What is it with the price of cycling kit!?

junglist_matty
junglist_matty Posts: 1,731
in Road general
Is it just me or is the price of cycling kit is a complete joke!? I've been on the lookout for a new summer kit for months and simply can't justify the prices that are being flouted.

Just as an example, I recieved a £50 discount voucher for LE COL so just checked their website, "the sport bundle" comes to £184.50 for bibs and short sleeve jersey!!!

Sorry, rant over!
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Comments

  • Brakeless
    Brakeless Posts: 865
    There's plenty of cheap kit out there. Have a look at Planet X or Decathlon. Your post is like looking at Ferraris and saying 'F*ck me cars are expensive'
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,728
    If you really want to rant then their Hors Categorie Heritage bib shorts are £180 alone. Some cycling kit is cheap, some is expensive. Twas ever thus.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,732
    £185 for shorts and Jersey isn't that bad if they are top quality once you factor in the £50 discount.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • ibr17xvii
    ibr17xvii Posts: 1,065
    Obviously depends on where you are shopping & what brands you're looking at.

    I tend to try & get stuff out of season so now I might get some winter tights or gloves in the sale that will be the 2020 range & buy summer stuff in winter.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    There's loads of makes that charge silly money but also loads of excellent value kit out there.
    DHB. Galibier. Planet X. Lusso.

    Even Rapha have a cheaper range too.
  • Cargobike
    Cargobike Posts: 748
    Pah.....
    Think yourself lucky.
    At 6'5" and 125kg I struggle to find anything at all, regardless of the cost.
    If I'm really lucky I might fit into a 3XL and that's after losing 25kg already.
    I'll be a weight weenie by next summer mind.....
  • Darius_Jedburgh
    Darius_Jedburgh Posts: 675
    fenix said:

    There's loads of makes that charge silly money but also loads of excellent value kit out there.
    DHB. Galibier. Planet X. Lusso.

    Even Rapha have a cheaper range too.

    Agreed about Lusso. Excellent gear and reasonably priced. Made in UK so sizes are "normal".
  • lesfirth
    lesfirth Posts: 1,382
    If you want really low cost ( note I did not say cheap) look at "Tenn " and "Didoo".
    May be "value for money" is the term I want.
  • amrushton
    amrushton Posts: 1,253
    EBay can be your friend. Of course it's expensive, we are stupid enough to pay. But dhb or Galibier is good. I can tell you that if you hit the deck it all rips. Some brands will attempt a repair others dont
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,612
    Lusso and Galibier are great but their stuff is rarely discounted much. That's no criticism of them as it's still good value but the likes of Rapha can often be had for similar prices if you wait for the right sale to arrive or find a bargain on the somewhere like Sports Pursuit.
  • rik.j.rayner
    rik.j.rayner Posts: 12
    If you wait for the sales, and buy in conjunction with that £50 discount (usually from a Strava event) you can get the Pro or Hor Catagorie bibs for £75/85 respectively.
  • Darius_Jedburgh
    Darius_Jedburgh Posts: 675
    Decent Lusso jersey reduced at just over £40. Got to be worth a look.
    https://www.lusso.bike/collections/mens-jerseys/products/terrain-red-short-sleeve-jersey
  • tokenvelo
    tokenvelo Posts: 9
    chapeau's flash sale seems to always on and if you sign up its 10 quid off
  • slowmart
    slowmart Posts: 4,480
    edited May 2020
    Assos have £20 off their bib shorts, yes they’re expensive compared to cheaper brands but the quality is first rate and I’ve a couple of pairs which are six years old and only now are they approaching being chucked.

    Mind you most cycle club kit is very very good too.
    “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring”

    Desmond Tutu
  • mr_mojo
    mr_mojo Posts: 200
    junglist_matty said:

    Is it just me or is the price of cycling kit is a complete joke!? I've been on the lookout for a new summer kit for months and simply can't justify the prices that are being flouted.

    Just as an example, I recieved a £50 discount voucher for LE COL so just checked their website, "the sport bundle" comes to £184.50 for bibs and short sleeve jersey!!!

    Sorry, rant over!

