WTF is happening to roadie outfits/brands? more flashy more expensive?
#151
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#152
Banned
Different strokes, right? To me, the 7mesh and Rapha jerseys are about as tasteful as it gets. Unfortunately for me they aren't sized for fat guys. I understand it, nobody wants Lampre Man as a "brand ambassador."
#153
I must admit I had not considered potential sizing issues as Medium or Large standard sizing usually fits me fine. I guess fat guys who want close fitting high end gear require custom fitting. I don’t know if that even exists with performance cycling gear?
#154
Banned
We fat guys don't need to be wearing close fitting, it's too revealing! The problem is more that if the jersey is large enough for the belly, it's so long it hangs off the butt.
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#155
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The feel of mutiple $125-175 jerseys that I have either tried on or owned has been top tier. Genuinely fantastic feeling when compared to generic quick dry t-shirts and $25 Amazon style jerseys I have felt/tried.
But none of those expensive jerseys have been super comfortable from a fit perspective. They have all been effectively race cut, even when they detailed sizing says otherwise.
I have found my sweet spot is regular fit TwinSix jerseys that are on frequent sale discounted down to $55-70 from $110 originally, Voler Peloton jerseys on sale for $60-75 from whatever the full price is...like $110, and Rapha lightweight core when on sale for $55-70.
These are a mix of fit, martial, and quality that work for me at a price range I think is pretty darn good.
I am 6'5 225# and am an XL in Voler and TwinSix, an XXL In Rapha.
Some day I will fit into the XXL OrNot Small Monsters jersey I bought a year ago. Really nice materials and creative design, but their race fit cut is a sausage casing on me.
But none of those expensive jerseys have been super comfortable from a fit perspective. They have all been effectively race cut, even when they detailed sizing says otherwise.
I have found my sweet spot is regular fit TwinSix jerseys that are on frequent sale discounted down to $55-70 from $110 originally, Voler Peloton jerseys on sale for $60-75 from whatever the full price is...like $110, and Rapha lightweight core when on sale for $55-70.
These are a mix of fit, martial, and quality that work for me at a price range I think is pretty darn good.
I am 6'5 225# and am an XL in Voler and TwinSix, an XXL In Rapha.
Some day I will fit into the XXL OrNot Small Monsters jersey I bought a year ago. Really nice materials and creative design, but their race fit cut is a sausage casing on me.
#156
Here's this year's team kit. I will donate it at the end of the season. Pactimo seems to change their stitching patterns and fit slightly each year, which is a bit annoying TBH. Not sure if that is affecting other bulk orders.
For the secondary kit items, I love Defeet stuff! Esp the wool socks. But also: warmers, gloves etc.
For the secondary kit items, I love Defeet stuff! Esp the wool socks. But also: warmers, gloves etc.
Back then team kit was Voler, which was fine IMO. These days I don't race anymore and my bike is my gym substitute and not really a social outlet for me either. Rides are generally not longer than 40 miles and pretty high intensity so not on the bike for super long periods. For those reasons and because I ride a lot so need a lot of gear, I rely on less expensive stuff and spend more money on the bike itself.
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#157
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The feel of mutiple $125-175 jerseys that I have either tried on or owned has been top tier. Genuinely fantastic feeling when compared to generic quick dry t-shirts and $25 Amazon style jerseys I have felt/tried.
But none of those expensive jerseys have been super comfortable from a fit perspective. They have all been effectively race cut, even when they detailed sizing says otherwise.
I have found my sweet spot is regular fit TwinSix jerseys that are on frequent sale discounted down to $55-70 from $110 originally, Voler Peloton jerseys on sale for $60-75 from whatever the full price is...like $110, and Rapha lightweight core when on sale for $55-70.
These are a mix of fit, martial, and quality that work for me at a price range I think is pretty darn good.
I am 6'5 225# and am an XL in Voler and TwinSix, an XXL In Rapha.
Some day I will fit into the XXL OrNot Small Monsters jersey I bought a year ago. Really nice materials and creative design, but their race fit cut is a sausage casing on me.
But none of those expensive jerseys have been super comfortable from a fit perspective. They have all been effectively race cut, even when they detailed sizing says otherwise.
I have found my sweet spot is regular fit TwinSix jerseys that are on frequent sale discounted down to $55-70 from $110 originally, Voler Peloton jerseys on sale for $60-75 from whatever the full price is...like $110, and Rapha lightweight core when on sale for $55-70.
These are a mix of fit, martial, and quality that work for me at a price range I think is pretty darn good.
I am 6'5 225# and am an XL in Voler and TwinSix, an XXL In Rapha.
Some day I will fit into the XXL OrNot Small Monsters jersey I bought a year ago. Really nice materials and creative design, but their race fit cut is a sausage casing on me.
