Genuine question for folk who buy high-end kit like Rapha, Morvelo etc: what are the key things you look for, and what are your priorities? Aesthetics? Technical performance? Standing out from the crowd? Fabric? Fit? Design details? Exclusivity? Price? Brand loyalty? Ta v much.
Market research?
On a scale of 1 to 10?
1. Fit / performance.
2. Cost.
3. Look.
Lots of kit from Rapha to stolen goat and Castelli.
Gloves are another matter - only interested in performance and fit - cost and look are irrelevant.
I ride naked. With just a spray of Chanel No5.
Just a straw poll for a project. 1 to 10 or just anecdotal/general comments - I'm only after an overall impression. Thanks again.
Similarly i ride naked with a hint of No.1 and a wiff of No. 2
I have go to brands based on who's cut usually fits me well (rather than any real loyalty).
Then what looks like it'll work well. Could include fabric and design detail.
Then does it look ok.
Then price.
About the same here. I know some brands fit better than others (because I am freakishly tall), so I look at fit first, then what sort of colours they have, then worry about how much it costs.
A lot of my clothing kit is Altura because it fits best for me, but footwear and other stuff is Specialised. Same reason though.
a wiff of No. 2
Not got the gap jump dialled yet then?
In no particular order
Fits well
Well thought out features
Quality materials
Well made / finished
Looks good
Priced in relation to what it is, ie a lightweight, waterproof, breathable jacket with well thought out features can cost £200, but not a set of bib shorts.
I ride naked. With just a spray of Chanel No5.
I keep riding your regular Strava routes, but have yet to meat you.
👿
#notatypo
Not sure where you draw the line for high end kit; castelli, endura(FS260/ProSL) and Gore(Oxygen) are about at my limit.
I really like Castelli as its quality kit using good materials, their sizing fits me well and it looks good. I'll usually go for stuff from the previous year as rrp is usually a bit steep for me, but 40-50% off represents great value for the quality
I ride naked. With just a spray of Chanel No5.
No my mind 😯
well I wouldn't consider Morvelo high end for a start, especially in the road arena which is awash with the sort of brands that use 'apparel' and 'couture' to mean 'expensive'.
Fit.
performance.
Price.
I ride in higher-end kit (Castelli Rosso Corsa, Rapha, Giordana FRC, Assos) but have never paid close to rrp for any of it, and return to brands when I've been impressed by the fit and performance (so I now own 6 Rapha jerseys of varying types). Even more inclined to return to trusted brands after trying a couple of others and being really disappointed (Vulpine and Shutt VR spring to mind, both promptly returned with the labels still attached).
I ride naked. With just a spray of Chanel No5.
GT No85 surely?
Cheap, fit's, kinda cool (IMO), shorts are really comfortable.
I'd avoid the stuff that's actually fake (castelli etc) but I've no moral qualms about the old Lotto Soudal tops.
GT No85 surely?
Too greasy when applying, and doesn't smell doesn't improve when one starts to glow.
Fit. And if it does what it's meant to.
i.e. breathable stuff that actually makes an attempt at breathing rather than steaming you alive, wicking base layers that actually wick rather than just soaking everything up. Shorts that are comfy for the riding i want to do. Stuff that doesn't disintegrate after 6 months. You get the picture.
Other than that i don't care at all. Expensive, cheap, lurid, unfashionably out of date, it's all good. Probably why my current riding wardrobe always makes me look like i've just left a bike jumble. But then, i don't look at myself when actually riding...... maybe thats why i usually end up riding on my own. 😐
For me I guess fit/quality are probably == first place, followed by a price/quality balancing act.
I've found that spending more cash doesn't always give better results - a good example being gloves.
I've got a pair of Decathlon winter gloves which cost £12. They are nicely made and fit perfectly.
I splashed out £35 on a pair of Specialized winter gloves made of a soft-shell/neoprene type material before Christmas.
They are poorly made/finished, uncomfortable and basically crap in every way.
I also like the high-end Decathlon bib-shorts as a good compromise between fit/quality/price.
I've done Ride London in them twice, and find them more comfortable than the Rapha bibs I also have (The Raphas are much, much better made though)
In short, I don't mind spending money on top quality kit that fits well, but quite happy wearing 'budget' stuff if it does the job.
Really helpful, this. Thanks v much. Keep it coming!
Fit
Performance
Price.......usually wait for discounts
I'm not really a roadie, but I wear a lot of roadie kit as it is sooooo much better than MTB clothing.
My first choice is always Castelli.
I buy both very low end stuff (Tenn) for the basics, and higher end stuff (Rapha; Stolen Goat) whenever I can afford it - but especially for jerseys.
I just like things that are made well, and do what they say on the tin.
At the same time, the fact that I love the look of a lot of the Rapha and Stolen Goat stuff obviously contributes to the decision.
Whatever is on sale. 50% off and above twitches my buy finger.
It's all good stuff and there's always something on sale somewhere.
This doesn't work well with my urge to have a full matching set though.
I am a conflicted person
I've generally gone for Lusso kit, it fits me, the quality is good as is the performance, the cost is reasonable and they still make the clothing in the UK so I'm doing a bit to support British manufacturing in the bike industry.
