[Closed] Endura gear

My hummvees have been with me for nearly 4 years and have only just split. Likewise some Strike winter gloves. Can't praise Endura's stuff high enough.

Always been very hit and miss, generally miss.

I think the stuff that's made in the UK is generally pretty well made. The stuff (lower priced) form overseas is made 'to a price point' if you see what I mean, and as KINGTUT has already suggested, it can be a bit of a lottery

Just do a quick search on here - plenty of history on it. I've had various issues with them in the past - the kit's fundamentally very good, but often really flawed.

In spite of this, I seem to have an awful lot of their clobber - overshoes, baa baa socks, leggings, shorts, merino base layers, headbands, gloves...

Overshoes: warm, dry, fall apart afer a winter, so it's £25 / winter for them
Socks: seem fine so far...
Leggings: comfy, warm, great reflective bits, but the narrowest ankles (and corresponding zips) you've ever seen. They wouldn't look out of place on a kid!
Shorts - Singletrack ones were amazing, 'til the belt / fastener broke, replaced under warranty (except the sizing changed, so they went back for a refund eventually). Current Zymes are great too - except the popper doesn't stay done up (no funny comments please) it's just not strong enough.
Merino base layers - spot on, my absolute favourite - good simple clothing that just works
Headband - comfy, except it's so noisy under a helmet that it's probably not that safe if you're not careful. The noise of the outer fabric rubbing against the helmet drowns out anything else you can hear...
Gloves - warm, dry, but flawed by the insides moving separately to the outers, the velcro tab being almost unusable when you've got gloves on (ie, always) and the pads are in the wrong place.

Such a shame, as it's so nearly there...

Utterly rubbish. More fashion than function.

I'll never buy another piece of Endura gear again.

hmmmm

mixed from me - had some 3/4 ad full bibs from 4 years ago Apart from the logos cracking and looking shoddy, they still work

Have invested in a Stealth jacket this winter - anyone had any issues with theirs? Was hoping it would last a few seasons!

Have got some new waterproof gloves - Strike, will be getting a test tomorrow!

funnily enough my baa baa is a bit itchy prefer my icebreaker merino

Happy to receive recommendations of better brands...

MC

had loads of endura stuff waterproof gloves jackets single track trousers huvee 3/4 shorts tops and never had a problem with any of their stuff. Jacket and gloves in their 3rd season and still going strong, shorts have lasted 3 seasons riding every week and the trousers are over a year old and still in good nick

had a pair of therma-stat bib longs for years and despite a growing waistline they are stiil holding out ok and are exceptionally warm on those really cold days. They dont make these anymore though so the newer stuff might be hit and miss , but the other stuff i have , humvee shorts, singletrack trousers, and a few clickfast liners are all still good too, so more hit than miss for me.

strike gloves are rubbish, I'm on my second pair in 18 months. Had some superlight waterproof shorts rip within two rides but apart from that all the products have been spot in. All the merino gear is brilliant! I wear their lycra shorts and tights and they've all been fine. Their customer service has been excellent too, just stay away from those gloves 🙂

the gloves are surrender monkeys
i like there 260 bib shorts but they have chopped a bit from the front of them which is now borderline being to low.There was nothing wrong with the old style

MT500 baggies have come apart at the crotch just below the fly - looks like poor stitching and the material on the rear waterproof panel is delaminating.
Hummvee jersey has some stitching come apart and the shoulder grips have delaminated from the fabric.
The only Endura item I bought this year still going is a pair of Hummvee shorts - is it only a matter of time?
I'll be buying from other brands in future.

I've had years of trouble free service from Endura kit.

This'll be another polarised good and bad thread then. Bloody internet.

Ive been using ENDURA for some time now and had no trouble until recently,

HUMVEES ! worn thro stitching in the seat area,
MT500 Jersey ! Stitching / seams wearing after only 4 rides !

I have had years of trouble free service from everything I have ever had from Endura.

never had a problem with any of it, got some some shorts which are years old that I still wear.

