metz1295

I love Pearl Izumi gear, but damn it can be expensive. Even the year old stuff on Amazon has gotten pricey as the market has become more demanding.

My question for the other cyclists, what brands do you all use that are durable and affordable? I struggle trusting Amazon reviews when it comes to clothing.

Thanks in advance

Toadmeister

With the exception of good chamois, I wear general athletic clothes and not bicycling specific gear.

I do understand the need for some bike specific kit if your racing or maybe in some environmental extremes (heat or cold) but otherwise just normal synthetic T-shirts get me by in the summer.

caloso

Voler.com

Ive also gotten some quality stuff at Planet X. It’s a Uk site, so the shipping can be expensive if they’re not running a special, though.

gios

Check out The Black Bibs.

MAK

I've had good luck with Performance stuff which I believe is still sold on the Nashbar site. Nashbar stuff has also served me well.

You can often find Pearl Izumi shorts and jerseys at discount prices on the Sierra Trading Post site and store

Toespeas

amazon sold a cheap castelli bib for 99 bucks , really good , with the exception of it being a bit slippery at first , merlin cycle has all the deals and cheapest prices , in the uk so its a few extra days or weeks , i got most of my kit for free from by bike friends , amazon has this one race cut jersey i love its the cheapest race cut style i have seen and its held up nice , pearl shorts usually go about 30 bucks most of the time , phil gaimon was advertising a brand on his chan , dunno if it good but its cheap and its not sponeed or some really crap china brand !

bruce19

I am not convinced you can consistently get quality and inexpensive. I buy Assos at sale prices. I started buying Assos about 6 yrs ago and everything I have is still in excellent condition. Typically I have paid about $140 for a pair of bibs. So over 6 yrs that's $23/yr. Not expensive in the long run. Not saying you can't score a great deal for less but I know what I'm getting with Assos. This would apply to brands like Castelli too. The determining factor is what works for you. Good luck.

Paul Barnard

Aerotech Designs is it for me. Hits a sweet spot between price and quality. Much of it USA made as well.

dsaul

I've been happy with my Przewalski shorts from Amazon. I've only had them a year, so I can't say how durable they are, but they are as comfortable as shorts that I paid 3x as much for. I have a pair of their thermal cycling tights and my only complaint is that the back of the tights doesn't come up high enough. I always feel like I need to pull them up in the back.

Steve B.

Ditto AeroTech. Good quality at reasonable prices.

Also Canari.

rydabent

If you are not a purddy boy "real cyclist", what you wear when you ride can be rather inexpensive. I wear $15 rugby shorts from Scheels sports store, and T-shirts I get when entering bike club rides. So my whole "kit" is about $20. That mean that for the price of one "approved" jersey I can be kitted for 4 days. However I do buy good cycling shoes for clipless pedals.

skidder

I'll also chime in for Aerotech Designs. good balance of price/quality construction so they last a while. Bicycling shorts are the only bicycle specific article of clothing I wear - no jerseys, no clip-in shoe system. I also use bicycle-specific gloves during the warmer months, but use work gloves during the chillier times of the year.

elston1999

i have purchased cycling clothes from Wish. Takes about a month to get it but it is cheap and feels comfortable.

rosefarts

Rear pockets, fit, all day comfort. Your first sentence was fine. Your second was your attempt to justify your choices by insulting others.

Toadmeister

Whats it like living in a world where your so easily offended?

Assume good intentions on my first post above. It was constructive and you have to be trying hard to find faults in it.

AdkMtnMonster

You don’t need fancy cycling clothes. You can run in logging boots, so why would anyone pay for special running shoes? You can play pool with a stick and some free rocks from the side of he road. You can wait until that severely broken leg heals up on its own, then limp like the rest of us- you don’t need no fancy healthcare. You don’t even need grocery stores. There’s plenty of dirt out there for growing your food, and while you’re at it, smelt some iron and build yourself your own rakes, hoes and shovels? Your neighbors will love you, or at least they’ll love the hoe next door. And don’t buy chamois cream, either. You don’t need it. Just use sweat and chafed skin for your saddle area contact points like the real cyclists do. You know the ones- they always put in at least 2-3 miles a week @ ~3mph on the sidewalks of town. You can spot them easily by all the crappy accessories bolted to their trikes.

Happy New Year. Assos or stay home. Get off my lawn!

rosefarts

For jerseys, I've gotten a few of the remarkably cheap ones on eBay. Basic stripes and full zip. One of them has such high rear pockets that I can't rummage through it at speed. Otherwise, no complaints for under$20.

Bibs are more nuanced.

The Black Bibs have a molded segmented chamois that will leave painful crescent shaped scabs on my tender end. Takes a week to heal. They've been relegated to 10 mile mountain bike rides with the dog.

Prezwalski are cheaper than the black bibs and a lot more comfortable. The bibs are designed for someone with a little shorter torso but are overall good, especially for $40.

My other suggestion is Sierra Trading Post online. The in person store is basically TJ Max now, don't waste your time. Online has a great selection and if you sign up for emails, you'll get a discount. I got some great PI bibs there for about 60, retail $200. Clearly nicer than the other stuff I described. Keep in mind that they will list original price on old models and seconds, then offer it for a deep discount. It's not nearly the savings they pretend to offer.

Koyote

If you think Pearl Izumi is too expensive, I'm guessing you have never tried truly great cycling apparel.

To me, the clothes are about as important as the bike - in terms of comfort and performance over long rides.

Goofball

Wal-Mart yo, zefal bike shorts-$20, dickies day-glo work shirts-cheap
post ride hot pockets 😬

CAT7RDR

I am of the opinion the OP will need to experiment and find what works for him quality and $ wise. Some of us cannot justify to the family that $300 bibs are needed when Jimmy and Tiffany needs new shoes and the wif is getting upset.

Doubleplay

There's a reason cycling specific clothing exists. If you ride 5-10 mile at a time you can get by with everything including wearing a speedo,lol. Personally I'm not rich enough to buy cheap cycling clothing and shoes and replacing them frequently. I bite the bullet, buy the best I can afford they last for years and I'm comfortable. Some people here have no idea but each on it's own.

AdkMtnMonster

Another à propos statement from a goofball.

AdkMtnMonster

More info needed. Do Jimbo and The Tiffster need cycling shoes, or just fancy-about-town foot covers? Are they riding clipless/disc brakes/DI2/deep section wheels or are they slumming it on department store kids’ bikes? I say buy the $300 bibs and ditch the fam to fend for themselves. No one wants used bibs as alimony/child support.

Sy Reene

Sites like Sierra seem to specialize in Pearl Izumi closeouts if that's a brand you like. This listing of bibs, for example, shows some pretty steep discounts; I included "Perforrmance" as well since someone mentioned those (not positive it's the same as the Nashbar stuff though)
Here's a jersey eg that I'd consider (fairly understated): PI Elite PURSUIT Jersey

and bibs
https://www.sierra.com/mens-cycling-...or~style!bibs/

rosefarts

There's nothing about bent people that's only a little bit different.