UKH

Looking to add to my cyclewear but am finding what's on offer all a bit meh.

Anyone know of a brand that's good quality, well designed and going to last. Have a few items from Rapha but the range is small. I also refuse to wear any team logo stuff.

Nearly bought some stuff from MAAP in Austrailia but the potential hassle put me off.
Cheers

In reply to Indy:

Check out heartsports.co.uk. Small independent company. They might have something for you.

In reply to Indy:
Castelli - everything that I've got from them is excellent - Gabba and Mortirolo jackets, Estremo gloves (guess who hasn't had cold fingers in the past few days), wee headband thngy for my poor little ears and , at the other end of the spectrum, a very lightweight, hot weather aero jersey with fancy fabrics.

The best bib shorts that I have are Stolen Goat - both warm on cool days and non-sweaty when it's mentally hot. I have a Stolen Goat Orkaan waterproof jersey that is really good - its lets air in so I don't melt (which I do if it's around 7-8 degrees in the Gabba). Not tested in full downpour, but good for everything else. The fit is snug - I'm 6 foot - 38 inch chest and 32 waist and there is no loose material at all - Castelli sizing really.

Mavic - nice bib longs with a good pad at a sensible price. Better than equivalent specialized.


ps. Sigma Sport stock MAAP I think.

In reply to Indy:

Endura's good for me. It's always going to be a bit of a personal choice, but the sizing fits me well and I've had no quality issues (although I am aware a few folks think it's a pile of $H1T)

DHB (Wiggle's own brand) is also worth a look -- pretty cheap and cheerful.

I commute on some form of bike pretty much every day and have found both brands stand up to the regular wash and wear cycle

In reply to Indy:

Endura, Polaris or Decathlon for me

In reply to Indy:

When I'm not wearing 'club' kit, it's team Aldi for me. Cheap & Cheerful, and it doesn't matter if it gets trashed.

In reply to Indy:

dhb from Wiggle is great value and well made.

In reply to Indy:

Sigma Sport sell Maap I think

Torm do a decent jersey
Castelli for their Alpha jacket.

Depends what kit items you are after IMO.

personally i go for Rapha PT for shorts/bibs (crash repair etc etc) I'd go Assos too, but these fit better
I'd take the Alpha over my PT jacket
Gabba is a top jersey

Base layers I run anything from Rapha or craft mesh to Under Armour cold gear

My brand loyalty is limited to the specific item of kit and quality of customer care.

DHB is a solid entry to anything but with regards to their shorts mine were quickly relegated to the quick midweek ride or mtb (risk of trashing) draw. Just not as comfortable for my legs and bum as Castelli /Rapha / Assos

In reply to Lord of Starkness:

I'm now using my Aldi 'winter weight' cycling top. With a MEC winter cycling top underneath for the recent cold snap. Neither of them are membraned, so not very wind resistant.

I've not been too impressed with Aldi or Lidl cycling shorts, but have used various wind resistant jackets from Aldi over the years (semi-permeable membrane front, powerstretch-alike back).

Aldi had a cycling special recently; you can find it on their website under the 'special buy' menu. Website appears to be blocked at work, so I can't link it.

Decathlon have quite a bit of cycling stuff in their sale at the moment.

In reply to Indy:

In addition to the well-known brands, it's alos worth saying that all of my commuting bib shorts and (knee length spring/autumn ones) are Decathlon - I do 42 miles a day, 3-4 times a week - and they are very good, especially if you buy them in the sales. I've found that their sizing charts are spot on.

In reply to Indy:

Do think Castelli hits the mark with price versus quality and looks good. I can't imagine Assos or Rapha can be worth the additional cost.

I just bought a Castelli Alpha wind jacket and it's like witchcraft. Amazing.

In reply to nniff:

I have to agree with this, I own a number of Castelli products now including the gabba, once you get your sizes its awesome stuff, keep an eye on castellicafe.co.uk and you can snap up some bargains.

Its quite tight fitting so if you enjoy a cake it may not be for you, but the aero/climbers stuff is nice kit

Ive never had a bad day in my gabba, its my go to piece of kit in this weather.

I also have a few Rapha bits and pieces, I must admit I prefer the castelli stuff and i for one am glad Sky went to Castello, hopefully they don't go bat shit crazy with the prices now!

