What are the biggest wastes of money in biking?
#151
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the people who have posted kit, it is easy to go both ways with, because like groups and wheelsets once you rise a nice set or dressed nicely, it is hard to go back to the cheap stuff. like 105-ultegra. a chunk of it really is mental, or the shiny factor
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These threads usually turn out the same: the people who buy low-end gear (bikes, components, clothes, whatever) tell other posters that they're wasting their money; the posters who buy higher-end gear generally don't try to tell others what they should purchase.
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I Set off for a random ride today. I decided I may opt for a longer ride and keep going out.
So, I grabbed an empty plastic soda bottle and filled it with electrolyte water.
I then thought how people waste $40 on a water bottle. Not just bikers, but in general.
What are the biggest wastes of money in biking?
So, I grabbed an empty plastic soda bottle and filled it with electrolyte water.
I then thought how people waste $40 on a water bottle. Not just bikers, but in general.
What are the biggest wastes of money in biking?
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However there is a HUGE difference between buying a low end bike and a high end bike. I own expensive bikes. But there is little to no difference between buying a $20 amazon cycling jersey and $100 amazon cycling jersey. There are some items out there where you do get what you pay for and others...not so much. Brand name cycling apparel is one of those things that is completely overpriced.
As cycling became more and more popular, the demand for jerseys increased...So some manufacturers and suppliers take advantage of this by increasing prices. Think about it...$100 for a polyester shirt?
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I have some Sugoi jerseys that I won at bike races. Not any better in comfort, quality and fit than my Amazon jerseys.
https://us-store.sugoi.com/collectio...s-bike-jerseys
https://us-store.sugoi.com/collectio...s-bike-jerseys
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I have some Sugoi jerseys that I won at bike races. Not any better in comfort, quality and fit than my Amazon jerseys.
https://us-store.sugoi.com/collectio...s-bike-jerseys
https://us-store.sugoi.com/collectio...s-bike-jerseys
The fact that you don't perceive any differences does not mean that there are no differences between cheap and expensive jerseys. Other people's needs, preferences, sizes, etc, may differ from yours.
I also think that, underlying these arguments, there is a discussion of value -- to you, the differences may be discernable but not worth the extra cost; others have different needs, preferences, and budget constraints.
There is also a sampling problem: have you ever tried my two favorite high-end brands (Rapha and Assos) and compared them to your $20 Amazon jerseys? I understand that you have won a few jerseys from better brands, but the freebies (that are given away at events) are never from their best lines -- in fact, they tend to come from their bottom-end lines. (You do understand, I hope, that a company like Sugoi makes jerseys of very different qualities and price points?)
To state this last point more clearly: I have worn cheapie jerseys, and I have worn very expensive jerseys -- and I find the differences to usually be quite significant; I suspect you have no experience with the very expensive apparel and thus are opining from a position of ignorance. (Correct me if I am wrong.)
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You are wrong. Totally wrong. I have tried on expensive jerseys that the Bike Shops sell. Again...No difference in quality, fit, material etc. than the Amazon jerseys. Not perceived. Real.
We'll just have to agree to disagree knowing that I save more money than you do for the same item that doesn't have a fancy brand name on it.
I have this one in red and black. It's one of my favorite jerseys to wear.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087R2VKXM...ter_B087R36C1M
We'll just have to agree to disagree knowing that I save more money than you do for the same item that doesn't have a fancy brand name on it.
I have this one in red and black. It's one of my favorite jerseys to wear.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087R2VKXM...ter_B087R36C1M
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Now your argument is akin to saying, “Hey, I once sat in a Porsche, and it didn’t really seem much better than my Hyundai.”
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Isn't this the guy that argues that there was no meaningful shortage of bike parts in the last two years? Yeah, take what he says with a grain of salt.
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We've been over this, before, IIRC. You say that you won them some time in the nebulous past, you link to a full page of a given manufacturer's wares, not to the specific garments in question and certainly not to pics of the jerseys themselves. We don't know if they're MTB, Road, Club Fit, Race Fit, etc. My assumption, and I think that it's a pretty safe one, is that these are entry-level, club fit (and possibly not properly sized) jerseys that are nothing special.
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You are wrong. Totally wrong. I have tried on expensive jerseys that the Bike Shops sell. Again...No difference in quality, fit, material etc. than the Amazon jerseys. Not perceived. Real.
We'll just have to agree to disagree knowing that I save more money than you do for the same item that doesn't have a fancy brand name on it.
I have this one in red and black. It's one of my favorite jerseys to wear.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087R2VKXM...ter_B087R36C1M
We'll just have to agree to disagree knowing that I save more money than you do for the same item that doesn't have a fancy brand name on it.
