I don't like to spend more than $60 bucks on a summer jersey. Bibs, shorts and winter gear are a different story, though.

bonk town and RC can be your friend. I don't like to spend more then I would then club stuff, so $60 max for jerseys and $100 max for bibs.

I grew up riding bikes in t-shirts & jeans. Works fine for me.

I got cheap after buying my first bike which I got when I was a beginning triathlete on the recommendation of fellow roadies and triathletes based upon my running ability (I ran a lot, like 70 miles per week.) Got a Cervelo bike right off the bat. Figured I'd spend more and be happier not upgrading.

That turned out to be good advice in terms of not needing to upgrade, but honestly, Ive since gotten cheaper in everything else. Once it became crystal clear that road ability had zero to do with gear or even the bike and everything to do with training, I cared a lot less about the 'stuff.'

We all know it, but the 41 is filled with people who are really into 'stuff' and not into the training. That's fine as long as you know you're into it for the reasons of collecting bike gear or hobbying with the stuff, but don't confuse that one bit for actually improving your performance.

You can (and we have one guy on our club ride who does it) hammer with the best of them on a totally dirty, cheapo 80s era steel Schwinn bike with rust on it, and downtube shifters from the same era just as well as the best of them. (At least at the amateur level.) I've been crushed by a fair number of older cyclists who are retired and ride the crap out of their bikes (like 4-6 hours every day, 7 days per week) since it's all they do, and they often rock the most rattiest, oldest jerseys and gear you can imagine. And I'm not that slow on a bike.

I personally would be much happier taking all the gear out of cycling. I've since taken to riding my 'backup commuting' bike nearly exclusively outdoors - it's a $650 new Giant Defy3, with no upgrades. Sora parts. Stock wheels. I am not limited one bit by it.

Get the gear if you enjoy it, but if you live to train or ride, focus on that and forget the rest.

^^^Aw, great! Now here comes 6 pages of "I'm not a poser" replies. :roflmao2:

i know what you mean. my lover is old, saggy, and smells like week old eggs in the sun.

but lovemaking is efficient, and her terribly ugly looks and weird stains do not hamper my ability to finish quickly.

we dont even wax her back anymore. i could give a hoot about looks; just because something looks a lot nicer and has subtle qualities which make an activity more enjoyable does not mean i need them. only pros need stuff like that. if youre not a pro, just admit that you only buy things because it makes you feel better about yourself. i know a guy with a wife that poops everywhere, but they have 17 kids, so it clearly hasnt held him back. quite prolific.

Erm...this is interesting...but I would say that few would enjoy a full training load through the winter without proper gear.

In fact I think you'd likely end up in the hospital with hypothermia.

This thread is not about bicycle components, it's about clothing. And regardless of what you ride, the quality of the clothing you purchase can impact how well you ride in that it affects comfort.

Please don't derail the discussion.

Even with clothing, bike specific stuff is SOOOO overpriced. Call it bike-specific, and you've got free license to add 50% markup.

I freely admit that I still use nearly all bike-specific stuff - Performance bibs, Gore Windstopper jacket, and some bike brand arm and leg warmers, and bike booties. Doesn't make it any less expensive.

I also am all for clothing that WORKS as well, and willing to spend money on it if it's good (Gore Windstopper) but again, you can have one set that's not flashy or hi-end, and go a lonnnnnggg way with it. I haven't upgraded or added to any of my cycling clothing collection in 2.5 years. 2 bibs, 2 jerseys, and the coldweather gear, all of which comes with me into the shower for a rinse between rides < 2hrs long, so I can get 4-5 wears without needing to do laundry.

Most of the older guys in my club, a few of whom still race (50-65+ yrs old!) rock some sort of old-school gear, whether it be cotton socks, bibs with holes with them, or ancient looking windbreaker jackets that are at least 10 years old. Doesn't make them any worse riders.

I'm curious as to why you did not, then, recommend a Gore Windstopper jacket.

Also, presumably those old guys in your club had to purchase their 'old-school gear' at some point. Maybe they even asked other riders' opinions before they did so.

I'll never forget mountain biking fifteen years ago in Moab:

It was about 90 degrees and my friends and I were riding up over a narrow, hairy ridge on the latest mountain bikes. We're all in the latest cycling getup with fancy shoes, Camelbacks etc. We get to the top and hit a very technical slickrock section. We're thinking we're pretty hardcore. We go around a corner and there's a 65+ year old guy on an ancient, rusty Schwinn Varsity wearing, no joke, plaid golf pants and Converse Stan Smiths. Just non-chalantly riding around on fairly insane slickrock.

Yeah, we didn't feel too hardcore anymore.

^ That would have been something to see.

Almost.

See, if I can have an $80-$100 dollar jersey for $40 (I mean literally the exact same jersey that sold for $80-$100),
I don't see the need to get the 2012 version of the same jersey if the 2011 version (which is identical) would only
cost me 40-50% of the 2012.

