It's Aldi time!

[Richard Woodrow]

My wife went in for me first thing at the Norwich branch: could have bought everything as was very quiet.
She got me shorts, shirt, gloves and socks. I tend to sweat rather a lot so a breathable jacket is a must. I've ordered a Tenn Vapor one off Amazon which got good reviews, instead of going the boil in the bag route (hopefully).

 

[Holdsworth]

I went to the Crewe branch at 10 this morning to see what they had. Fortunately for me it was only packed with the usual crowds of older people and not many cyclists which meant the cycling section was fully-stocked for me. There was plenty of medium-sized items there which is bang on for me.

I ended up with:

• Soft shell jacket (White)
• Ultra-light rain jacket (Yellow)
• Large saddle pack
• Fingerless gloves
• Cycle socks

The soft shell jacket is superb for the £15 I paid for it. I spent a good ten minutes deciding what colour to buy and eventually settled on white and black over the red and black for the extra visibility (in my mind anyway ) and admittedly because it looked "sportier" to me
The ultra-light jacket is a perfect fit, it packs up into it's bag to the size of an apple and easily fits into a back pocket for use when it rains during a ride. The fabric is thin but feels up to the job and has a flap behind the zip to prevent wind and rain from penetrating too quickly. Time will tell how breathable it is, with it being advertised as waterproof and all, but there is a sizeable vent on back that should help in any case.

Gloves are nice, comfortable fit for my XL hands and better-finished than the Lidl ones I bought last March. The gel pad is thin but should be enough. I haven't used the socks but they look alright for the money, again better on first glance than Lidl's offering.

The saddlebag I am pleased with. The clip attachment is plastic but seems substantial, I would though like a spare click so I can swap it between bikes, although at £4.99 I could always buy another . The tools will prove useful although some will not be required as I already have most of what is in there. The bottom compartment can take two 700 x 32c inner tubes or one plus the multitool, Parks tyre levers, TT02 puncture repair kit, my own allen keys and the supplied spanner. The upper compartment seems about the same size as the lower one and could hold a few bike-related essentials on a long ride. The only notable omission from the design is the lack of light strap on the rear. The saddlebag in place would cover up my Smart R2 and a mounting strap for it would have been great. I suppose I could always stitch a length of fabric somewhere to make up for this oversight.

I did not like the look of the SS jerseys. The fabric seemed poor quality and had a strange texture. On the white-coloured version the colour from the red trim on the pockets had rubbed off onto the white fabric and stained it pink. I can imagine what it would be like if it got rained on or went through the wash. I decided to skip them and get something of better quality in time.

In all I am very pleased and spent a grand total of £37 exactly, including some cold and flu tablets which I so desperately needed

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I went to my "local" branch this morning, which is actually 15 miles away. Had a wander round, but couldn't find any cycling gear. Was beginning to think I had missed the boat and it was all sold, when I noticed the sign on one of the displays.... "L I D L" . Who's a donkey then ! Nearest Aldi is actually 15 miles away from home, but in the opposite direction. Don't think I can be bothered now!

Yup, I did exactly the same!

I did go to an actual Aldi in the end and got one of the gossamer thin jackets and some gloves that will need to be filled with hand cream several days in a row until they're comfy!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

TONS of stuff left in the Ipswich Meridith road branch

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I just managed to get the last large cycling jacket from the Catford branch of Aldi. Medium and X-large sizers need not be discouraged. It seems pretty well made for £15 but I'll give it a road test tomorrow to be sure.

 

[ray316]

Went to Aldi early this morning and got the cycle gear l wantedTrack pump works ok pumping race bike tyre's up. Also got mini-pump to get me out the .... , better to have some kind of pump than none at all even though some say they are'nt very good.
Also got a short sleeve shirt, padded shorts , bike computer and a twin barrel car pump so well chuffed with what l got.
Roll on next the Aldi cycle sale, could do with some SPD Shoes do they do these..or maybe Lidl.

 

[fossyant]

My son wants to go an get himself a few bits - he's only 11 ! Start 'em young.

 

[Hawk]

Tonnes left in Glasgow at the Great Western Road (new) store

 

[guitarpete247]

I went into the Coalville branch this lunchtime and picked 1 of each L jerseys and a set of panniers. The panniers don't look the best quality I've ever seen but I think they'll do for the odd trip out to the shops or for a picnic. Still looked to be jerseys and jackets in all sizes when I left. Plenty of pumps, saddles and gel seat covers but nothing else we needed.

We've been promising the granddaughters a bike picnic for a few weeks now but the weather hasn't been too good. Roll on May Day bank holiday. Bound to be a scorcher .

 

[potsy]

Got a Marc Almond (soft cell) jacket, an ultralight jacket, pair of mitts and a compression vest thingy, oh and a packet of fig rolls
Loads left round here

 

[rollinstok]

Had to wait 15 mins for somewhere to lock my bike as the railings outside Aldi were chocker
Got a soft shell and 3 pr of socks, shell looks and feels good for the money

 

[broomwagon]

I got two pairs of shorts and a couple of pair of socks. They both look and feel ok, testing the shorts on sunday on a 60 odd miler

 

[Graham1426]

Managed to bag the very last soft shell jacket in white, good quality for the money, and looks pretty cool, oh and a pair of mitts.

 

[HovR]

Went down to the local Aldi on the bike, which was about a 10 mile trip both ways. The trip was fairly uneventful and no incidents.. Until my 25mm tires slipped on the VERY slick surfacing by the bike racks at the Quedgeley branch - Didn't go down, but made a bit of a fool of myself!

Got the large saddle bag to restore some order to my on-bike storage, as I previously had all of my tools shoved into a far-too-small saddle bag.

 

[john59]

Two pair of socks, a pair of cycling mitts, cycling shirt, soft shell cycling jacket and an ultra-light jacket. I was in my local store by 8.15am and there was plenty of interest.