[Closed] Are brands worth it? clothing

winter kit is a mixture of bike brands and general clothes:
Merino wool jumper (standard from tkmaxx), Altura waterproof shell,pearl izumi pittards winter gloves, army surplus goretex trousers, hiking socks and some old hiking boots.

I just buy the cheap stuff cos Im not worth it.

£10 leg warmers off ebay. They work well. Fell off the other week and ripped one, only £10 to replace.

Gloves, the Aldi ones are nice and warm, just bought some planet X winter glvoes for £7 as they're a bit thinner. They seem alrite

DHB Jacket is water proof enough but not particularly breathable. Dont really care since I dont sweat loads.

Usually buy those cheap retro jerseys off ebay for about £5 or so. Do the job and fit well enough.

Just spent quite a bit of money on some Giro Factor road shoes though. I hope they fit.

[i]Am I a cheapskate or a brand whore?[/i]

Cheapskate.

If you were a brand whore you'd be buying Rapha/Gore etc, to go with your SuperDry 'wardrobe'... 🙄

If you were a brand whore you'd be buying Rapha/Gore etc, to go with your SuperDry 'wardrobe'...

I own one superdry shirt £40! I wear it everytime I go out. I'm getting my moneys worth out of it. I do draw the line at spending anymore than £20 on a tshirt.

I really like high end kit - ime it feels and fits better.

I can't afford it though, so buy whatever I can afford. What high end stuff I've bought recently has been second hand stuff off ebay

If you like it and you can afford it, buy it. Doesn't matter what other people think, whether their opinions are based on jealousy or some hair-shirted martyrdom psychosis, your money, your choice.

Its not just about the brand ..... Is about the quality of the item .....

Superdry are expensive but i wouldnt class them as a quality item that lasts

Carharrt is expensive but it lasts well.

I buy my cycling clothes on the merit of the garment not the label on it . It must fit well , work well and be functional and not have a reputation for falling to bits ...... Never again will i buy endura gloves for example .... But their mt500 shorts are ace.

Can't fault any of my gore kit.

Got a phantom that is over two years old and in pretty much constant use and it looks like me ( well minus the oil stains).

Definitely think you get what you pay for with gore, certainly holds up better than my endura gear

Depends on what it is. Jackets are worth spending the money on IMO, although I've only ever had Mountain Equipment jackets for riding in as I had one before I started riding then got a warranty replacement. In the market for a new jacket though, so my decision may be different this time. Some brands are good for some stuff but not others, so I pick and choose rather than having all one brand. My Endura Superlite shorts are the dogs danglies, but that's the extent of my endura kit. Funkier bib shorts are brilliant too IMO.

outer layers yes its worth it for waterproofness* tops or shorts NO. My aldi tops/shorts are no better or worse in terms of wearing or longevity that the branded stuff i get as presents IME.

* My aldi ones get more use but ts cold enough for the endura stealth now

Nah but branded ones tend to fit better than the aldi shorts and tops , unless your aldi shaped

Switched from posh Lowe Alpine Flywheel rucksacks to Alpkit.
The Alpkit Gourdon are better & cheaper.

Switched from posh shorts to Aldi.
The posh ones were better, but not £50.00 better.

Switched from Helly Hanson base layers to Decathlon.
The Decathlon ones work fine and smell better.

Spend on shoes, brake pads, jackets, helmets, saddles and winter bibs - everything else is cheap stuff from Decathlon or Aldi.
Deore for bike consumables.

Anything else just seems like a waste of money.

unless your aldi shaped

Generally branded if I'm honest, I'm young and carefree so can afford it and like good fabrics and close cut stuff. Favourites are gore and Castelli

usually brand gear has some design consideration behind it, usually. So it should work/fit/look better. Generally cheaper stuff is copies or without much design. Sometimes the cheap gear works well, sometimes the expensive gear doesnt BUT generally / usually expensive gear works better and fits better.

A lot of the word general and usual in that paragraph! lol.

I like these phrases, nice things are nice to have, buy cheap buy twice BUT its not always true. lol.