#158
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Ahh - SDBC! I remember my days fondly riding with them. Looks like they've changed primary colors. Here's a pic of me during the 1999 Death Valley to Mt. Whitney stage race (don't think they hold that anymore, not sure)
Back then team kit was Voler, which was fine IMO. These days I don't race anymore and my bike is my gym substitute and not really a social outlet for me either. Rides are generally not longer than 40 miles and pretty high intensity so not on the bike for super long periods. For those reasons and because I ride a lot so need a lot of gear, I rely on less expensive stuff and spend more money on the bike itself.
Back then team kit was Voler, which was fine IMO. These days I don't race anymore and my bike is my gym substitute and not really a social outlet for me either. Rides are generally not longer than 40 miles and pretty high intensity so not on the bike for super long periods. For those reasons and because I ride a lot so need a lot of gear, I rely on less expensive stuff and spend more money on the bike itself.
Come drop in on a Saturday ride if you're ever in town visiting!
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#159
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#160
Very cool photo! You cool if I share that with the board? I'm on the BoD as the men's elite team director. I've been a racer with SDBC for the last 6 or 7 years, and we've been red, green, and now blue/orange in that time. It changes with title sponsor.
Come drop in on a Saturday ride if you're ever in town visiting!
Come drop in on a Saturday ride if you're ever in town visiting!
I should add that it seems a bit more organized now. Back then if you raced you raced and if you didn't you didn't. But for those that did race there wasn't much coordination being done by the club. You were sort of on your own. For Death Valley - Mt. Whitney there was a group of 4 or 5 us that trained together on the weekends for a few months leading up to it but this was done on our own initiative. A couple of other club members that didn't do the race came and supported us, but again that was on their own and we had people racing across two different categories so providing real time support across the first day 80 mile stage was not realistic - hence the seat bag w/tube and tire levers. That pic was taken by one of the support folks who did a drive by on me.
Last edited by TX_master; 05-06-24 at 07:56 AM.
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#161
Senior Member
I’m a little bit confused now: you’ve been claiming that the “high-end” jerseys are no better than your cheapies. Is that the argument? Because now you seem to be arguing that they’re just not worth the asking prices - which is a very different thing. “Worth“ is subjective. If you’re stating that those jerseys are not “worth it” to you, you’ll get no argument for me. But hopefully you can acknowledge that for other riders – – people who have other priorities and goals, who ride longer distances and perhaps on different terrain, and who have different budgets – – those expensive jerseys may be “worth it.”.
Just participated in a gravel race over the weekend. I rode 116 miles in my Primal jersey and didn't die. Matter of fact during the course of the race I saw numerous Primal jerseys and didn't see one Rapha, Assos or any other high dollar jersey. The gravel folks must be a cheaper breed of people.
I’ll add this: if you’ve only ever tried on these jerseys in stores, you should have at least noticed that they are made of better textiles, they fit better, etc.
you might notice that it wicks moisture and regulates body temperature better, that it has less extraneous fabric to flap in the breeze, that the pockets are easier to access and hold things more securely, that it does not ride up in back or droop down like a cheap jersey, etc.
I'm thinking trendy has more to do with the high prices than the actual material quality and fit. Like many other thing we buy in life...Price (especially when it comes to apparel) is not always a good indicator of quality. It's merely a case of buying an assumed brand name and paying too much for it when there are existing alternatives that are just as good but cost less.
Those expensive Rapha Jerseys...Made in China.
#162
Senior Member
I'm thinking trendy has more to do with the high prices than the actual material quality and fit. Like many other thing we buy in life...Price (especially when it comes to apparel) is not always a good indicator of quality. It's merely a case of buying an assumed brand name and paying too much for it when there are existing alternatives that are just as good but cost less.
What's the problem with that? (And if you claim that China is somehow incapable of manufacturing high quality apparel to Rapha's specifications, I'm gonna laugh pretty hard.)
Last edited by Koyote; 05-07-24 at 03:11 PM.
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#163
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To be fair, the current top-end of Primal's jerseys (Alitos series) looks like they could be pretty good. I certainly recall their older stuff being in the ood-to-comical range.
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#164
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Just participated in a gravel race over the weekend. I rode 116 miles in my Primal jersey and didn't die. Matter of fact during the course of the race I saw numerous Primal jerseys and didn't see one Rapha, Assos or any other high dollar jersey. The gravel folks must be a cheaper breed of people.
My Rapha jersey is higher quality than my Primal jerseys. It wasn't expensive, and it wasn't manufactured in China. My wife's Primal jerseys were made in China.
Last edited by tomato coupe; 05-07-24 at 04:08 PM.
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#165
Senior Member
I have some Rapha jerseys that were made in China, and they are of the same exceptional quality as any of their other gear. Anyone who is surprised by that, or doesn't believe it, obviously doesn't understand much about (1) China, and (2) modern manufacturing.
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#166
#167
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My team kit is Cuore, which is a Swiss company, made in China. Good stuff. Club stuff is Alchemist, made in China, also good stuff. RUSA stuff is Voler. I went with their best offering, made in USA, seems OK. We'll see.
