha do repairs - I'm sure he's gonna have a few clipless moments...

webboo

KingstonGraham wrote:

solboy10 wrote:

Would you for example buy a designer suit then do a tough mudder in it?

Would you buy a designer suit and go to work and sit around in it? A Next suit would be cheaper.

But would look s*it.

spam02

I think the more you ride, the more you will appreciate better/more expensive clothing. I started out like you, with the Altura's, Endura's etc. but over the last few years have upgraded to more expensive stuff. As above, you get what you pay for - better quality, better comfort, on the whole (but not always) better durability and in some cases crash replacement/repair services.
Just like my bike components, as I have upgraded my clothing, the older (cheaper) stuff has been moved over to use for commuting purposes. Over time, some of my better quality stuff has now become my commuting stuff.

Ps. I'm a cheapskate and have probably never bought ANY clothing at its RRP

kingstongraham

Webboo wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

solboy10 wrote:

Would you for example buy a designer suit then do a tough mudder in it?

Would you buy a designer suit and go to work and sit around in it? A Next suit would be cheaper.

But would look s*it.

Quite.

rick_chasey

KingstonGraham wrote:

solboy10 wrote:

Would you for example buy a designer suit then do a tough mudder in it?

Would you buy a designer suit and go to work and sit around in it?

Yes. I literally do this.

kingstongraham

Rick Chasey wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

solboy10 wrote:

Would you for example buy a designer suit then do a tough mudder in it?

Would you buy a designer suit and go to work and sit around in it?

Yes. I literally do this.

Bit like buying decent cycling clothing and wearing it for cycling.

daniel_b

Had my first interaction with Rapha customer service today - putting my summer shorts away for the winter, and noticed my lightweight shorts have some elastic showing on the outside, and the hem is kind of gathered.

Mailed them some pics, and they came back within 15 minutes to say it was a known issue with some from last year, and that I can return them for free for either an exchange or a credit note.
As I bought them vastly discounted I will of course take the exchange, but have asked them about a second pair I bought 3 days later, purely for stock which have not been worn, and might not be for a couple of years - hoping I can send them back as well and swop both out for this years models.
So far so good.