I have this one in red and black. It's one of my favorite jerseys to wear.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087R2VKXM...ter_B087R36C1M
I took the plunge to find out why ASOS shorts and jerseys quality and fit justified the high price. Yes they were well made and fit fine, but they did not fit $300 better than my old Pearl Izumi and Amazon purchased products, not in my mind.
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In relation to this thread a companion might be; What are the most over priced cycling accessories? Clothing by name brand manufacturers has to be towards the top. Some tires might be a second. When paying $100 per tire, I find that excessive.
I took the plunge to find out why ASOS shorts and jerseys quality and fit justified the high price. Yes they were well made and fit fine, but they did not fit $300 better than my old Pearl Izumi and Amazon purchased products, not in my mind.
I took the plunge to find out why ASOS shorts and jerseys quality and fit justified the high price. Yes they were well made and fit fine, but they did not fit $300 better than my old Pearl Izumi and Amazon purchased products, not in my mind.
As others have stated multiple times, value is highly subjective and different individuals have different needs, expectations, desires and budgets which can result in very different perceptions of value for the same item.
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I've bought plenty of cheap stuff which turned out to be a waste of money because the reason why it was cheap is because it is a bit crap. To wit, two carbon fiber out front Garmin mounts from Aliexpress which broke under the weight of a Edge 1030 plus and a bike light, three cheap CF bottle cages from Aliexpress which eject bottles over potholes (on the other hand the only slightly more expensive CF bottle cages from Decathlon are great).
Club trisuits turned out to be the same quality as upper end of Aliexpress stuff but for more money, however high end stuff is a cathegory by itself and the Castelli trisuits are my favourite cycling / triathlon wear.
I've used Brooks saddles for a while on a touring bike, and they were in my experience, a bit crap. The tensioning mechanism was poorly made on two (necessitating pliers to tension it alongside the supplied tool because the bolt would freely spin) and in the end a Specialized Power turned out to be a more comfortable saddle which costs a similar amount and is durable and much lighter.
Velotoze shoe covers. They're not bad, they just break after two uses. What else... hm. There's probably more stuff which turned out to be a bit crap in retrospect. Wool jerseys? Meh.
Mostly the more expensive and more mainstream stuff turned out to work better, with exceptions here and there. Sometimes cheaper stuff exceeded expectations - mostly I have to give a shout out to Decathlon, their upper end kit is really quite good.
Club trisuits turned out to be the same quality as upper end of Aliexpress stuff but for more money, however high end stuff is a cathegory by itself and the Castelli trisuits are my favourite cycling / triathlon wear.
I've used Brooks saddles for a while on a touring bike, and they were in my experience, a bit crap. The tensioning mechanism was poorly made on two (necessitating pliers to tension it alongside the supplied tool because the bolt would freely spin) and in the end a Specialized Power turned out to be a more comfortable saddle which costs a similar amount and is durable and much lighter.
Velotoze shoe covers. They're not bad, they just break after two uses. What else... hm. There's probably more stuff which turned out to be a bit crap in retrospect. Wool jerseys? Meh.
Mostly the more expensive and more mainstream stuff turned out to work better, with exceptions here and there. Sometimes cheaper stuff exceeded expectations - mostly I have to give a shout out to Decathlon, their upper end kit is really quite good.
Last edited by Branko D; 09-01-22 at 10:00 AM.
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In other words, you are arguing from a position of ignorance. We see so much of this on bf: people who think that their opinions trump everyone else’s, and that their preferences should be universal. Such an egotistical and childish fallacy.
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$20 plus $80 equals $100, which is a mid priced jersey.
In other words, you are arguing from a position of ignorance. We see so much of this on bf: people who think that their opinions trump everyone else’s, and that their preferences should be universal. Such an egotistical and childish fallacy.
In other words, you are arguing from a position of ignorance. We see so much of this on bf: people who think that their opinions trump everyone else’s, and that their preferences should be universal. Such an egotistical and childish fallacy.
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Touching on this, and with respect to jerseys, I think that much of the thought, that higher-end offerings are overpriced, comes from those that are more in the "club fit" segment who aren't looking for a second skin "race fit" jersey. In my opinion, and experience, the bar of expectations is generally much lower with club fit stuff - it doesn't have to be tailored as well, the sizing is more forgiving, and the fabric doesn't have to be as technical (stretch/breathing/texture/wicking), etc. If what you're looking for is something that has a full zipper, is vaguely shaped like your torso, has some rear pockets (that may or may not get used), and dries better than a cotton T, then I can see a $20 option being fine.
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