#168
Senior Member
Q
It's a little bit of all of that.
Just participated in a gravel race over the weekend. I rode 116 miles in my Primal jersey and didn't die. Matter of fact during the course of the race I saw numerous Primal jerseys and didn't see one Rapha, Assos or any other high dollar jersey. The gravel folks must be a cheaper breed of people.
Nope. Never noticed any of that. Matter of fact some of the real expensive ones fit for crap and were uncomfortable.
I have not had any of these issues with my cheaper cycling jerseys. If I did...I would definitely be looking around at different jersey's.
I'm thinking trendy has more to do with the high prices than the actual material quality and fit. Like many other thing we buy in life...Price (especially when it comes to apparel) is not always a good indicator of quality. It's merely a case of buying an assumed brand name and paying too much for it when there are existing alternatives that are just as good but cost less.
Those expensive Rapha Jerseys...Made in China.
Just participated in a gravel race over the weekend. I rode 116 miles in my Primal jersey and didn't die. Matter of fact during the course of the race I saw numerous Primal jerseys and didn't see one Rapha, Assos or any other high dollar jersey. The gravel folks must be a cheaper breed of people.
Nope. Never noticed any of that. Matter of fact some of the real expensive ones fit for crap and were uncomfortable.
I have not had any of these issues with my cheaper cycling jerseys. If I did...I would definitely be looking around at different jersey's.
I'm thinking trendy has more to do with the high prices than the actual material quality and fit. Like many other thing we buy in life...Price (especially when it comes to apparel) is not always a good indicator of quality. It's merely a case of buying an assumed brand name and paying too much for it when there are existing alternatives that are just as good but cost less.
Those expensive Rapha Jerseys...Made in China.
Not to be sexist about it, but I suspect you and I are ill-equipped to judge clothing quality, other than maybe dungarees.
A girlfriend once closely examined a high-end Italian jersey of mine. She expressed surprise at how beautifully constructed it was and at the quality of both the material and the stitching.
She asked me how much it cost. When I told her, she said, "If this were women's fashion clothing, it would cost at least twice as much."
#169
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#170
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My team/club kits are made by Voler. I find their stuff to be pretty good, but still missing a couple of details that would make them better. They don't have reinforcing at the top of the pockets, and I've had a couple of jerseys start to tear at those points. Their zippers are not all that good. The bibs are also pretty good, but not excellent. At my two most recent 6-hour(ish) gravel races, the bibs were fine.
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#171
Banned
That's not surprising at all. High end isn't for everyone. But kudos for being able to scope everyone's jersey. I usually have tunnel vision, focused on the next killer washout or pothole.
#172
Yes sales are always welcome, although often limited in colours and sizes. I have compromised on colour choice before to save money eg. Assos bib shorts in navy at half the price of the same ones in black. I even bought some Rapha bib shorts in brown because they were heavily discounted. They wouldn’t have been my first choice, but they actually look pretty good. I won’t compromise on sizing though. Sometimes I just pay full price for an item I really like with no compromise.
#173
Just participated in a gravel race over the weekend. I rode 116 miles in my Primal jersey and didn't die. Matter of fact during the course of the race I saw numerous Primal jerseys and didn't see one Rapha, Assos or any other high dollar jersey. The gravel folks must be a cheaper breed of people.
#174
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My team/club kits are made by Voler. I find their stuff to be pretty good, but still missing a couple of details that would make them better. They don't have reinforcing at the top of the pockets, and I've had a couple of jerseys start to tear at those points. Their zippers are not all that good. The bibs are also pretty good, but not excellent. At my two most recent 6-hour(ish) gravel races, the bibs were fine.
Their custom bibs are so so.
#175
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Sure, but it’s not exactly budget pricing. That’s in the price range of Rapha jerseys, so I would expect comparable quality.
Yes sales are always welcome, although often limited in colours and sizes. I have compromised on colour choice before to save money eg. Assos bib shorts in navy at half the price of the same ones in black. I even bought some Rapha bib shorts in brown because they were heavily discounted. They wouldn’t have been my first choice, but they actually look pretty good. I won’t compromise on sizing though. Sometimes I just pay full price for an item I really like with no compromise.
Yes sales are always welcome, although often limited in colours and sizes. I have compromised on colour choice before to save money eg. Assos bib shorts in navy at half the price of the same ones in black. I even bought some Rapha bib shorts in brown because they were heavily discounted. They wouldn’t have been my first choice, but they actually look pretty good. I won’t compromise on sizing though. Sometimes I just pay full price for an item I really like with no compromise.
I’ve bumped into the sales limitations with some of the brands I’ve been interested in, but I’ve also scored a lot of good to really nice stuff at attractive prices in normal colors (my tastes are pretty mild) that fit me really well from Le Col, La Passione, and Pactimo. Maybe I’ve just been lucky.
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