    I have an issue with Le Col pricing, they always have a £50 discount code on the go so if they can afford to discount all baskets over £100 by £50 then most things are £50 overpriced. I like Le Col clothes, I have a few jerseys so nothing against their product just the pricing.
  • amrushton
    amrushton Posts: 1,253
    Anyway lycra is so yesterday. It's power weave now if Rapha are to be believed.
  • Cargobike
    Cargobike Posts: 748
    Ever heard of supply and demand?
    Prices of kit are going up due to a lot more people buying "gear" while supply lines are restricted due to C19.
    Expect to see far higher numbers of cycle commuters wearing all the gear as lockdown starts to slowly ease to make their 3 mile commute to work. Wouldn't want to look out of place, would they?
  • redbikejohn
    redbikejohn Posts: 160
    Aldi are doing some stuff soon. Cheap as chips.
  • Cargobike
    Cargobike Posts: 748
    Merlins own brand does it for me right now. I'm nowhere slim enough to justify buying a purists outfit costing an arm and a leg.
  • bikes_and_dogs
    bikes_and_dogs Posts: 130
    I spend a lot on my bike but don't usually buy premium clothing. That is until my wife suggested she buy me a nice cycling top for my birthday.
    So I find a Castelli Gabba short sleeve jersey for £75 (down from £150), it's more than I would normally pay for a top but my wife was happy to treat me.
    I was so impressed the first time I wore it that when I got home I bought myself another one. So practical for cooler days, I know that these tops will get plenty of use.
    Still available at present at Tweeks cycles and Merlin cycles for £75. It might seem pricey to some but if it performs well and you use it a lot, then value for money really starts to kick in.
  • Cargobike
    Cargobike Posts: 748
    bikes_and_dogs said:

    I spend a lot on my bike but don't usually buy premium clothing. That is until my wife suggested she buy me a nice cycling top for my birthday.
    So I find a Castelli Gabba short sleeve jersey for £75 (down from £150), it's more than I would normally pay for a top but my wife was happy to treat me.
    I was so impressed the first time I wore it that when I got home I bought myself another one. So practical for cooler days, I know that these tops will get plenty of use.
    Still available at present at Tweeks cycles and Merlin cycles for £75. It might seem pricey to some but if it performs well and you use it a lot, then value for money really starts to kick in.

    Size small.
    Guess I could wear it as a willy warmer :D
  • ben@31
    ben@31 Posts: 2,327
    edited May 2020
    I normally wore Castelli and Assos bibshorts. But one day I was away somewhere and needed to buy another pair from a shop. So I bought some Endura FS260 bibshorts for a £80 ish and they've exceeded all my expectations. I'm now finding I wear these Endura bibs more than my others.
    Are Assos Cento bib shorts good? Yes. Are they £140 better? Mmmmm I'm not convinced.
    "The Prince of Wales is now the King of France" - Calton Kirby
  • tokenvelo
    tokenvelo Posts: 9
    The high pricing is so that the shops can keep the lights on.
    Anyone in their right senses knows it does'nt cost £140 to manufacture a pair of bibshorts.
    I used to buy a lot of Santini but with the new range they have bumped the prices.
    Most bargains I have bought have been from deporvillage.
  • bradsbeard
    bradsbeard Posts: 210
    Have a butch at PNS if you want to see expensive!

    I’m liking Isoles at the mo. Great value kit and fantastic designs.

    Bought a few bits with the LeCol £50 off and been very pleased with it.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    tokenvelo said:

    The high pricing is so that the shops can keep the lights on.
    Anyone in their right senses knows it does'nt cost £140 to manufacture a pair of bibshorts.
    I used to buy a lot of Santini but with the new range they have bumped the prices.
    Most bargains I have bought have been from deporvillage.

    Lots of the expensive kit is mail order ? I'm happy to pay for a service but not convinced by some of the prices around.
  • shimanobottombracket
    shimanobottombracket Posts: 376
    Brakeless said:

    There's plenty of cheap kit out there. Have a look at Planet X or Decathlon. Your post is like looking at Ferraris and saying 'F*ck me cars are expensive'

    Pretty much any car that isn't slow or unreliable will be expensive. Even if you do have a Bugatti Chiron, you won't be going anywhere too fast. Every other driver on the road will see to that.
  • twotoebenny
    twotoebenny Posts: 1,432
    Socks may be the worse, we're getting to £15 minimum, ffs it's just a pair of socks!
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 26,221
    Some clothing is expensive. Look at this

    https://www.loewe.com/eur/en/variation?pid=H6109230CR-6410&dwvar_H6109230CR-6410_Shared_color=2100&vgid=H6109230CR-2100&from=otherColors
  • Tashman
    Tashman Posts: 3,400
    twotoebenny said:

    Socks may be the worse, we're getting to £15 minimum, ffs it's just a pair of socks!

    I don't get why cycling socks exist. how do they actually differ from any other sport sock?
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,728
    Tashman said:

    twotoebenny said:

    Socks may be the worse, we're getting to £15 minimum, ffs it's just a pair of socks!

    I don't get why cycling socks exist. how do they actually differ from any other sport sock?
    Length and patterns. The patterns are personal taste but the length is slightly unusual. Maybe tennis socks come close?
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.

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