I usually just buy aldi or decathlon gear. I hate the fit of their cycling shorts and bibs though so stick with dhb. I could not warrant assos prices as I am rarely on the bike for more than 2 hours at a time.

For me it's mostly about fit and I do like stuff that will last
But I don't buy branded stuff for the sake of being "in"

My top tip for the day has to be tk max £8.00 merino jumper
It was perfect today on the road bike

aldi stuff fits me as a skinny bugger though I did have to buy the womens merino to get the right fit

I did see a jacket for £150 in the LBS.....no chance!!! I'd say £100 would be my absolute limit for a jacket! So far the Endura stuff seems to work for me. I do have some Decathlon bib shorts which are OK...and suprisingly my Aldi winter leggings are awesome. Plus I'm not scared of ripping then on one of my many falls.

Half the problem with finding stuff is I'm relatively tall and not built like a model..I need a medium that's the same arm length and body length as a large.

i try to buy stuff that i know is hardwearing and will last.
i bought some trickers boots 17yrs ago, i had to replace them this year with the same boot.
wife bought me a gore touring jacket 8yrs ago, i used it for 3 yrs treating it good, gave it to my son, who washed it with normal detergent for 4yrs, i got it back earlier this year, treated it, and it is ace again.
sometimes buying a brand works i suppose.

Gore whore.

Looks good, feels good and performs well.......

Much like a whore then 😉

Favourites for me are Rapha and Endura. I only ever buy Rapha stuff on discount, yes it's expensive but it fits well, lasts well, I wear it loads and their customer service is impeccable. They did a free repair on a 6 year old softshell jacket of mine a couple of years ago and they have free returns/exchange/refund on items that don't fit. In terms of value for money, it's therefore very good.

Endura I just find to be a great mid-range brand. Not too flash, not silly expensive, does the job well. Some of their kit is a bit weird on the sizing but I've never experienced the quality control issues that they went through a couple of years ago with any of my kit. Had to chase them up on a jacket repair which they took their time over but otherwise pretty faultless.

I mix and match cheap and expensive kit.
I have some Aldi stuff wich fits and works well (windproof jersey and gloves) but my favourite pieces of kit are my Gore winter bibs (3 winters old and still going strong) and Pearl Izumi pro bibs( half price and still way more than I've ever spent on padded shorts!). Both are well made and fit really well.
As someone already pointed out, expensive isn't necessarily good... and I always buy my winter kit in the summer 😉

Latest purchases are all premium(ish) brand

Gore bib tights and Etxeondo Softshell. I have Torm sportwool Jerseys

I do like my stuff to be a bit more stylish than Endura, but I'm not prepared to buy Rapha for 2 reasons, the main one is price, and the second one is its too obvious and the quality and style are available elsewhere too IMHO.

Not a brand whore but more a functional whore-I buy the best i can afford in terms of performance ie for cold winter rides Rab Generator Smock-its now covered in patches and I look like a tramp but it still performs. likewise my Howies three quarter zip front merino base layer that they no longer make is darned up with some holes but still works and is comfortable. My Altura Attack waterproof shorts are grey and starting to look threadbare-but still work. When the kit is too bad to repare I will invest another £100 on another Rab Generator etc etc (hopefully by then Howies will be doing the zip front mens base layer again).

I think the law of diminishing returns applies... more expensive/branded clothing is, largely, better quality/fit but the the relationship isn't linear.

Best quality cycling specific kit I've got is from New Zealand (Krank Dirtwear and Ground Effect) but also use non-cycling specific stuff too; Keela, Paramo in particular.

I have a lot of aldi stuff for commuting because repeated wearing and washing will trash stuff, it doesn't fit brilliantly but it does a job, wouldn't want to do a massive ride using some of it tho - can't lose with the socks tho

you don't have to buy at rapha prices to get high quality stuff, go to prendas for really good quality bibshorts, ss ls tops and winter bibs etc. keep an eye out on CRC and the like for out of season kit

spend on the contact points, so shoes and pedals, shorts and gloves I will splash out on, the rest is all bargain driven

waterproof and breathable is the frickin holy grail tho especially with jackets and winter gloves

Always go for quality in padded shorts/shoes/helmets/jackets.
I have many, many Aldi/Lidl shirts/gilets/winter jerseys. Nowt wrong wi'em.

