I've had it with Louis Garneau bicycling crap!
 

I've had it with Louis Garneau bicycling products! They're crap in my opinion.

First, the Louis Garneau Shorts I bought had so much padding in them that I was always slipping around on the saddle and got badly chafed on a 40 kilometers (25 miles) ride that was supposed to be a much longer ride.

When I got home I opened up the top rear of the padding/chamois area and removed most of the padding and hope that by doing that the shorts would be somewhat useful. It did help a fair bit.

Early this morning in preparation for a long ride later this morning I put a pair of NOS Look Delta cleats onto my fairly new Louis Garneau road bicycling shoes and then went for a short test ride to a store just over a kilometer away. When I went to unclip my left foot this happened. I am not impressed with the quality of these shoes nor was I very happy when that happened. Fortunately the clerk at the store found me a large elastic band that I was able to use to hold the shoe together so that I was able to ride home.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...96fed9b3cd.jpg


I was not a happy bicyclist!

At the moment the shoes look like this as I'm trying to glue the sole back on with Gorilla Glue. I hope it works as these shoes are not very old. I'm letting the shoes sit for a least 24 hours before removing the clamps and toe-straps.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e83fe0a0e5.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ce4e49e146.jpg


Everything that I've bought with a Louis Garneau label on it has failed very early in its life. therefore I'm done with that brand. I did notice that Louis Garneau is no longer made in Canada but is made mostly in China. Well, the quality of Louis Garneau stuff has plummeted in my honest opinion and experience.

Cheers

That's a shame. I have Louis Garneau stuff that has held up for over 20 years, but of course, it was made in Canada.

I haven’t used their shoes, but the clothing has held up well.

This has been my experience as well.

@Miele Man, if those shoes are "fairly new" then surely it would be worth going back to the authorized Garneau dealer from whom you purchased 'em and see if you've any recourse?

"Fairly new" can mean a lot of different things to people on BF. Judging from the condition of the Velcro and other indications of wear and weathering in the uppers that are clearly visible in the first photo, I have to wonder.

My favorite LBS is currently in the process of switching over to Endura from Louis Garneau because of quality issues.

Several years ago, during a ferry ride that was part of a bicycle ride, I met a first cousin of Garneau. The GF was wearing a pair of their short and he and his wife struck up a conversation with us. They seemed well put together. :D

ikr ... :thumb:

Strap on my Specialized shoes broke last year; repaired it with a pop rivet. Still going strong, but d'you think I should start a thread about it?

Thread with a poll.

Nothin' a little duck tape and bailin' wire can't fix...

Over the past 40 years I've had gear from most companies at least once. Assuming that fit is correct, my experience has always been that the higher priced gear is better. I'm not saying that you can't find an item or two from a moderately priced line that works well over time. But, generally, higher price = higher quality. I am always tempted to go for the bargain this or that. But, about 3/4 of the time it ends up costing me more. Recently, I was tempted to buy a decent pair of shoes over some "on sale" Sidi shoes. Went with the Sidis. Totally love them. Same thing happened when I went to Assos (always on sale though). Maybe I do have a learning curve.

No the bikeforums way is to complain if anything costs more than $20 but also complain when it's crap and it breaks.

But also to scoff and dismiss anyone who spends money on quality items as elitist and mindless sheep buying in to marketing hype.

What shorts did you buy that had too much padding? LG, like other brands, has different pad styles. Did you buy one that is thicker than what you like?...if so, then is it really LG's fault?

Sucks what happened to your shoes- thats crazy. Being relatively new, I would look into having them replaced under warranty. If they are older than that, its never a fun position to be in when faced with a product that didnt last as long as expected.

To provide an alternative to this experience, I would absolutely recommend my LG Granite 2 MTB shoes. The materials have held up for years to dirt, gravel, and tossing around in closets/tailgates- especially the toe box which is where a lot of wear is seen due to flipping over pedals and scraping the ground at times. The BOA system still works perfectly too.

:eek:

I have to agree with the OP. My cargo jerseys were not cheap but the bottom hemlines started fraying and coming apart after two years and my new $80 shorts are already showing excessive wear after only a few months. Seems like the materials are to blame?

Good idea.