I have a pair of their thermal bib tights that I wear in the winter for my off road commute that are still going strong after nearly 30 years. Even more impressive is that at over 50 I still fit in what I wore in my early 20's 🙂
Performance
Price
(fit is a given, as I don't ride in kit that doesn't, adn I'm a fairly generic small-medium race snake).
Bought my first Rapha bib 3/4 and two sets of Pro bibs in the sale. They are very good. I also have RH+ which I'm rather fond of too. Then it is club kit from Champion Systems for race and club rides.
jerseys tend to be club kit, shorts tend to be assos, castilli, tried rapha not impressed. Just a matter of what is comfortable and fits.
Tech performance, fit, look.
I now buy slightly posh bibshorts and all I look at is the pad and that they're not lairy colours. I used to like dhb pads but they seem to have changed a bit (or my arse has). I got a pair of castelli ones that are their cheapest version that has the right (X2?) pad in. I like them and will buy another pair if I see a bargin. SImilarly I got some sportful 'norain' ones that I quite like and so got another pair. I'm not brand-loyal but I'll happily make repeat buys if something's good
When I see a new brand I look at their photos - if they're all about the style, I'm oot. I want pics of the pad - it's the only bit that's important
Tops - have a couple of budget Gabba-style ones for wet & colder days, otherwise I'm on budget stuff all the way
Fit
Material
Intended use
If the designer gets these three right then performance comes as a direct consequence.
I have a couple of go to brands based on those criteria, (Sportful, Rapha, BioRacer).
Luckily our club kit is now made by BioRacer so I spend the majority of the time on the MTB in their kit, which is excellent.
Fit, windproofness and cost, which is why I use dhb from Wiggle. Got a couple of Castelli tops and they aren't significantly better, just tighter!
Fit
Performance
Durability
Washes well
Rapha at sale price ticks the boxes
Luckily our club kit is now made by BioRacer so I spend the majority of the time on the MTB in their kit, which is excellent.
I agree. When working in a roadie shop BioRacer and Castelli was always my first choice (not that I could afford much of it).
#notatypo
Just hanging out on street corners now.
Watching.
Waiting...
😈
I buy stuff that
its
works (usually)
fits into my aesthetic envelope
is within the price range that I'm prepared to pay
and doesn't wear out/ fall apart immediately
For that reason I don't buy anything made by the following anymore:
Vulpine
Endura
Really useful info, this. Thanks all. Keep it coming...
Don't mind spending on good waterproofs and winter bibs.
Gore for me as it fits, lasts and performs well.
Good for repairs and service too.
Happy to wear Decathlon/Aldi etc for everything else.
Pearl Izumi shorts fit me well, but Decathlon shorts do too and I don't have to wait for a sale.
Not bothered about the label or the image, but have avoided some of the Decathlon stuff recently due to the colours.
I do like Lusso gear though.
Made locally and the stuff my wife has is excellent quality and looks good.
I tend to buy cheap for some things. However, there are some niches that just aren't filled by other brands. A good example of this was the gabba when it first came out. Great product that nothing else was close to. Now plenty of cheaper copies.
There are some things that expensive companies just do better. Bit like Strong, Light, Cheap. Sometimes you prioritised strong and light.
It's got to do the job I'm buying it for, and it's got to fit. After that I've got to like the look of it, and the price I'm prepared to pay depends on how well those things come together. I'd pay more for something if it's in a category with potential for big performance differences, e.g. breathable waterproofs.
I haven't yet felt the need for Rapha, Castelli etc. Most of my stuff is dhb, Endura, Garneau, Pearl Izumi - solid mid-range stuff IMO!
I don't think I'm 'brand loyal', but having said that the stuff that ticks the boxes for me does often turn out to be from the same few brands. And then I suppose that gives a bit more sizing confidence if buying online too.
Fit then quality.
Brand loyalty stems from getting the above two right - I predominantly use Bioracer as what doesn't fit me as standard is available custom so that it does.
80% of my road kit is club/team kit - it's kind of expected that you promote the sponsors whenever possible...
Ancillary stuff like arm/legwarmers, lid, overshoes, gloves are generally chosen to coordinate with team kit but not at the expense of performance.
Lightweight rain-capes etc tend to be middle/upper-tier brands - Sportful, Castelli, Defeet for armswarmer and light wool gloves.
Where I spend the serious money is on technical kit for bad/cold weather. Assos is my go-to brand - nothing else comes close in terms of performance. The fit and style is spot on, but for me, that is secondary to the performance. The IJ Bonka is daft money, but if it keeps you riding in foul weather, it's worth every penny. And mine is good-as-new after 3 years.
Fit, performance, cost, looks.
I have a lot of Rapha tops, all bought in clearance sales - no way I'd buy at RRP. I like the sport wool semi-merino ones, and they always have deep pockets. Shallow pockets that stuff falls out of are pointless.
Full waterproofs need to be waterproof and breathable - look is secondary there. I have a Rapha one for wet days, and a decathlon packable one for showers.
I also have quite a bit of P-X kit. Jerseys, 3/4 bibs, and an excellent waterproof lightweight gilet.
Fit, performance, looks, price.
I've developed a liking for Castelli and top end sportful recently.
Also Impsport 'cos they make my team kit innit