Its not just about the brand ..... Is about the quality of the item .....

Superdry are expensive but i wouldnt class them as a quality item that lasts

Carharrt is expensive but it lasts well.

This. Wearing Carharrt cords today that are 8 years old and going still strong, same for Thomas Pink shirts.

I once bought a pair of £300 Gucci trousers that fell apart pretty quickly.

My second pair of superlites are ripping at the crotch in installments, like the first pair, so on a bit of an endura downer atm. Generally really like the design and fit of their kit but I think I'll just use the jerseys and bibs from now on (which are good IME). Had consistent quality issues with kecks, shorts and jackets from endura over the years.

I have sombreo and race face sports going well after 8 years. Most of my kit is bought on fit. Seen a lot of cheaper stuff that just doesn't fit right. You can buy carefully and still get bargains that last. In terms of shirts there is a long was between £20 and £50 my more expensive ones are much nicer to wear and have lasted longer. In many ways the price is a small part of the cost of ownership.

Not sure about brands, but for me good quality well made shorts are worth every penny - for me that's Assos. I'm sure some other brands may be fine, but having tried fox, endura, aldi amongst others I wouldn't buy anything else next time I need some more.

Quality is more important than price but in general you get what you pay for.

Most of my riding gear is dakine, outdoorsy stuff is arcteryx. Rarely pay full price and it lasts and lasts. Buy cheap, buy twice.

I tend to buy Endura and Gore. I know it will have a certain lifespan, be generally well made and fit me. I think you get to understand what works for you and what doesn't. Spesh hemets, TL xc gloves, sidi shoes, endura shorts and 3\4s. Gore tops. Although I've just bought a windchill as opposed to a phantom, and it's OK.

I tend to mix stuff which makes your realise (quickly) that low price does not equal good value. Understand the aldi glove comments above (as do my fingers when I stopped for some mint cake yesterday). Sometimes cheap stuff is merely a false economy. I learned this lesson with watches after my 5th swatch broke - blimey I should have saved the money and bought a decent one from the start.

The bike/running brand that does this for me is Gore. Always looks too expensive (and I only ever buy in sales) but lasts so much longer, fits better and does a superior job. So three "more miles' cheapies for every one Gore doesn't make sense in the end!

Buy less, but buy quality every time! That's real value IMO

If only TJ were still here. He lived branded goods and could always come up with a good justification for buying premium brands.

Superdry are expensive but i wouldnt class them as a quality item that lasts

Yeah i thought superdry, was logo'ed leisure wear for chavs, a bit like bench stuff, big massive logo, look at me, i've just been fleeced.

On my road ride last week two guys were chatting about their bib tights. One had Assos the other Castelli, discussing the price and how it was worth paying for good clothing. I was wearing DHB tights which I was comfortable in; I daresay in more extreme conditions their tights would work better. Trouble is they got quite snooty about it, I suppose because they're roadies and around retirement age so happy to pay for such things.

Trouble is they got quite snooty about it, I suppose because they're roadies and around retirement age so happy to pay for such things.

Sometimes it's just dull when people repeatedly try and point out that you can get those cheaper/just as good from aldi (not saying you did just you were probably the 100th person to ask)

In a conversation years ago about headsets someone in a LBS said
"You only remember the cheap thing that lasted longer than you expected and the expensive thing that didn't"
None of the middle ground, some cheap stuff lasts some expensive stuff doesn't.

Depends how the clothing performs, nothing worse than wearing something that isn't quite right.
went for a slackers road ride today, 50 miles in just above freezing but the windchill when your moving brings that down even further.
Had a baselayer and a castelli espresso duo soft shell and was never too hot or cold, it's cut perfectly so it's next to the skin and keeps the air gap to a minimum so it can wick and maintain warmth, the high collar means no draught, the sleeves are attached to a liner so the back doesn't stretch when you are on the drops, the arms are not all baggy and a few zippered vents let a bit of air in/out if needed without being draughty.
Didn't pay retail but to me it's worth the money as I can't fault it.