I wonder if the ones who complain about stitching etc falling apart boil wash the crap out of it ? I never wash any of my clothes hotter than 50.

Kev

I like their stuff, I just don't expect it to last very long. For example all my shorts from them have tended to split after a few months use - more hassle returning them than 5 minutes with the sewing machine so have always mended myself. They're still going mind you, just with a little 'help'...

No boil washes here - 30 or 40 delicates washes as I wash my merino stuff with the shorts etc.

How would a hot wash make stitching fall apart anyway?

Generally good kit, and good customer service, quick turnaround on replacement bits, gloves not the best tho, try specialized gloves they are good.

Its can be very hit and miss quality/longevity wise but at least you don’t look like every other mtber in the car park when you wear it ? 😉

Mine are the singletrack shorts and the arse seams have completely fallen apart I've only worn them around 10 times max and wash on 30 deg. I think they wore through the stitching in the mud a few weeks back. Nothing worse than really needing to get over the back and getting the saddle and shorts tangled up.. I had to bag the shorts up and ride in my bibs for much of yesterday, not a good look.

The arse fell thro on my Hummers after about 12 rides !
I put the abrasion & Grit down to wearing the stitching thro ! It just disentegrated.................
I cant imagine what the wear rate must be like in the winter as i only wore these in the Summer months

I cant see how hot water would disolve stitching ?
I seem to remember Kevlar being used as thread in some of their shorts years back ?
And as for the MT500 Jersey ! I wore it 4 times in 1 week and didnt wash it in that time when i did look at it the Jersey looked brand new apart from the fraying stitching where the camelback straps run ?
Surely the designers know that riders wear camelbacks and the stitching in these areas need support !

I think i will use GORE kit in future it seems to last longer ?

I just sent back some liner shorts as the stitching fell apart after only a handful of uses (i had 2 art the same time, the other has lasted pretty well for a few years now) and despite the fact i left it in a drawer for over a year before getting around to sending it, they just replaced it with a brand new one no questions asked.

Apart from that one incident, i've been happy with all of their stuff.

I think endura are stuck really the big selling point is that thay make gaer here in the UK. We like that but we also want gear for peanuts, the stuff thats made in the far east.
Endure try to do a bit of both, but at the moment the lower end is bringing there name down.
I've had lots of endura gear over the years, its what i rate everything else against. I have had issues with high end gear from them, but its been back by that high end investment. So its been repaired or exchanged very quickly with no fuss. So i've brought from them again knowing they will stand by their gear.
The answer to their problem mmmmm tricky.

Most of my cycle wear is made by Endura, never had any bother until I bought a MT500 burner jacket a year ago; all of the seam tape came off in 9 moths of moderate use (cared for per instructions, together with Edura Venturi trousers that, even though lot older, are still going strong). Endura would not deal with the issue directly (so much for their packaging saying otherwise), and it took 6 weeks to sort out via UKBikestore -- it seems like the quality has gone down the pan in the last year or two, and not just on the cheap stuff.

In the past Endura would have been the first make I would have considered when looking for cycle wear, but my confidence in the brand has taken big knock in the last year.

Always like their gear, just got some Humvee 3/4 and the liner came pre split!

So quality control isn't great either.

They sorted me out warranty wise so I still buy the gear but it has gone downhill.

Just returned a pair of venturi 2 trousers, worn maybe 5-6 times max, both welded seams in the hip pockets have failed. Good job i never used them or whatever i put in them would be in my shoes.

Have also repaired the croth and arse seams on some Singletrack shorts, the remainder of the shorts are rock solis though despite plenty of crashes.

That said my hummvies, Baa baa top, windchill jacket, socks and dextor gloves have all done me sterling service.

My altura react jacket has been the biggest let down though, delaminating and soaking through very early on in it's life, if i hadn't crashed in it that would certainly have been returned.

