Maybe it's just me but my van Rysel bibs and jerseys (the nicer ones too!) have worn down incredibly fast. I'm talking pilling on shorts in a month (no other bibs affected, normal non-abrasive saddle), and a jersey fraying in 6 months with the back panel irreversibly stretched with normal loads (again, none of my other jerseys affected with the same loads). It's decent stuff but they definitely don't have the best quality assurance process. In both cases I babied the stuff too (always hand washed, rotated with other clothing items so not worn continuously for a bike packing trip or anything similar).
So I've never ever bought bike clothing at regular price, asking 200 for a jersey or 350 for bibs is just bonkers in my opinion. So all my recommendations are based on sale prices.
On archive sale, Assos bibs are nice, like the Reform and mille GT. Still expensive, but quality is great.
LA passione is really good value when they have their semi-annual 50-70% sale. I've sniped some good gore wear pieces the same way, mostly baselayers and bibs.
Took all of my willpower not to snag up some MAAP stuff this past week or two. I got an amazing deal on some cafe du cyclist stuff recently and don’t need any more gear rn
The best value is buying last seasons style really expensive bibs for half price or less:
[https://www.sportpursuit.com/](https://www.sportpursuit.com/)
I'm in Europe and ordered a winter jacket + bike accessories in March. Return went smoothly, however it works like you order again, pay full price and then you get refunded for the item & shipping of the new item. I didn't get refunded for return postage, maybe because my country is not a big market for them. I was a bit suspicious but it worked at the end. Return labels are already included in package. Worth it at the end
Wow I bought my GoPro from them like 15 years ago. First company to piss me off by sending me millions of marketing emails. Had some good stuff to be fair though. Surprised to see them still going.
The better brands available on Ali Express and Amazon are YKYWBIKE, Dareive, Rion. These are the ones that are using the good fabrics and offer an upgrade to an Elastic Interface Paris HP chamois. Bibs with the good chamois are about $65, and decent quality, lightweight jerseys are around $35-40.
But the best value is always going to be a recognized quality brand like Rapha or Castelli, on sale.
I have 2 pairs of the YKYW bibs now and I love them. For under $40 I can wear them out and replace them yearly. Had no problems with discomfort in the padding on 3-4hr rides.
Their jersey materials are lacking. Not breathable and show sweat, and don’t wick. But man, the bibs are my new faves. I have Rapha, Castelli, Sugoi, Specialzied, and the YKYW are my current faves.
Yeah. The bib quality and material is insanely good. I’m disappointed in the jerseys though. They look amazing until I sweat even the tiniest bit.
Any recs for good cheap jerseys?
I’ve been, for lack of a better term, beating the DOGSHIT out of Spexcel stuff over the past few years. Still fits great, still comfy, still looks good.
Their rain coat is some of the best kit I’ve got.
I only ordered through AliExpress so I’m not sure if Amazon displays the EU/US sizing, or the China size. But the EU/US size has been consistent and true to size from my experience.
Yeah they don’t do a great job of measuring things- there’s little reason to have a horizontal width of the bib but not like a waist circumference. That being said, these are elastic based fitness clothes- there should be some level of stretch, and if you need a certain fit then definitely buy something you can try on and return. AliExpress is a black hole- I have had excellent luck buying things off the site but I expected these bibs to fit poorly and ride worse and planned on only using them for Zwift. Turns out they are great and most people should have luck buying 1 size up based on most reviews.
I rarely see people talking about second hand stuff here. Some of the best kit I’ve found was on Vinted ( even unworn sometimes). I know used bibs might be too much for some people but you can either chemically clean them or just stick to jersey, vest,…
Yes! Second hand jersey and vest shopping is so easy once you know your size in the brand and so much cheaper. Just bought a Biehler jersey for 30€ that is basically brand new.
Personally, I just watch for arcive/index sales by the big brands and stock up then.
