Best piece of bike clothing you ever bought?

I have a gilet I bought about 6-7 years ago, I wear it all year round and its still going strong! Sometimes over a jersey in the summer and with jersey, arm warmers in Spring/Autumn. Been wearing it over a long sleeve jersey on winter rides. Can barely imagine riding without it now. One of the best pieces of bike clothing I ever bought.

Close 2nd goes to my Gore Bike Wear gloves, I have yet to experience cold hands while wearing them!

Yours??

I’d say the pearl Izumi toe covers I wear when on my road bike, they just take that nip off your toes.

A set of Roach Indy iirc dh pants circa 2000

£10 leg warmers off ebay.

Berghaus Gilet/Jacket

Planet x Roubaix tights. I haven’t been cold on the bike since buying them. They do exactly what they say they will and fit me like a glove.

Very closely followed by my new altura mayhem jacket.

Patagonia Wool 4 quarter zip

Castelli windstopper jacket. Bought it around 15 years ago. Still going strong.

My gore bib tights !!!!! Mmmmmmm

Mavic Notch shorts – so comfy
Northwave Celsius boots – mmm, toasty feet

North Face windstopper jacket fast becoming a huge fave, but above that, Sombrio Epik shorts. Just so confy.

Endura Jaffa jacket. 10 years plus and still going strong

Leg and arm warmers from Lidl for £7.99. Great quality as well.

Lusso thermal bib tights bought over 20 years ago.

Qranc XC gloves for £2.99, really, really comfy, have had them 10 years. Nuff said.

Those and DX shoes.

Oh and my knee-pads.

Gore windstopper gilet
Gore waterproof shorts
Campag bib shorts
Campag winter bib tights

1. Ground effect 3/4 (they have some daft name…it escapes me) lovely fleecy bits on the knees, they are just starting to go baggy after maybe 10 years.
2. Sidi Dominators, unbelievably brilliantly comfortable shoes. expensive but worth every penny.
3. Troy Lee XC gloves, simply no equal.
4. the many buffs I have, all of which are cut in half, then they are more perfect.

I love my Fox Poacher jerseys. Great fit, nice feel, and I love the asymetrical graphics- not too gaudy either.

Endura 3/4 winter bib shorts.
Kona merino wool long sleeve top.
Oakley M frames.

Craft Windstopper baselayer, and Aldi winter gloves.

DX shoes and Rab Vapor Rise smock. Sure, the latter isn’t bike specific, but there is no better winter top over a merino T-shirt. IMO of course.

Buffalo Windshirt. Still going strong since I got it in 1993

Ground Effect Submerino
Got this about five years ago and wear it on most rides. I wear it as a mid or outer layer. It’s proven to be hard wearing and versatile and really good value considering the amount of use it has had. Also got an older pair of their 3/4 longs which I really like.

Helly Hansen Lifa. The short sleeve is comfortable for 7 hours getting lost in the hills in summer.

The long sleeve is nice and warm but still lets air through to stop you overheating on those days where it’s just too cold for the short sleeve.

Gore wind stopper jacket
Warm and showerproof, love watching the water bead off it
Must get out more 🙂

Gore windstopper gilet and Defroster boots.

Rapha tweed jacket, that and the kidskin gloves.

Assos mille bib shorts – he pad and fit just seem suit me perfectly.

The downside is the expense, think it was about £140 when i got mine but they are more expensive now. So over the last year i’ve tried to economise a bit, save the mille for long days in the saddle and get some other half decent bibs for shorter rides. Nothing comes close though and i’ve ended up spending about double what another pair of the milles would have cost 🙁

Completely forgot about Troy Lee xc gloves, despite having 3 pairs. Sign of a great product, you forget it’s there!

Orange bean bag top, still going strong after 15 years!

Neoprene tubes I made myself and wear on my ankles to properly seal my winter boots. It’s got to be really chuffing wet before I get wet feet.

– DHB toe covers.
– Cautiously optimistic when I say my new Endura Strike gloves. Seem to take that freezing edge off the weather.
– Pearl Izumi softshells also a contender. Got an Elite and the lower model down too. Like wearing them so much that I’ve now lost too much weight and need to size down 🙁

Assos Roubaix tights.

There was a manufacturer a few years ago, now sadly gone, called parrot who made great gear.
I remember fondly there baggy shorts which were am perfect cut which I still seek but have never attained from any other manufacturer, highlanders I think they were called.
Their gilets were good too

the original Gore N2S windstopper Phantom

Just an ace jacket. None of the ‘modern’ softshells can beat it.

Winter Boots = warm toes

Probably my Santini roubaix 3/4s

Northwave artic winter boots,
Closely followed by endura FS-250 winter jersey.

My craft active extreme base, the one with the wind proof panel in the chest. An awesome piece ok kit.

Either my lake winter boots or my Spesh winter bib tights
Both have transformed winter rides from a chore to a fun day out.

Or maybe arm warmers for unexpected cold evenings

with the weather as it is tomorrow I will say the Buffalo cycle shirt I bought 18 years ago