All made in the same factory in China probably. Labels are meant to be a mark of quality but mostly a big con. You can now get cheap and good but you just have to be choosy.

I'm a bit of a Rapha Merino Tart, I'm affraid.
😳

I guess I'm a bit of a brand whore (Assos, Gore, Castelli etc.) but the expensive stuff I have is because it works not because it just happened to be what an expensive brand sold.
I do wear cheaper stuff to (I even prefer my DHB bibs shorts over my Assos and Castelli ones for example). But the two things I think money buys you is fit and versatility, by that I mean its obvious putting on an Assos jacket that they've put a lot more thought into the fit (when riding) than Altura put into the softshell I also have, you could certainly make a good argument though that fitting a bit better isn't worth paying 5x the price for. I also reckon the higher end gear, jackets especially, work over a wider range of conditions. So on a day suited to an Aldi jacket I doubt an Assos jacket is going to give you much more 'performance' but the 'right' days are right more often for the Assos jacket.

I'm just going through my Merino stage at the moment and I don't seem to find many jerseys about.

I've become very disillusioned with synthetic material after a few jerseys started to retain odour, straight out of the washing machine.
I was quite surprized.

So, I'm giving Merino a go, but I sense that it may be a bit of a minefield. It would seem that not all Merino Jersyes are created [i]equal[/i]...

Mix and match from Aldi gillets to Finesterre merino stuff, if fit fit and works along with not looking totally rubbish them fair enough.

[i]Finesterre merino[/i]

Could you recommend this ?.

I've got loads of Decathlon kit, excellent quality and value.

[i]I've got loads of Decathlon kit, excellent quality and value.[/i]

Yeah, but what does it look like. Has it any [i]Style[/i] ?.

EDIT
[img] [/img]

Ah, I see, hand on hip style-tastic at £5.99

Finesterre merino

Could you recommend this ?.

Yes better than the Howies stuff I've had, which was better than the BAA BAA and Ice breaker stuff

Thanks LoCo.

**goes off to look at Finesterre**

Don't look at the UK merino made from our flock jumper unless you've just won the lottery though! Very nice but mental exspensive 😉

[i]Don't look at the UK merino made from our flock jumper unless you've just won the lottery though! Very nice but mental exspensive[/i]

Hhhmmm. Those prices don't look to be too far off Rapha Merino base layers. But still, thanks anyway.
🙂

I love my Fjalraven kit.

Worth every penny IMHO.

Howies Merino stuff lasts for ever. God knows how long I've had my base layer for, and its still going strong. Sombrio stuff just keeps going for years too, and seems absolutely indestructible.

2 brands there that aren't cheap, but you don't half get what you pay for

Get it in the sales 😉

Hmm, well I'll buy brands - but ONLY if they are reduced in price.
Hence Patagonia merino (£19 Sportspursuit)
Icebreaker merino (£15 STW classfids)

Apart from that, my winter gear is a Nike jacket from Ebay, Lusso Roubaix legwarmers (about 18 years old) and any old shorts I pull out of the ottoman.

Paying silly money for brand names is for mugs I say.

Nothing worse than paying full price to see it half that the following week 😉

All made in the same factory in China probably.

Ground Effect is made in NZ. their stuff seems a good deal - works well, not made in a sweat shop and is reasonably priced.

[i]Nothing worse than payingg full price to see it half that the following week[/i]
Its a risk we all take, when purchasing, anything though.

I normally buy when the vendor has sent me a discount code, etc.

EDIT:
If the opportunity to buy something made here in the UK arises. I try to buy as I like the idea of supporting folk here and usually its top quality stuff. Most of my shoes are made in the UK, for example.

i must be a cheepskate!

