Does expensive clothing make a massive difference?

[Spoked Wheels]

For me it depends on the item. I think I can wear any jersey and I'm fine. All my jerseys are from Aldi and I have no issues at all.
Shorts or bibs is another matter. I went through the Aldi stuff but that wasn't comfortable Giordana was much better but still not quite. Shutt VR Pro were terrible for me, very uncomfortable. I only wear Assos bibs now. I got a few that I got in the sales. They are the best I found so far and I'm not sure I'd gamble a high tag price with another brand, in case I got it wrong when I could have bought Assos that I know they are comfortable for me.
Like saddles, a very personal choice I think.

 

[MichaelW2]

Yes, you get what you pay for.

I used to buy Chocolate Fish merino, which was cheaper and better than the big brand alternatives.
Some smaller brands, esp startup ones can be excellent value and some big advertisers can be OK product in fancy packaging.

 

[e-rider]

Hi guys,

Not been on too many rides recently due to breaking my leg playing football. I'm just starting to enjoy cycling again and wondered if expensive clothing makes much difference to the casual cyclist. I get most of my stuff off eBay (from a cycle brand called didoo) or from sports direct. I have everything I think I need ( padded shorts, jerseys, base layers, arm any leg warmers, rain jacket) and it seems to do the job. I guess the question I have is do £15 bib shorts do the same job as a £60 pair of bib shorts?.

Assos shorts are expensive and amazing. Generally I find expensive clothing is much better than cheap stuff, BUT the cheap stuff in many cases does the job okay. The few exceptions are: cycling shorts (cheap cycling shorts can turn into a torture device on long rides - buy quality here every time). Winter base layers and windproofs - quality items here really make cold weather cycling much more enjoyable.

 

[mjr]

Like saddles, a very personal choice I think.

Well yes - padded shorts seem mainly a way to move the padding from the saddle to the clothing so you have to buy the padding N times instead of once.

 

[Truth]

I wear some cargo shorts I used to wear out , football socks , a pair of Nike Astroturf trainers and technical running tops that I get free from when I do 10k runs and half marathons ! These do me fine for a 24 mile round trip commute for work !
I am not saying this is the stuff to wear but what I am saying is its does me ......
I do have a couple of decent cycling jackets , one being an Enduro one that turns into a gillet (second hand though!) , and have just bought some decent gloves for next winter but other than that I just cycle in a "bag of rags"
I suppose its all about how seriously you want to take cycling , to me its just a way of getting to and from work and its something I quite enjoy .........

 

[w00hoo_kent]

I wear cheap kit and do a fair few miles. DHB Aeron shorts and Ronhill cycling jerseys are my normal attire.

To be fair, the OP is listing your kit at the expensive end :-)

 

[Tin Pot]

I used to buy Chocolate Fish merino, which was cheaper and better than the big brand alternatives.
Some smaller brands, esp startup ones can be excellent value and some big advertisers can be OK product in fancy packaging.

Sometimes.

In virtually all other cases, high fashion aside, the price of materials is the prime factor in retail price.

Decide if you need or want good quality and then pay for it. Decide cheap and shitty is good enough, and pay less.

 

[John the Monkey]

In my opinion expensive does not help with speed or endurance.

Unless it does - it can be quite a personal thing. I'm happy in dhb, for the distances, my shape, &c &c. I was distinctly unhappy in Aldi, the sizing didn't suit me, nor did the cut or the pad position in the shorts, and I'd not have done more than 10 miles in that stuff before turning back, worried at the extent of the damage that the chafing had done to my nethers.

I've had cheap merino (Descente) - ok for trying, but too thick to regulate temperature as well as the nice stuff, and horribly scratchy. The ShuttVR jersey I have, by contrast, handles a decent, wide range of temperatures, and is lovely and comfy. I'd do long rides in the latter quite happily, in the former, not so much.

 

[Kestevan]

Price is irrelevant (ish).
I have some cheap kit and and some expensive kit which is extremely comfortable.
I have also had some cheap kit and some expensive kit which has been shockingly uncomfortable.

I find my ass and feet are the most important, and my most comfortable shorts are the Planet X ones at £25.00 (more comfortable for me than the £150 Castelli shorts), and Sidi shoes - which were certainly not cheap, but fit better than anything else.

 

[jonny jeez]

I think the correct clothing makes a huge difference, the cost...meh, not so much.

 

[bpsmith]

Correctly fitting clothing is paramount. Can't compare properly if cheaper or expensive clothing is too big/small whilst the opposite is fitting perfectly.

 

[yello]

Expensive clothing does make a difference. To your bank balance!

 

[Truth]

I forgot, I did invest massively in a Biemme cycling top from Planet X which I would highly recommend ! Especially at £4.99

 

[Jody]

Bought some stuff from Sports Direct. Shorts, tights and waterproof bottoms. The shorts offer about as much padding as a square of loo roll after a year, the tights are OK but not ideal and the 'water proof' bottoms are almost the opposite.

As with others, decent shorts or tights are the only thing I would splash out for.

 

[MikeW-71]

Hi guys,

Not been on too many rides recently due to breaking my leg playing football. I'm just starting to enjoy cycling again and wondered if expensive clothing makes much difference to the casual cyclist. I get most of my stuff off eBay (from a cycle brand called didoo) or from sports direct. I have everything I think I need ( padded shorts, jerseys, base layers, arm any leg warmers, rain jacket) and it seems to do the job. I guess the question I have is do £15 bib shorts do the same job as a £60 pair of bib shorts?.

Like all things, it depends. Some cheaper kit is actually very good (DHB is a prime example) but the differences are most noticeable in one particular place IMO.

Shorts.

This is where I will spend money on quality. I have some Aldi ones for a tenner that are OK for up to about an hour, perfect for commuting. I figured there must be something better for longer rides, and finally plucked up the courage to spend £50 on some Endura FS260 Pro shorts. Oh wow, they were certainly worth it, the difference in comfort was rather large.

Jerseys are nowhere near as critical for me, and I'm happy to stay around the cheaper end of the ranges in general, now that I know what fits.