As far as "ridiculous" amounts, that's relative. I have a full Dura-Ace 7800 Drivetrain for the cost of a 105 Drivetrain
pretty much. Is that ridiculous or prudent? Or should I have gone with Microshift? Or 2300? Or Sora? I buy my bike
parts the same way. I don't think I've paid MSRP for anything on my bike.

:)



Nothing wrong with that at all. :thumb:

I'm not into the stuff. I'm not into the training. I just like to ride my bike.

For training, a synthetic athletic t-shirt that fits closely will do just as well as a jersey with the exception of pockets in back. You can get off brands that are still decent quality for $10-12 or UA for $18-25 on sale. A regional sporting goods chain, Scheels, has fast dry tech fabric t-shirts in solid colors for under $7 and they are well known for not selling any low quality goods.

But do you wear the chicken hat when you ride?

Actually no. I only wore it at the stops. Our group has a tradition of making the person celebrating a birthday wear the hat, but while riding I wear a helmet.

One of the benefits of joining a cycling club is getting cool, one-off kits at a very good price. Each year the design changes and you get new gear. If you have the motivation and the talent, you can even have a hand in the design. Take care of it and each season's kit will last a very long time. It's a win/win situation: not only do you get cool gear, but you also ride more.

I ride with a thin sweater and shorts...

IMO, it is ok to go cheap on jerseys. I have a Chinese knockoff team jersey that I bought because of the blatant spelling error. It is a Rock Racing jersey with "Cadilac" (spelled with only one "l"). The fit is decent enough in that I don't notice it when I wear it. I think it was $22 shipped. Most of the rest of my jerseys are event or team jerseys. Some are very nice, some very low end. There is not much of a noticeable difference.

Bibs are another story. While I can't justify spending $400 on a pair of top end Assos, I think the sweet spot for bibs is around $150. Over that price point, things get very nice. But much beyond that and I can't tell a difference. Law of diminishing returns. Kind of like wine: once it gets above say $50/bottle, it is all just good. :thumb:

I watch for sales, leftovers, bonktown etc and will only spend <$80+/- a few bucks on bibs that list for that $150 sweet pricepoint.

I'm with everybody on shorts/bibs.
I will be getting a set of Assos shorts myself.
From what I understand, they are well worth the coin.
I'll probably pick up a pair for $150.-$175..

One could get-by with a relatively cheap helmet too.
Really, as long as it's passed all safety requirements,
a $40. helmet is more than enough. After that, one pays
for features like better fit, adjustment & cooling.
I will be getting a Giro Aeon this Spring.

Shoes...wow. That's a 3rd rail. I have Sidi Ergos.
Considering how long they last and the features they provide,
they might have a high initial entry cost, but offer the best value.

Gloves? Another item that one could pick up cheap.
I paid $45. for my Louis Garneau Carbon Gels. Great gloves.
I have no regrets. A year and a half later, they are down to
$20. as a new model comes out. I'll probably never spend
more than $20 for another set of gloves again.

Socks...I'm a HUGE fan of cycling specific socks.
I'm seeing that the better socks stay in the $10.-$15. range.
I have no problems paying that much. It'd be great if they
dropped to $5., but again, I see them generally stay up there.

Winter gear...I've learned that a good jacket is worth the $150. cost.
Baselayers, worth their $50. cost. Same with tights.

All that being said, I LOVE to pick great gear up at a much lower cost
(my Giro Prolight for example that I got for $129. when it was brand new and
regularly selling at $200. and couldn't be kept in stock even at that full MSRP).
I paid about $80. over the lowest price that I've seen my Sidi Ergo 2's go for,
but that was super worth it because Sidi wasn't producing Black Vernice Ergo 3's
and they were severely running low on Sidi 2's. I wasn't sold on the 3's yet.

I think $50-$80 is fair for a quality jersey that fits well and has supportive rear pockets, useful zippered pockets, etc. If it's just some generic jersey with a crappy fit and sagging pockets, it's a total waste of $30-$40. Better to pay double that and actually have a jersey you can stand to wear. Just my 2 cents on the subject.

+1. Our jerseys are the top of the line Volers and they were $34. Other local clubs use Pactimo and Capo, all at discounted prices.

If they *fit* I will buy them almost independent of cost. I guess I have hard to fit hands, but it seems like every glove I try on are all either circulation-stoppingly tight, or too loose. My hands seem to be exactly between most mfr's xl and xxl. XL is a little too tight and XXL a little to loose. So when I find a pair that fits, I go overboard.

I start looking at gloves at XL too. I will generally size up anyway because everything shrinks.
I'm finding a lot of gloves that were $40. a year or two ago are selling for 10-20 bucks now.

Yeah, I can't go cheapo when it comes to jerseys. I don't use pockets, so they don't concern me, but a full length zipper, flat seams, good quality material and buying something from a manufacturer I could trust (Louis Ganeau is my favorite now) are the priorities. I agree on the price points too. $50 for a leftover/earlier year and 80 for a great jersey.

I have 2 custom jerseys in design.
They'll be about $150-200 for the both of them for special occasions.
But for everyday riding? An $80 jersey I pick up for 40 is the ticket!

:D