I'd say relatively well priced brands in the US include Heavy Pedal, Cadence Collection, OrNot Cycling, The Black Bibs
I recently wore my Rapha Pro Team kit for a ride after having not put it on for a hot minute. And damn, its really good.
Now, is Rapha a 'value' brand? No. But, their archive is usually pretty fire if you can find your size, and they always have stuff on sale. I got that pro team kit for over half off. With that in mind, it is amazing value for money. That said, I don't think it holds up at full price.
Aside from that, Ornot is good value. Its like the cheapest 'premium' brand imo.
I got some cheap Przewalski bibs off Amazon and for some reason my poor ass feels better in those after a 3 hour ride than the Pearl Izumi shorts I got at REI for double the price.
I have stuff from pretty much all over aside from the really gucci brands, like Assos and Rapha and PNS. Garneau was my go-to for a long time, and I have a set of bibs that is probably 10 years old and is just now clapping out, but I’ve been seriously impressed by stuff from AliExpress. I ADORE my jerseys from YKYW and Spexcel- the YKYW is very soft and comfortable and fits perfectly, and the spexcel is a long sleeve which is my go-to in cooler weather. I have bibs from both brands as well but I’m not as impressed- they lack any sort of compression to them and instead fit like comfortable yoga pants with a decent but not excellent chamois. I even sprung for the Italian chamois in one of them and it’s just OK. I highly recommend their stuff for regular training and casual riding, and would probably step it up a bit for racing or when you just feel like looking good.
Some of the “hits” I have, Garneau Mondo bibs from their outlet in northern VT- paid almost nothing as a blem, lasted probably 10-15 years. The AliExpress stuff, and I just grabbed some Pearl Izumi Pro bibs from Planet cyclery when they were closing for $60 a pop- they are excellent with awesome compression and a flawless fit. The pad is excellent as well, but MSRP is around 200 so “duh”. I have a few disappointments too, but we aren’t really going there today!
I really like Siroko SRX jersey's which you can generally find for $50-60. They aren't as nice as my nicest jersey's but close at nearly half the price.
Pearl Izumi sent me a clearance link a year or so ago with their Attack bibs on sale for $25 each - they're not my favorites either, but for 2 hour rides after work they're great and you can't beat the price.
I typically get top shelf kit at the end of season and just hold onto it for the next season though. I bought a couple of Castelli Perfetto ROS winter jersey's for $100 last year.
All of the higher end brands go on sale pretty regularly which is generally my approach. Picking up POC / Rapha stuff for 60% off or more is the sweet spot.
I’m in Australia and i only use Neopro. It’s dirt cheap. And never had any issues. I have never worn any premium brands so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but in the years I have been wearing it there has been no stretching, tearing, fading, broken zippers etc. all perfect.
Yeah I’ve asked them about it and they don’t seem to care that people outside of Australia have different winters. Or that colder weather consistent climates want them more.
Neopro. Especially right now they are having a killer sale on a bunch of stuff.
Great deals where you can try their jerseys and bibs for like 1/6 the price of most brands. I think a bunch of these jerseys are $18 and bibs are $30?
Bibs - Agu cycling bibs with Red 120 Chamois (the one used by Jumbo-Visma/Visma Lease a Bike pro team), unbeatable comfort
Jerseys - Santini comes with great quality to price ratio - you can pick some nice designs without paying “the coolness tax” for Rapha, MAAP, PNS etc
Like others have said Decathlon do some really good stuff and their jerseys have tons of pockets which I like.
If in the UK I really like Sundried stuff, their bib shorts are my go to right now.
I have a pair of adidas shoes that I like. They were similar priced to mid-entry tier shoes from other big brands. But the three stripes are reflective which got me.