My wife had three brand new pairs of longs returned to Endura before they were even worn - stitching in either the wrong place or completely absent leaving straight from the factory holes down the side. She also had a pair of 3/4s develop a big hole between the chamois and the outer fabric in one ride in dry conditions on the road. My Strike Gloves have been returned twice due to them soaking through at the fingertips in less than 5 minutes of heavy rain. Squeezing the brakes forced water in at the fingertips. I gave up on them in the end. I also had a pair of Endura outer shorts shrink despite only ever being washed at 30 degrees.

I would really like to continue to support a Scottish based firm but the quality control sadly isn't good enough in my experience. 🙁

Oh and the velcro flap on two pairs of overshoes came away in my hand while the zip failed on one of them after only a handful of rides. I also had a pair of liner shorts replaced under warranty where the large replacement was either mislabelled or measured in action man sizing. Finally, the zipper came away on a pair of leg warmers after only a few rides. Come to think of it, I've only found their knee warmers to be trouble free but then, how hard is it to get a tube of lycra right? 😕

Does anyone from Endura come on here? Perhaps they should be prompted to if anyone knows them. It would be useful if we could get feedback like we used to from the chap at CRC a few years back.

Sent a jacket back for a repair in august. The damage was my fault, but I've still not had the jacket back. I've got loads of mt500 shorts and most seem to be coming unstiched. Great stuff when it works, it just doesn't work enough.

Good shout slowjo

I,m sure that ENDURA must be aware of their shortcommings judging by the ammount of replacement kit sent out from this site alone !

I had reservations on the quality from my own experience however i wasnt aware that it was as widespread ?

Every single garment I've had from Endura has had a problem, apart from my wife's 3/4 baggies which I pinched. 😳

Stitching comes apart on all their jerseys, the baabaa tops develop random holes in places where they shouldn't wear, zips break. All within a few rides.

A recent pair of Zyme shorts summed it up - it was my fault that I bought a size too large so they're rather loose around the waist, but the waist puller-inners (?) don't work at all and the popper bursts open when I bend over. Rubbish.

I've had more problems with Endura clothing than with any other brand, and have stopped buying it however attractive the price looks.

Keva - Member

I wonder if the ones who complain about stitching etc falling apart boil wash the crap out of it ? I never wash any of my clothes hotter than 50.

Kev

Just to volunter for a beating, I work at Endura and varuous people here do read forums.
Truth is that, like all technical clothing brands, we have failures but we do sell more than a million pieces of clothing a year and the return level is a fraction of a percent.
The returns level, as a percentage, has been continually falling for over a decade and we have put way more resource into improving quality in the last 5 years than ever before - it is improving rather than getting worse but we still have failures and if we have someobody who has had multiple items fail then its understandable that they think this must be what everyone is finding.
And inevitably there is less comment from the silent masses that don't have any issues with their kit.
At the end of the day these items are made by hand and it is very difficult to eliminate QC issues entirely. What we try to do is to keep getting better and to put our hand up and replace product if it is faulty or has failed prematurely which I think we are pretty reasonable at on the whole.
Other side points; we have similar returns levels from in-house production as we do with Far East production so there isn't any bias between the two (they both follow the same procedures).
We haven't downspec'd any materials on Hummvees, Singletracks or Thermolite as has been suggested on forums in the past (still Cordura from same suppliers, still Italian Thermolite from same mill as a decade ago etc) and our gloves are made in the same factory as Specialized and to the same standards.
People here are accutely aware that QC is a big deal and customers rightly expect that their kit shouldn't fail even when it's given a beating so we're not relaxed when we get failures (and failures are expensive as well so trying to cut corners doesn't generally save money in the end and isn't how we approach it).
For those who have had issues then we do, of course, apologise for falling short of the mark but at the same time it wouldn't be fair to say that quality is getting worse overall as it has is in fact been continually getting better for several years now and we are doing more and investing more than ever before to make it better in the future. That said, I know that if someone has had a bad experience lately then it's a reasonable thing to think that everyone else is experiencing the same thing...

Have had issues with two pairs of shorts with weak waist press studs which is fairly hopeless. Have had to add buttons as I have had enough and replacements not much better. Problem is when you get caught up with clickfast system.

