# Are Aldi Clothes Any Good



## marco polo (21 Aug 2007)

Has Anyone Bought Any Of Aldi Cycle Clothing If So Is It Any Good All My Freinds Buy It And Say Its A Bargain


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## alecstilleyedye (21 Aug 2007)

yes, it's pretty good stuff for the money. i'd particularly recommend the long sleeve tops they did last year, and also the winter gloves. the padded cycling longs were so cosy that i've only worn them a few times, it's not been cold enough!

if you cycle commute and you need a few different pairs of shorts, you could do worse than stock up when aldi have cycling stuff in next which, so my sources tell me, is towards the end of next month.

you can always tell when aldi has cycling gear in, because you go on the club's saturday run and they're all wearing it!


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## Mr Phoebus (21 Aug 2007)

I've bought two pairs of the bib-longs from there.
IIRC they were £5.99, they are the Roubaix winter longs.
They're much better than a pair of 'quality' made one's that I paid £45 for. 
A lot of people I ride with in the group wear Aldi's Crane clothing, and they're all happy with it.

They should be having the winter clothing in in the not too distant future.


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## HLaB (21 Aug 2007)

I've bought some of their stuff in the past: jerseys, jackets, gilets, arm warmers and for the money its good kit.


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## gbb (21 Aug 2007)

Ive had a Crane cycling jacket with removable arms...brilliant, except for the god awful colour  The ebay picture did it too much justice 

Also got a Crane gilet....perfect bit of kit for what it cost.

Got some winter leggings/trousers last year. I find them too tight on the thighs and too short in the leg...and i'm a pretty standard shape.


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## lifeson (21 Aug 2007)

A brilliant anocronym CRANE from C+ some one used was:

Can't
Really
Afford
Nice
Equipment

Saying that I have some nice winter gear from there

Anybody tried their Greek specials on at the moment? very nice.


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## Brock (22 Aug 2007)

I've got various bits from Aldi and Lidl, the jackets especially are great. Go for it Marco P. We won't point and laugh, honest.


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## Peyote (22 Aug 2007)

I brought a two long sleeve tops from Aldi five years ago, they're still being used on a regular basis and a pair of shoes I got from Lidl two years ago are still going strong too!

Can't shake the feeling that I may have been supporting the owner of a sweat-shop in rural China though...


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## alecstilleyedye (22 Aug 2007)

Peyote said:


> I brought a two long sleeve tops from Aldi five years ago, they're still being used on a regular basis and a pair of shoes I got from Lidl two years ago are still going strong too!
> 
> Can't shake the feeling that I may have been supporting the owner of a sweat-shop in rural China though...



it's not just the cheap brands that do that peyote


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## Peyote (22 Aug 2007)

alecstilleyedye said:


> it's not just the cheap brands that do that peyote



Yeah, that's true. I usually try to buy brands that claim to be made in Britain for the reasons mentioned and the fact that they don't have to be transported half way across the world, but they can be quite pricey. Polaris, Endura and Altura do some good stuff though.


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## johnr (23 Aug 2007)

Last autumn Aldi did flashing reflective arm bands which had an immediate effect on the space cars gave me. Get some. My only quibble with their stuff is the sizing - I'm small and all of their stuff is on the baggy side. Their winter tights with water resistant fronts are brilliant though; got as high a mark as Nike in the C+ test.


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## Blonde (23 Aug 2007)

I have owned Aldi jerseys which were perfectly OK. They worked. I didn't like the fit (very baggy - they didn't have any XS ones left when I went and all their sizing is enormous) or the way they looked, but they worked which is all you can expect for the price I guess. If you are on a tight budget then the jerseys are good. Other bike bits such as lights etc. I have not tried myself, but others have said are GVFM. I personally could not wear the shorts though, but then I've struggled for four years to find shorts that dont injure me and cause pain and I only ever wear Assos ones for long rides now. I think it depends on what you want the stuff to do. If used for commuting or short rides it may be OK for some people. I don't know anyone in my club who wears aldi stuff for any audaxes though and nearly all I know wear assos shorts for anything over 200km.


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## Membrane (23 Aug 2007)

Sizing of the Aldi Crane clothing can indeed be odd. In autumn 2006 I bought winter leggings and a winter jacket, both sized medium. The jacket was very big and loose fitting, but comfortable. The leggings were too tight and too short and only just usable. 