In reply to Indy:
Assos.
Buy cheap buy twice, three times. I have an Assos Windblock top that is still going strong after 18 years.

In reply to Yanis Nayu:



This.

My assos shorts were amazing, but for price/function/quality/looks balance castelli tends to win hands down almost all the time. I'm out on the bike all year and it's my go to kit (apart from when it is truly awful weather and then an arcteryx soft shell much to the amusement of my cycling friends, but I'm the one who stays warm.......)

In reply to exiled_northerner:


I've got a pair of Endura FS260 pro bib knickers from a few years ago that are absolutely brilliant. I wish I'd bought 2 pairs at the time as, unfortunately, they've changed the design and they don't fit me round the hems any more. Equally, I bought a pair of their Thermolite tights, which were rubbish - crap design and went baggy very quickly. Replaced under warranty, but the new pair were worn once before going on eBay. My wife has a couple of their merino base layers and I've got some of their mitts and one of their waterproofs, which all seem fine, so a bit hit and miss as a brand.

My favourite brand is whatever fits, does what I want and is in the sale/bargain bin

I have a mixed bag of:
- Castelli (NanoFlex tights, arm warmers, climbers jersey)
- Assos - my go-to shorts for long distance rides. Shame they've stopped making my favourite pair.
- Aldi - softshell winter commuting jacket, all my socks
- Specialized - new softshell jacket for proper rides, but not had much of a chance to use it, also summer mitts
- Alé - top
- NorthWave - top and arm warmers
- Sportful - base layers, knee warmers and windproof gilet.
- Scott - fantastic windproof gilet, if a little on the heavy side compared to modern offerings.
- Lowe Alpine and Nike for base layers

and various other odds and ends you've never heard of or won't be able to get any more, such as from when Nike made good cycling gear.

I'm in the market for new shorts, if I can find some I like the fit of.

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

Free crash repair, I pay £150 for PT bib shorts in sale, send em back 3 years later and they replace/repair. Castelli doesn't have half the service at £100. Does that make Castelli bad kit? no just gives a good reason to spend the extra if it fits best

In reply to Indy:

Sportful are doing some very good items, their shorts and leggings are very comfortable and I've heard good things about their Fiandre range.
I'm in the cycling for the long run so look for bargains before I need them, sales etc. saves a bit of money
Sportful
Endura
Rapha
My three choices, lots of the guys at my cycle club favour castelli but the couple of items I have tried never fitted as well as I liked.

In reply to jethro kiernan:

The majority of my stuff is also Castelli, as people have said it hits a sweet spot for price/quality/looks. Even if it is a bit ubiquitous.

- The Sorpasso tights are perfect, I can't fault them. Got free aero bib shorts as well and they are excellent. Also have a short sleeve gabba but I don't find it warm enough for winter riding.
- luckily I have a Specialized softshell which fits the bill for the sort of nasty winter drizzle we get in the Peak - it's beautifully made especially details like the cuffs
-agree with others that Endura is a mixed bag. Got a decent waterproof recently which is cheap and very light - important as I prefer not to wear them and they get trashed by spray etc.
-That said my wife has a Rapha waterproof which is bloody gorgeous but I can never quite bring myself to splash out - even in the sale!
- Gore quality is really disappointing - got a Phantom jacket which is good in theory but the reflector panels peel off and the stitching on a pair of arm warmers is unravelling.
-have some Howies 3/4 bibs which are really comfy and have a pretty decent pad
-a lot of the Altura stuff is absolutely fine for commuting. Aldi on the other hand the quality and fit is rubbish and I don't think they're value for money

- always worth paying more for decent shorts IMO, rapha, castelli, assos etc.

In reply to Stig:


Agree about Gore - I've got a Gore waterproof which is sound, but I've got some arm warmers which are utterly ****ing useless even for commuting and are coming apart, and a jersey that's on a par with those. They remain the only two pieces of cycling clothing that I have sacked. I wouldn't even clean a chain with them, and they weren't cheap either.

In reply to Indy:

Anything to do with weather protection: castelli or sportful (same company).

For summer, it's about looking good - so rapha, morvelo, torm etx