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Always liked DHB clothing as the fit is good for me, and find the quaility excellent.
Those of you usually buy DHB kit; what will you buy now?
Anyone know of anything that fits like DHB? Or.if DHB kit is available anywhere else?
Hmmm. I saw this post originally last week but wasn't sure how best to reply.
A lot of my kit is DHB and one of the main reasons for choosing it was the ease of picking M and knowing it would fit OK.
Only had one item I had to exchange.
Bit gutted DHB stuff will presumably be no more, as it was fuss-free cycling gear that was reasonably priced & worked well.
I generally go for other kit based on the size guide and whether many reviews for a particular item recommend sizing up or not.
Can be a bit of a minefield, but it generally works. I also check whether the retailer has a free returns policy which makes it a lot easier.
Some recent Altura stuff seemed pretty accurate to the size guide - shorts especially.
Galibier stuff also pretty accurate.
Lusso
Cycology
Where it falls over for me is 'proper' roadie brands. My normal Medium sizing ends up being XL; even when their size guide suggests M or possibly L. I just stay clear of brands like that, unless there are some real bargains to be had.
I find Altura come up too big, even in XS. Recently returned a gillet that was massive. DHB just fit well. Other brands are either too baggy or way too long. Endura is probably the next best I've baught but their sizing is a bit hit and miss.
Is there any clothing in particular you're thinking of? Personally I always found dhb sizing to be a bit hit or miss, and it varied over the years, too.
DHB was Wiggle's own in house brand and, as far as I know, everyone behind it has been laid off, so even if something called DHB resurfaces in the future it won't be the same team and unlikely to the be the same factories etc.
Sorry
I’ve always found Galibier to be consistent and realistic with their sizing.
I've had a few DHB clothing items over the years and not really found that they were all that consistent with their sizing, plus they do different ranges with different fits, so not a one fit for all.
But medium in most makes in their midrange stuff generally fits my 180cm/74kg frame. Even Rapha.
Another thing to take into account is fashion, especially in MTB clothes. More fitted clothes seem to the norm now, where I got into MTB nearly 20 years ago, they were a lot baggier.
I do wish that clothes companies used real sized people in their photos cw their height and weight, so you can see if it'd fit. Rapha do list the models height/weight but use very lean models which isn't great unless you're also super lean.
For my height and weigh, my favourite fit for cycling clothes is:
- Rapha medium/small
- Gore medium/small
- Galibier medium/small
- Altura medium/small
- 7mesh medium/small
I stay away from commuter clothing as thet tend to be cut very square, and not fitted. I also stay away from Italian makes as they are very small IME.
I use DHB Aeron Lycra shorts for mtb (under Fox baggies) - a similar fit in Lycra shorts are the Endura FS260. Albeit I use DHB waist shorts and my Enduras are bibs. On long rides the fs260s are actually more comfy than the dhb aerons tbh.
In honesty I don't think there's anything particularly special about DHB's fit or sizing, but their stuff sat in a nice niche of reasonable quality at a decent price mostly with a middle of the road fit, though their Lab stuff was getting comments in reviews for being too short - I'm guessing they were going for elite road fit there.
For road jerseys, Rapha Core stuff is better imo and crops up in sales / Sport Pursuit / on eBay at decent prices. Ditto Rapha Trail stuff which is really nice. I'll probably look at Rapha Core bibs as well. Gore Bikewear is good, but pricey at RRP, though again it crops up reduced on SP.
For mid-market brands, I don't really know. Most of my day-to-day shorts are DHB and work fine for non-epic rides. I've had bad experiences with Endura in the past and am reluctant to go there again. Altura always feels a bit cheap and basic to me. Never tried Galibier. The missus uses some Stolen Goat, but it always feels a bit, erm, heavy duty in a not good way, but maybe I'm just being picky.
I think I'd rather pay a little more and get stuff I trust to do the job properly tbh. It's all a bit subjective though.
Madison is fairly nice and more of a UK than conti fit, IME
but their stuff sat in a nice niche of reasonable quality at a decent price mostly with a middle of the road fit
I always thought when it was massively reduced, it was pretty good for what you got, but at their "normal" sale prices it was pretty underwhelming.
Like, their high end bib shorts - good for £20-30ish, very lackluster for their normal £50ish, complete joke at RRP of £70-90.
I have bought a ton of their tops - they are excellent, but on sale not especially cheap, just good value. Pretty similar to Endura all round I reckon so that's where I'll go next if no-one buys the DHB designs.
"I do wish that clothes companies used real sized people in their photos cw their height and weight, so you can see if it’d fit. Rapha do list the models height/weight but use very lean models which isn’t great unless you’re also super lean"
Define "real sized..."
As someone built like a stick insect I get fed up with brands assuming that as I'm tall I'm also wide. I'm not convinced someone who is 6'5" should be buying tops in size small or medium.
Unfortunately this makes for sad reading,:
In 2021, the mean heights of men and women based on adjustments to self-reported height were 175.9cm and 162.4cm, respectively.
In 2021, the mean weights of men and women based on adjustments to self-reported weight were 85.1kg and 71.8kg, respectively.
That's pretty short and squat. Maybe not your typical hardcore cyclist but definitely more like your new cyclist, hence why budget stuff is cut square, it's aimed at the beginner.
I was thinking the models having more regular dad bods, as this is the people who mostly buy the top brands.
I always did DHB/Rapha, combo worked well :). Slim fit for tall people.. RIP DHB..