What are you suggestions for cycling jerseys (and other clothing too) that have a more understated look and style but are affordable too. Rapha, CHPT3, Le Col and many others make some nice gear, but the prices can be really steep. Recently, I saw Isadore now offer a subscription service; £30 a month to ‘rent’ jerseys, so you have to return them?! I’m starting to think cycling brands will eventually get away with murder.
Anyway, my rant aside, what are your recommendations? Price is relative, so reasonable to me is around the £50/$60 mark for a short-sleeve jersey.
If you’re not into labels, there are lots of inexpensive jerseys online. They serve the purpose, and no need to spend the extra cash on the big labels. I enjoy Castelli jerseys, sort of middle of the road for me. That’s as expensive as I will go on jerseys. Bibs, my most expensive, but very comfortable are Assos T Equipe which I got on sale. Cheaper bibs, I definitely feel the difference. On the jerseys not so much. Quality of the way they are made is for sure noticed from a cheap $20 jersey vs $70ish jersey. Mostly in the stitching and types of fabrics.
The Wiggle dhb brand is great value. The top end stuff is their Aeron range, comes in at around the price point you’re looking for, and has the snug race fit, quality and technical fabrics that you’d expect from a much more expensive brand. There’s also perfectly good training kit much cheaper than that.
This. Cannot fault a single piece of dhb kit that I own. If you’re willing to break the bank and push up to the £70 mark, I highly recommend this brand LaPassione Some nice, understated jerseys, made from quality materials.
Thank you all, great suggestions. I’ll check these out.
Decathlon always seems to be sold out on what I like in my sizes, especially nowadays. Some of the more pro-fitting stuff I’ve tried (Castelli, Kalf) doesn’t sit well with me; having transitioned to road cycling from grappling, weight-lifting and S&C, I always manage to rip the stitching of my kit, despite sizing up .
@PusherMan, uncanny timing. I stumbled upon LaPassione last night only to realise my friends have their own, cheaper club branded jerseys that are identical to LaPassione’s, so either there’s a central supplier or LaPassione do customs… I’m defo going to enquire, as their gear looks smart.
For cheaper stuff, I’ve also explored Altura, Endura and Boardman kit, which is comfortable and held up well, but it’s mostly hi-vis stuff for commuting/winter, and goes against the understated aesthetic that I’m going for during summer and club rides.
For top quality kit at a great price, Galibier is my go to. I also like the upper range of DHB. I bought one of these for summer and its amazing: https://galibier.cc/product/equipe-blackjersey/ and has the best pockets I’ve ever experienced.
Galibier also do the best Spring/Autumn and winter gloves on the market also IMHO.
I just scour eBay for new or lightly used jerseys… They aren’t like bibs, where I wouldn’t want to buy a used pair. Though, I am pretty standard as far as my sizing goes and rarely find something at a claimed size that doesn’t fit as expected
I took delivery of 2 of the club jersey Pro tops last week in aubergine & the black/white one.
I have only worn the aubergine one so far and it’s lovely. Good pockets, different materials in the sleeve so it’s very tight on the arms but ok across the body. Sizing is as specified.
They were presents from the other half, I give her 4/5 colour choices and said grab me one and she got me 2 along with a set of knee warmers and a base layer out of the current sale. So I did well out of it ha
I do really like this one and might purchase this before summers end:
This is a brand I always seem to forget about. Don’t know why, as their kit is great and I don’t see much of it about. I have an old-ish rain jacket from their range and it’s a well made piece of kit.
You can get some bargains from here https://www.sportpursuit.com/
They have stuff from companies like Sportful, huub and many other good brands. Always compare their prices online though as sometimes you can find cheaper.
I’d consider Spexcel for some race fitting clothes. The fabric feels premium, it’s light, breathable and very elastic, although of course you are trading off some durability at such a low price (because of the stitching and all that jazz). Already did 2 centuries on my Spexcel bibs and I’ve been loving them.
I order from their store on Aliexpress. For around €40 you get both bib shorts and jersey.
I bought some Sportful kit for over winter. Very impressed by their light aero jacket. Apparently, the same fiirm as Castelli, but a notch down in price.
Castelli stuff never fits me as I am not an Italian stick insect, but the Sportful stuff is a good fit.
+1 for Galibier… really good kit but maybe sized a bit small.
+1 Stolen Goat, really good kit
Cycology does some crazy designs, ive got a couple of tops and they are really nice on
Morvelo also does some really nice kit and they usually have a sale going where you can get some serious reduced price kit
.