WhyFi

Oh, I forgot to mention the brand. Arsuxeo. Yes, it has "sux" in the middle. That's virtually the only thing about this jersey that does fit.

Eric F 

If you have to pull down a jersey to the point of it impinging on leg movement to get it to flatten out, it's poorly sized/proportioned. If your jerseys of the same "brand" fit differently, that seems to indicate a likely issue with inconsistent manufacturing controls, which is not generally a sign of quality.

A $20 jersey that doesn't fit well is $20 wasted.

seypat

Even their form fitting jersey lists some large waist sizes in relation to the chest sizes. That's not going to work for most roadies with their dimensions more on the mantis side. I'm on the opposite end. More gorilla like. Their fits wouldn't work for me either. Nothing does.

https://www.amazon.com/ARSUXEO-Form-...cx_mr_hp_atf_m

PeteHski

Race fit
Club fit
Pub fit (tick)

I'm impressed you went as far as actually buying one.

WhyFi

That guy has been banging his "poly is poly and you're dumb if you spend more than 20 bucks" drum for a while, so I figured I'd see just how poorly informed his opinion was. Spoiler: Very.

rsbob 

Perfect fit for a dad bod or beer belly

WhyFi

...on an upright hybrid... maybe.

Maelochs

Alien bursting out of abdomen fit ......

burnthesheep

There's a solid market for that in the bike world.

Given the moronic clothing opinions on Bikeforums you hear often, it would be hilarious to translate it over to the running world where their idiocy would be quickly rewarded with bleeding nipples or inner thighs so raw you can't walk normal till it heals up. Or shoe and gait choices resulting in actual long term injuries.

Mojo31

Is that what the cool kids call that thing these days?

seypat

Since I do both, the wrong garment choices in running can be hazardous to one's health, as can the inadequate nipple protection. So many places for friction problems.

Broctoon

I just want to say I've learned that quality clothing really makes a difference. I'm kind of a cheapskate. While I don't like junky department store bikes and gear, I sometimes have trouble justifying the cost of high end stuff. I've always tried to go with Nashbar/Performance and look for their sales, or when I really feel like splurging, Pearl Izumi.

I've recently come across a Specialized road jersey (on clearance at a LBS) and a Rapha jersey (secondhand on a local online marketplace). Both are top quality and totally worth their higher cost. The Rapha is hands down the best piece of bike clothing I own. It's the fit, the materials, the construction quality, the little details and features... everything. There are reasons this stuff costs more than bargain basement Chinese look-alikes.

Everyone's gotta decide for himself what works best. I have learned that for me it's absolutely NOT a waste of money to buy top quality gear. But I guess it depends on whether you're really riding. If you go out only when the temperature is between 60 and 80 degrees, you're riding on flat terrain at speeds under 18 mph, and you're never on the bike for longer than an hour, it probably doesn't matter much what you wear. At higher performance levels and longer duration, it makes a huge difference.

livedarklions

You're proving the opposite point of what you intended--the reasons those choices would be moronic in running don't actually apply to cycling.
If someone is comfortable doing the kind of riding they enjoy in a tuxedo, then it's not moronic. It is, however, moronic to wear clothing and footwear that actually injure you. I would find it funny if someone actually rode in a tuxedo, but what standards are you using to deem that "moronic"?

I'm quite sure your definition of "moronic" is any opinion you don't share.

livedarklions

Because I don't want to be falsely accused of reverse snobbery yet again, I'm not going to specify what I wear, but it is definitely not the kind of kit you are describing. I also ride at fairly high speeds in the flat, over very long distances (longest ride this year was 144 hilly miles), very hilly routes and for hours in high 90s heat. You may be right about the huge differences between clothing, but I've never been uncomfortable enough or found that my clothes/shoes were holding me back enough to seek out the additional expense.

Eric F 

I understand that you're comfortable with your choices, but I'm genuinely curious if you've tried using "high performance" cycling clothing. I'm not necessarily saying this is you. but I know some people (including me) who didn't know what they were missing until they tried it for themselves. Most recently, I had that experience with a dropper seat post on my MTB. I've been riding MTBs since the '90s, and kind of looked down on them as a silly device for the downhill crowd (which is not my group). I recently bought a new lightweight hardtail, and decided to try adding a dropper post. It's a game-changer. I had no idea what I had been missing.

livedarklions

No, I haven't. You'll notice that I've never accused anyone doing so of wasting their money. Only point I'm making is that you really can't assume much about how people ride based on what they wear.

BTW, I freely admit I don't know what I am or am not missing. OTOH, because I don't know, I don't miss it.

Koyote

Completely reasonable reply. This thread would have little argumentation -- hell, this thread probably wouldn't exist -- if everyone held the same attitude.

Eric F 

I recognize and respect your position on the clothing subject.

Eric F 

Sounds boring.

Koyote

Oh, I think you're being reasonable, too. So maybe you're boring.

Broctoon

Fair enough. We can’t argue with results. I suspect that among “dedicated” riders, there are more who do well with bike specific clothing than those who can comfortably ride long distances and big elevation in casual wear or even non-bike specific athletic wear. But few things in this world are universally true.

This highlights the fact that a question such as “biggest waste of money?” is too subjective to really answer meaningfully.

rsbob 

Last year, after reading a couple of threads on the benefits of quality cycling gear I decided to take the plunge and buy ASOS shorts and short sleeve jersey. The shorts were very well made but came with a crease in the middle of the chamois which was a bit, uh, violating. Washed them a few times and the crease lessened but really didn’t find the shorts much more comfortable than my Pearls. The jersey was likewise well made, but very snug and extremely snug on the arms. If I was a competitor maybe the aero advantage might have helped. Perhaps I should have ordered one size up but found it so snug, I returned it. Maybe my body is such that bargain basement items just work for me. Perhaps the expensive hi-tech stuff would ultimately be fantastic but the price leap is so substantial when my stuff works fine…. a loaner program just to prove how good the high priced stuff is just might convince me, but we all know that ain;t happening.

Vern1

Lordy lordy and I thought car guys were bad but I see bike guys can also take a relatively innocuous thread and turn it in to 14 pages of arguing, snobbishness and insults

It does make me want to go and buy an Amazon and Rapha shirt to see what all the fuss is about though

Carry on...

Eric F 

From my observations, our reasonableness tends to be fairly well aligned. However, because of that, the same people also tend to find us completely unreasonable.

rsbob 

Car guys are far worse. Was on a couple of boards, and no more, because the one-up-manship and testosterone fueled rivalries were just too much. Besides with all the upgrades people kept doing, it just became ridiculously expensive.