Will not buy shorts again.

Jim - good post. informative and to the point. Well done you.

cheers

Impressed by that post from Jim, I've got mostly Endura gear Was fully waterproof today in a 30 min commute in very heavy rain -Stealth jacket Thermalite overshoes and gridlock trousers oh and my strike gloves worked impeccably

Noticed no one has recommended any thing else

MC

Fair play to Jim for coming on and posting. I've a 4 tear old venturi jacket which is an awesome piece of kit. Humvee shorts are a year old and going strong but two pairs or winter gloves ( can't remember model names) are both at the bottom of the gear box. Poor bulky design and liners that come adrift from the outers. Hit and miss as others have said.

Thats good company feedback of you Jim to come on here...
i have alot on Endura kit and havent returned anything yet though when stuff has fallen to bits i usually feel its served its lifespan...
my only gripe is stitching sometimes...
To make clothing for scotlands weather climate that lasts is a tough call and there is alot of other- more expensive companies which fail to make the grade...

I like all my Endura stuff. Lasts for years. Invariably well tailored, too. Used to have crappy zips but seems to have improved in recent years.

The one time I had something fail, a Munro waterproof jacket from which the seams fell apart, I sent it back and was sent a new one in the post the same week. Still got it six years down the line and it outperforms dearer stuff from supposedly more prestigious brands.

Just saw the point above about baa-baa stuff developing random holes - mine did, too, but I put that down to riding past brambles at speed. My forearms developed random holes from that as well.

I have a pair of Endura shorts (don't know the model/name off hand) But they've pretty much been worn constantly for four years (bought in the summer'06 for around 60quid) and there is still life left in them. They're still my favourite shorts. I don't have any of Endura's other stuff as I moved to NZ and it's not readily available here, but for what it's worth 'Ground Effect' stuff is, and the quality of their gear in terms of construction, fit and longevity is really impressive. NZ made too!

Jim, thanks for the feed back. Any news on my jacket that has been away for repair almost three months now?

Jim, thanks for the reply.

we do sell more than a million pieces of clothing a year and the return level is a fraction of a percent. The returns level, as a percentage, has been continually falling for over a decade

That is not a persuasive argument; an old skeptic like myself would say that you are, necessarily, selling an increasing percentage to casual riders, so your return percentages should be dropping rapidly due to that.

I know that if someone has had a bad experience lately then it's a reasonable thing to think that everyone else is experiencing the same thing...

I think you should take this more seriously than that. I live in Scotland, my cupboard is full of Endura gear because your designs match the Scottish conditions well, and because I kind of like the thought of 'buying local' (though I realize the naivity of that). But it used to be that the people I ride with and the people I meet out there on the trails were raving about Endura gear; does not happen so much these days -- I think the brand is developing a problem, and unfortunately whether it is because the quality issues are real, or just perceived/exaggerated by the wonder of the Internet does not matter that much. I really hope you guys can overcome this.

(BTW, in the above posts there seems to be a faint pattern of the eVent garments lasting and their PTFE successors falling apart; just a thought.)

Again thanks for the reply Jim,

The returns may be a fraction of a percent from Millions of customers however !

My ENDURA HUMVEES were replaced last week as the stitching disintergrated within a dozen rides in dry summer weather !

My replacements are defective ! got them out this morning to try on and there is a 1" gap at the top of the tea bag material behind the knee AND i have an XXL pair which bury me 👿 My others were XXL and fitted me just right................... whats going on !

My MT500 jersey is absolutely cr@p ! worn 6 times now and the stitching is frayed at the seams where the straps of my camel back rub it !
Not a happy fraction of a percent here !

Especially as ive just ordered some Thermo lite bibs 3/4 and some singletrack shorts !

I shall stitch the arse up on these shorts and carry on regardless.

Gloves are going at the seam so it's not massive hassle to stitch em up.

As I have a wide variety of endura kit I'd say I'm pretty loyal but as a bit of feedback for those in the know, Better thread on the arse seams please as grit and what not can wear it through.