Originally Posted by
Koyote
That’s another area in which quality really pays off: durability. I don’t know how much riding you did in those bibs and tights in two or three seasons, but I get a lot of hard use out of more expensive bibs. I’ve got two pair of Rapha bibshorts that I bought about seven years ago and have worn quite heavily – – I’ve probably averaged at least 1500 miles per year in each pair. They are just now starting to show a bit of wear and tear. Ditto for a pair of Assos jerseys that I bought a long time ago – – after 10 years of very hard use, one of the zippers failed but was easily replaced, for about $10, by a local seamstress. Otherwise, the jerseys were still in terrific shape.
I’d rather buy good stuff once and enjoy it for a long time then buy a lot of cheap nasty junk that doesn’t even last very long.
I'm not sure if it is number of miles or washings, probably a bit of both, that affects wear of any clothing. In my case, I probably put closer to 1,000 miles per pair of bib shorts, per year and maybe 30-35 washings per year. I.E., each pair worn and washed once a week for about 7-8 months of warmer weather riding.
In thinking more about it, I think it's closer to 3-4 years. I've only worn out a few in the 5 years I've been riding and that was just last year.
But I don't doubt that the more expensive and higher quality versions can last longer. I've just found something I like that holds up well enough for the ~$40 price and they don't pinch, cause saddle issues and so on. Sort of a don't fix what isn't broken type thing.