ZHVelo

Thanks, was thinking of getting it. Last year went to their store to try jerseys and gotta say they fit amazingly.

Eric F 

I do, too. Under my bike clothes, I'm totally naked.

Darth Lefty 

It's a blend. Check your tag

terrymorse 

Okay, my bibs say they're made of "80 Nylon/20 Elastane".

Are you saying that the Nylon in your very old shorts disintegrated, leaving just the Elastane? If that's the case, that is also curious, as Nylon is reported to be very durable and heat resistant.

prj71

What brands are the definition of high end?

Along with my collection of cheapies from Amazon I have some Sugoi, Primal and Trek Branded jerseys...all $100+ if not on sale.

Atlas Shrugged

Watch out, we just finally had the latest anti Trek thread die out after all the those who had no interest in buying a bike rant about how that would especially include a Trek. You risked starting that repetitive tripe all over again yet this time regarding clothing. After all we know that Trek must have been behind big Lycra out to kill off those mom and pop wool Jersey knitters sprinkling itching power on every garment sold.

Koyote

Assos. Rapha. Maap.

​​​​​​Primal Wear? Seriously? Yikes.

Trek is mid-level at best.

Sugoi does make a few good items, but I'm betting your jersey(s) from that brand are from the low-end. (Are they "event" jerseys? If so, then they are definitely their cheapies. )

We've been through all of this before, and I am not the only person to have explained this to you. You keep arguing that the high-end stuff isn't any better, even though you've never tried any of it.

prj71

I can guarantee you I'm not paying $200+ for the jersey's you linked above and can guarantee that you are paying for a name rather than something that is actually better than ~$100 retail jersey. Of course the reason being is because they know it’s a niche market full of people with disposable income, so they jack the price up for what is basically a spandex shirt that probably costs them $20-$30 to make.

If I'm spending that kind of money it's gonna be where the body meets the bike...shorts, shoes, socks, gloves and of course a helmet. Jerseys don’t make much of a difference. Shorts, shoes etc. on the other hand have a huge difference in comfort and longevity. I have no problems dumping big money on shorts.

FTR...It's not that I can't afford the jersey's, it's just that I don't believe it is money wisely spent. You're mileage may vary.

Koyote

You continue to either miss the point or to refuse to acknowledge it. The point is that you have never worn a “high-end “jersey, and so you are arguing from a position of ignorance. (It’s weird to have such a strong opinion when you acknowledge your own ignorance on the subject. It’s like the Dunning Kruger effect on steroids.)

I own quite a few such jerseys, and have also owned some low-end jerseys (like yours). So I actually know what I’m talking about - as do the others who’ve tried to convince you of the same thing.

See how that works?

prj71

You would be incorrect. I have tried on those expensive jerseys at various places over the years just to see what all the hubbub was about. I can honestly say, that at the price they wanted, I was underwhelmed. There was no "WOW" factor at all and the price just made me shake my head.

We can just agree to disagree and move on.

Trakhak

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."

terrymorse 

If you value speed, replacing your poorly fitted jersey with a decent aero jersey may be the best bang for your buck. An aero jersey upgrade might cost an extra $50, but it can save about 15 watts, or about $3.33 per watt.

A pretty good deal.

Koyote

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.”.

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. Even then, you’re not really equipped to judge their performance. For that, you need to ride in a really good jersey – – 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. A lot of good cycling apparel feels like it fits poorly when you’re standing up in a shop, and then it’s perfect once you’re on a bike in riding position. Lots of little seemingly small improvements add up to a big leap in quality.

Again, I’m not arguing that this kind of apparel should be “worth it“ to you. But for you to judge it without ever trying it? That’s just silly.

tomato coupe

That's like saying you've sat in a Porsche before, but can't tell any difference between it and a Hyundai.

shelbyfv

Somebody is butt hurt.

Koyote

I would "like" your posts, but it might get upset.

BillyD

Thread has been cleansed of disruptive posts. We only cleanse once.

elcruxio

The problem I have with the more expensive jerseys is.. Well it's not actually a problem but rather the fact that I don't need to up my price range. I've found that pearl izumi jerseys fit me really well. And since I'm vertically and to an extent horizontally challenged (shoulder width wise) it's difficult to find jerseys I can even get on.

I'll grant you that the fit and finish, design and aerodynamics get better with price. Designing clothes is difficult and complicated fit features are both difficult to design but also to sew together which shows up in price. I recently had to re sew a necktie and there is a reason why those things cost as much as they do. But if fit factors become unnecessary, the argument of better fabrics stops holding water after reaching a certain price point. Synthetic technical fabrics are really inexpensive and there isn't that much price variation between the high end and dirt cheap.*

The izumi jerseys I have use really good fabrics. I have some similarly priced jerseys which don't get near the same level. I've also had some top tier Italian boutique jerseys which and the fabrics were frankly pretty similar.

* In summer fabrics. Winter technicals gets a bit more complicated because then we get waterproof factors which cause pretty high price variation.

shelbyfv

I suspect most of us don't have enough knowledge of fabrics and clothing construction to be dissatisfied with the normal $80-$100 jerseys. It's good that options exist for those who are more discerning and for those who are less. Having champagne taste on a beer budget would be discouraging so I'm not inclined to educate myself, will remain content in my ignorance.

Sy Reene

I think high end product pricing is probably a mix of brand and quality. Some random off-label maker could get their hands on the same fabrics and stitching and sell for a good amount less.

Eg. I'm sure this is a nice piece of cotton, but that's not the reason for the price tag.

FASHION-TEE

Koyote

I think before people post these opinions, they should tell us about their experience with "high end" cycling apparel. Without real experience, these are largely uninformed opinions. (Not accusing you of this per se. Just a general point.)

Also, when you attribute high product pricing to the brand name, bear in mind that that often brings tangible benefits. Two examples: I once crashed in a fairly new Assos jersey; sent in a couple pics, and they declined to repair it but did send me a substantial discount code for a replacement. Also once accidentally put a small tear in a nearly new Rapha jersey -- which was totally my fault; they sent me a discount code equal to the price I'd paid for the jersey. (And my local seamstress repaired the tear for about $7.) I'm pretty sure that no-name brands wouldn't offer those perks.

Troul 

The higher price jerseys that I've looked at just don't appeal to me with the color options & logos. If they allowed for a true custom option for aesthetics, I probably would have a different opinion. They do fit well though & most sizings are accurate, again, my opinion.

PeteHski

Check out some more then. There must be some high-end options that you would like.

PeteHski

I don’t know what they make 7-Mesh Mtb shorts out of, but it is both ultra-light and ultra-durable. That’s not a combination I have found with any cheaper options. The stitching, seams and edges all look like new after 3 years of wear and I practically live in these shorts! I should really get a couple more pairs to rotate 😂

terrymorse 

Speaking of bang for the buck, Pactimo is doing a close out sale of last year jersey designs.

Their aero jerseys were $120-$165; on closeout they are $48-$66.