Kit: cheap vs high-end - worth it?

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jeanjacques
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Location: France

by jeanjacques

I'm always intrigued to see all of this trend of aero bike with all of this marginal gain and aside of this, same people without care about the aero of their cloth.
Castelli is one of the few brands who work on it. So for me, it's a no brainer, Castelli Sanremo 3.2 Speed suit for 3 seasons and Sanremo Thermosuit for winter. And it's amazingly confortable (no straps, no double layers), what else ?

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4ibanez
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by 4ibanez

TobinHatesYou wrote:
Sun Jun 10, 2018 5:24 pm
Also as you said, Castelli’s top end chamois pad is worse than just about any level of Elastic Interface / Cytech pad.
No, I said the pad in my (almost new) £195 RRP Rapha bib shorts is a little bit more comfortable than the Progetto x2 pad on my 3 or 4 year old Free Aeros.

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coriordan
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by coriordan

I also had issue with Castelli shorts. Pad came unstitched on some FAR shorts. Unbelievably comfy but I didn't like the logos.

Rapha look ace but the best pad is the parentini tiger 2.

blaugrana
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Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 9:49 pm

by blaugrana

naylor343 wrote:
Sun Jun 10, 2018 10:57 am
Two excellent brands I have found are Inverse from Spain and Sismic from Denmark. These two brands produce the Spanish and Andorran team kits respectively.
Actually Sismic is Catalan as well, they are 50km away from Girona.

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micky
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by micky

As many said already, "cheap" doesn't always mean bad, but also "expensive" doesn't always means it's 100% sure to work for you.
The team were I was riding last few years used some local (cheapish) italian brand and I simply couldn't use their bibs.
As I wrote on another topic, last winter I've got a pair of Castelli bib thights which I like a lot for the fabric, but the pad is way too thin for longer rides.

To add a few more spanish brand, Im now using a Valencian brand for the summer kit as I wanted to try something else, and so far so good.

TobinHatesYou
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by TobinHatesYou

jeanjacques wrote:
Sun Jun 10, 2018 6:19 pm
I'm always intrigued to see all of this trend of aero bike with all of this marginal gain and aside of this, same people without care about the aero of their cloth.
Castelli is one of the few brands who work on it. So for me, it's a no brainer, Castelli Sanremo 3.2 Speed suit for 3 seasons and Sanremo Thermosuit for winter. And it's amazingly confortable (no straps, no double layers), what else ?

Another point to be made here... Sportful actually seems better than Castelli with regard the aero. The Sportful equivalent to the San Remo 3.2 isn't open at the bottom so it hugs waist even better. It still has back pockets like the San Remo. Since it isn't open at the bottom, it includes a bottom up zipper for easy nature breaks.

It has the same shitty Castelli pad that compresses too much though.
Last edited by TobinHatesYou on Sun Jun 10, 2018 9:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

robertbb
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by robertbb

Made in Italy means absolutely nothing with clothing. Nor does "Italian fabric".

You get what you pay for, regardless of where it's made.

The Castelli perfetto vest I got is "Made in Moldova". ;-)

DJT21
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by DJT21

Wookski wrote:
Sun Jun 10, 2018 12:52 pm
DJT21 wrote:
Sun Jun 10, 2018 11:31 am
Wookski wrote:
Sun Jun 10, 2018 9:08 am
I’m happy to spend money to look good and be comfortable.
Honestly, I don't think wearing lycra and disco slippers is the best way to "look good".

I can't honestly say I've found a jersey uncomfortable so I'm happy to buy cheap. Shorts are a bit more important, but if your saddle's right and your fit is right then you should be comfortable.

Jackets are worth spending some money on though, as well as shoes.
OK you got me there, I’ll rephrase to “look less shit” :lol:
:-D

robertbb
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by robertbb

Actually, felt compelled to write this too....

If I want, for example, two new jerseys. I'll order four or five (all same size, same colour) from a store that accepts returns for full refund. I'll try on all 5, keep the two that fit best and return the rest. May sound strange, but I guarantee that you'll notice differences in the cut/fit even in the same model, colour, brand, etc. With tight fitting clothing a half cm difference under the arm (probably which passes Quality Control) can mean the difference between a snug but comfortable race fit, or relentless pressing in your underarms that seems to appear after 30k... this is *regardless* of brand... country of manufacture... clothing varies.

Important to put it on, walk around the house, put the laundry on, make a coffee.... just kinda forget you're wearing it.... then little chafes and itches start to arise. Or you realise one is up around your belly button... the other holds its length a bit better...

Again, sounds strange, but trust me. This is hand stitched cloth... tolerances are just as bad as your press fit bottom bracket ;-)

antonioiglesius
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by antonioiglesius

The mention of Elastic Interface reminded me: I went looking for the least expensive bibs with Elastic Interface for long duration rides a couple of months ago. I settled on a DHB pair from Wiggle. It's got this funky flat wide shoulder straps which multiple reviewers said irritated their nipples (yes, n.i.p.p.l.e.s.). Anyway, the chamois wasn't too thick, doesn't compress that much over time, and I believe it's good. What made it less ideal was the way the chamois was shaped, which means it started to chafe after a while. Things became slightly better after these few months but it's not the best I've had. And I did not have nipple-related issues with the bibs.

Wookski
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by Wookski

Image
Pic of me second wheel- Assos bibs, jersey, gilet, gloves, arm and knee warmers. Very good system.

asiantrick
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by asiantrick

My current fav at the moment: Search and State

But Assos over everything.

Wookski
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by Wookski

asiantrick wrote:
Mon Jun 11, 2018 3:55 am
My current fav at the moment: Search and State

But Assos over everything.
Search and state jerseys and gilets are great, especially the LS wool jersey after shrinking in the dryer- perfect fit! Both of their bib models are way too roomy in the crotch area for me but the aesthetic is spot on.

Js2
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Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 6:55 pm

by Js2

In my experience Assos stuff is really next level compared to the other brands out there (especially their bibs and base layer). My only gripe is their jersey design is kinda meh... Fit and function is top notch though.

As a whole system its definitely a worth while investment. I crashed on it and got 50% off replacement and some freebies replacement (arm warmers, leg warmers and gloves).

by Weenie


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TonyM
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by TonyM

I use Assos since the late 80s as it is the best quality by far.
In the last 2-3 years I tried Rapha and Castelli also. Good quality but not as good as Assos.
I also like the Assos black editions that have less logos etc....but more expensive.
Only wish to Assos: develop some water repellant bibs & leg warmers.

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