I've had good luck with LG shoes. The Nickel shoes I've had for over 3 years, but I use SPD mtn cleats on them. They have been on 3 Eroica rides, several gravel rides, and countless club road rides. The recessed cleat allows use of the dreaded toe clips and straps at Eroica time, too. Very versatile, long wearing $39 shoes (from old Nashbar).

I have padded shorts from them, only complaint is that the reflective logo, just curled up and peeled off pretty early. They do seem a little over padded compared to others I have. The LG un padded tights are starting to "pill" and show wear in the seating area. Being in SoCal, I only use these 2 or 3 times a year when its cold enough.

All in all, LG seems no better or worse to me. I too had a strap come off a Pearl Izumi and a Specialized shoe, which the local shoe repair riveted back on, good as new.

Stuff happens.

Seems like LG items are always on sale at REI.

I've always had good experiences with Louis Garneau. It's the Pearl Izumi brand that has always been crap for me.

I've never had any issues with the Garneau stuff I've had (shorts, and helmets).

Some things just have issues no matter what the brand.

If it was the brand.... then we would have a wide spread number of people speaking of issues. Kind of like when Giro had a bad shoe run, but limited to one specific shoe.

I have to wonder if the LG shoe in the OP had been left in a HOT car or something to break down the factory glue. Kind of like applying heat to remove decals from frames/wheels.

none the less. The rant is legit.... broken stuff sucks.

It sucks that your sole detatched like that, but those look like low end tri shoes from several years ago. I think it's a stretch to damn a whole brand because of your experience here.

I've found that you truly get what you pay for with most cycling stuff. Louis Garneau sells stuff in a wide range of quality. I've found their cheap stuff is pretty garbage, but their higher end stuff (sometimes designated "Course") fits well and is made well. The same is true of Pearl Izumi (Select is kinda crap, anything P.R.O. is really good), Sportful, Castelli, Giro etc. Well cut and designed cycling clothing that is durable is generally expensive. Since cycling clothing makes such a huge difference in comfort during a ride, IMO it's probably the best place to spend a little extra. This is especially true on shoes.

I love Endura products.

But, I have some LG gear that has held up well.

As for padding in bibs, I ditched the padding years ago.

Miele, are you aware that LG has about 5 different types chamois/padding. they are color coded so you can look it up and see what ones you have and not buy them again.

Like Canari and a couple others, Garneau offers a price range from economy to full zoot. There's always a risk that cutting corners to meet a price point for their budget priced items will turn consumers off on the upper tier stuff.

I've had a good experience with Garneau products. I have a couple of their low tier jerseys and mid-line jersey, and all have help up fine. The logos peeled a bit on the low priced jerseys but the fabric, stitching, hems, zippers, etc., have all held up well. I think I paid $15 each from Nashbar on blowout three years ago.

The Lemmon II jersey is outstanding for brutal Texas heat, the most comfortable fabric I've worn including merino wool. No problems after a year of regular use -- logos are intact, including the matte black reflective details. The only shortcoming is the lack of a zippered pocket. Otherwise it's darned near perfect for the price ($50 MSRP, usually discounted).

I'm on a squeaky tight budget so anything I buy will probably be lower tier or heavily discounted. So far, so good with most stuff. That includes Garneau and Pearl Izumi jerseys and shorts, discontinued but excellent Scott Road Pro shoes ($50), Fizik Tempo R5 Powerstrap shoes (also $50 for the dark blue color that, apparently, nobody else wanted), even the rock bottom bargain Przewalski shorts. I just got another pair for $15 today and wore 'em for a 40 mile ride. The small size fits just as well with a little more compression. They're even more comfortable than the first pair I got in medium last year. Only a pair of Lancaster shorts from Nashbar has been a disappointment. The design was very good but the stitching has come apart in several places. That's often where corners are cut with low priced clothing -- fishing line "thread" and no lock stitches or finished knot.

Regarding shoe repair, try to find an old school cobbler. Or custom boot maker. They can work miracles. I've kept a 30 year old pair of Larry Mahon elk hide boots going for years with a little help from experienced boot cobblers -- easy to find here in Texas. If a shoe *can* be repaired, these folks will find a way.