In their spring 2007 offer of cycling clothing I didn't like the look of the jerseys on their website (manky colours and patterns) and decided to give those a miss, but once in the store they had very nice looking blue ones, so I got one plus a pair of shorts.

Expecting the same odd size on the shorts as on the winter leggings, I figured that due to the thinner and stretchier summer material a medium size would work for me this time. This turned out to be correct, the elastic on the waist band and the leg ends is a bit tight, but otherwise a nice skin tight fit. IMO wicking only works when a garment is tight against the skin. I also expected the Crane jerseys to be the same odd size as their jackets, so I bought a small instead of a medium size one, again hoping for a snug fit. The jersey fabric wasn't as flexible as I had hoped, it's a bit of a squeeze getting in and out of it, and once on it's still not skin tight like the shorts are, but it works well enough. Only real gripe is with the jersey zipper, it needs 2 hands to operate.

With Aldi prices I don't really mind the risk of buying a size that doesn't work, except for the jackets as they are a bit more expensive, but the jackets can be tried on in store. Just take a couple of sizes off the rack and step away from the usual "feeding frenzy at the zoo" scene that usually ensues when Aldi do cycling clothing, then you can try on a jacket and have a feel of the fabric quality without being in the middle of the maelstrom.


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## Tynan (23 Aug 2007)

umm yeah

fit is all though in cycle clothing surely

can't say I fancy buying something like that and not being able to try it on


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## Steve Austin (24 Aug 2007)

The sizing is awful, the fit is awful, The function of the materials is terrible, Colours are really bad, the only good thing is the price.

It really does strike me as wasting money.

Soon to be in classifieds, Brand new bib longs, and a worn once thermal jacket


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## notreally (30 Apr 2010)

alecstilleyedye said:


> you can always tell when aldi has cycling gear in, because you go on the club's saturday run and they're all wearing it!


Oh famous!


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## Ricky Baby (1 May 2010)

notreally said:


> Oh famous!



haha epic


http://catalog.aldi.com/core/main.p...15&PHPSESSID=21195406c5f21aad577129d2d86bed57

goto page 18


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## ACS (1 May 2010)

Use Aldi (and Decathlon) kit for commuting in and training in. Have one set for fairly good kit for event days. The rest of my gear is just washing machine fodder. I started with SPD compatable shoes from Aldi and still use them for commuting in during the winter. No vent meshing so they warmer then my Spech BG's. 

As others have said its very much try before you buy. I'll be at the doors at opening time.


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## cyberknight (1 May 2010)

Yup for commuting it is fine and as thats all i do regularly its all i wear ,i shall be there at 9 am , luckily for me i happen to have the day off to see about a mortgage anyway . Tbh i am one of the few at work who wears Lycra as the vast majority wear baggies or normal clothes.The few "Lycra louts " like me are few and far between so i will risk looking uncool and cheap .


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## youngoldbloke (1 May 2010)

Last years L/S top very good value for the money, but fit peculiar - much too long, but suspect I should have bought S and not M. Tip: always buy 2 sizes and return the one (or both) that doesn't fit.


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## Mark_Robson (1 May 2010)

TBH I don't want to pay a fortune for cycling clothes so I have no problems wearing their gear because it's excellent value for money. My only advice would be to try it on of you can.


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## RyanW (3 May 2010)

are they not doing the SPD shoes this year!!!

Im not paying £50 for a pair!


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## johnr (4 May 2010)

RyanW said:


> are they not doing the SPD shoes this year!!!
> 
> Im not paying £50 for a pair!



Lidl did a month or so ago - might be a few pairs left. I seem to remember Aldi did a second round of bike stuff last year in which shoes were the major attraction. If you've got minute/huge* (* delete as appropriate) feet you might pick up a pair cheap through bike shops with their own web sites.

Good luck


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## guitarpete247 (4 May 2010)

RyanW said:


> are they not doing the SPD shoes this year!!!
> 
> Im not paying £50 for a pair!


My local LIDL (Hinckley) still had a few pairs of shoes in last week. I didn't look what sizes as I'd already bought some and can recommend them.


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## marekbuk (4 May 2010)

You get what you pay for but I have to say that apart from the large sizing issue the Crane range of cycling clothing is generally well made for the price and comfortable too.
I'll certainly be stocking up this Thursday on my way to vote!


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