Skyline shorts - TroyLee
Shoes (SPD)- Shimano
Socks' - Whatever came on this months mag 😀
Padded shorts - LBS
Jersy - Muddy Fox from sports direct
Jacket - Aldi
Gloves - Spechalized

Decathalon and Aldi for cheap stuff (especially winter bits) that is going to get used lots and eventually die, so long as it's functional does the logo matter?

Shop in the online sales for some branded bargains maybe, but I'd not march into an LBS and pay full RRP for it... But then My LBS gets very little of my money anyway.

I like the fit of Size 'M' Endura Kit on me and own a few bits, but TBH it's not that special or that much better made.

You won't get anymore use out of a jersey that costs Five times as much, you might from a jacket or some Bibs but TBH it's marginal...

Decathalon do some good VFM cycling bits I seem to be wearing at least one of their products every time I go out on my bike these days...

Skins base layers are excellent, I bought 2 off CRC a couple of months back, silly cheap - think they were around £12!

Dakine also do a lot of nice kit, there shorts are superb.

i must be a cheepskate!

Skyline shorts - TroyLee
Shoes (SPD)- Shimano
Socks' - Whatever came on this months mag
Padded shorts - LBS
Jersy - Muddy Fox from sports direct
Jacket - Aldi
Gloves - Spechalized

Really mix and match......i am a serious sweat buckets fella so for me

Merino does not work....wets out as a base layer have bought many over my time though hated howies rubbish, patagonia okay ice breaker best....now use them as mid layer great Ground effect submaernino wool mix the best

Synthetics ....base layers my aldi and decathlon ones are great, nike drifit rubbish, underarmour bit rubbish, endura collapsed after 4 months.....cannondale long sleeve 8 yrs old brilliant...castelli rubbish north wave nay impressed.....Fox rubbish....tro lee okay...Craft and other swedish makes recommended

Mid layer/ fleeces,,,,decathlon......cheap and work variable quality though get a good one great...marmot/montane brill

Shorts best I can buy in the sales.......endura MT 500 brilliant...Smartwool okay....bibs from DHB/Fox and assos great....ground effect not so thrilled

Leggings...specialized great lusso rubbish...ancient powerstrect from Karrimor brilliant look like a patch cuddly toy with them on
soft shells...Marmot tempo and aldi special

windproofs lowe alpine....ancient will not die

waterproof Montane
Best Buy ever Roach baggy non lined shorts Canadian brand in the day.... 15 years old i still fit them and they have been battered but still going

pick stuff for our climate.....not alpine cold and dry, most softshells too thick

Nice (generally expensive) kit for me, and not ashamed to admit I'm a bit of a brand snob. Whatever people say I fail to be convinced that cheap kit [i]is [/i]as good. I've tried numerous pairs of Lusso, Specialized and Endura tights (the former and latter getting good reviews on here) and disliked them all. The Spesh ones particularly were shambolic.

Then I splashed out on some Assos ones... they lasted about 8 years before I wore through the arse, have 2 pairs now, plus a pair of their leg warmers, still absolutely perfect 3+ years on, warmer than anything else I've tried and a better fit.

I'm also reticent to spend on certain brands. When I wanted a new base layer I liked the look of an Altura 2nd Skin, but at £40 on what I perceive to be a 'budget' brand I wasn't sure. Bought it in end, and it's great, so not always well placed.

Quality is more important than price but in general you get what you pay for.

This really, and I reckon quality roughly corresponds with brands but not necessarily. Stuff like Rapha and Assos is nice but well into diminishing returns, so I tend to hover around Gore/Endura/Ground Effect but you can get some very good stuff from DHB and Altura too.

I try and buy carefully and spend when I think it's worth it and then keep stuff for years until it wears out.

I'm not clothing brand sensitive. Branding is just marketing nonsense IMO.

I only buy clothes I can try for correct fit, so I only buy what my LBSs stock. My LBSs stock Endura and Madison, so that's what I wear

but in general you get what you pay for.

Alpkit and Decathlon are good examples of where quality doesn't necessarily mean high prices.