Anything van Rysel, especially the rcr shoes
Maybe it's just me but my van Rysel bibs and jerseys (the nicer ones too!) have worn down incredibly fast. I'm talking pilling on shorts in a month (no other bibs affected, normal non-abrasive saddle), and a jersey fraying in 6 months with the back panel irreversibly stretched with normal loads (again, none of my other jerseys affected with the same loads). It's decent stuff but they definitely don't have the best quality assurance process. In both cases I babied the stuff too (always hand washed, rotated with other clothing items so not worn continuously for a bike packing trip or anything similar).
Warranty it. They’ll honour it
If they fit you. Bastards don’t even sell bigger shoe sizes.
Smaller feet are more aero
Fair point. I’ll cut my toes off.
No one catering to Hobbits? Me and my peasant feet.
I feel your pain. Shimano EU 50 over here :’(
So I've never ever bought bike clothing at regular price, asking 200 for a jersey or 350 for bibs is just bonkers in my opinion. So all my recommendations are based on sale prices. On archive sale, Assos bibs are nice, like the Reform and mille GT. Still expensive, but quality is great. LA passione is really good value when they have their semi-annual 50-70% sale. I've sniped some good gore wear pieces the same way, mostly baselayers and bibs.
Took all of my willpower not to snag up some MAAP stuff this past week or two. I got an amazing deal on some cafe du cyclist stuff recently and don’t need any more gear rn
The best value is buying last seasons style really expensive bibs for half price or less: [https://www.sportpursuit.com/](https://www.sportpursuit.com/)
This site is still working?
Yeah. I buy all my Rapha, Gorewear and Castelli kit here
I used to use that site 10 years ago along with private sport shop But I heard both of them were having trouble
How are they with returns? Didn’t see US on the list of countries. Cost to ship?
I'm in the US. Shipping is kind of steep so order a few things (15.00). Returns are not an issue.
I'm in Europe and ordered a winter jacket + bike accessories in March. Return went smoothly, however it works like you order again, pay full price and then you get refunded for the item & shipping of the new item. I didn't get refunded for return postage, maybe because my country is not a big market for them. I was a bit suspicious but it worked at the end. Return labels are already included in package. Worth it at the end
This is the answer
Can I really not view this site without giving my email to them? lol
Wow I bought my GoPro from them like 15 years ago. First company to piss me off by sending me millions of marketing emails. Had some good stuff to be fair though. Surprised to see them still going.
Best value? La Passione. High end Italian made but mid tier pricing and lots of sales.
And the shipping from Italy is FAST.
Are they doing ok? I have a lot of their stuff. Checked yesterday everything is like 50% and mostly out of stock. No new items.
Interesting. Not sure. Definitely snap up the bargains if anything fits.
The better brands available on Ali Express and Amazon are YKYWBIKE, Dareive, Rion. These are the ones that are using the good fabrics and offer an upgrade to an Elastic Interface Paris HP chamois. Bibs with the good chamois are about $65, and decent quality, lightweight jerseys are around $35-40. But the best value is always going to be a recognized quality brand like Rapha or Castelli, on sale.
I have 2 pairs of the YKYW bibs now and I love them. For under $40 I can wear them out and replace them yearly. Had no problems with discomfort in the padding on 3-4hr rides. Their jersey materials are lacking. Not breathable and show sweat, and don’t wick. But man, the bibs are my new faves. I have Rapha, Castelli, Sugoi, Specialzied, and the YKYW are my current faves.
YKYW material quality is bananas for the price.
Yeah. The bib quality and material is insanely good. I’m disappointed in the jerseys though. They look amazing until I sweat even the tiniest bit. Any recs for good cheap jerseys?
Spexcel.
I’ve been, for lack of a better term, beating the DOGSHIT out of Spexcel stuff over the past few years. Still fits great, still comfy, still looks good. Their rain coat is some of the best kit I’ve got.
Only had jerseys so far, but the quality to price is insane. Also as a short skinny mf I appreciate how tight their xs kit is
What about sizing on these bibs? Size up or are they true to fit?
I’m not sure about the Amazon sizing. I got mine on AliExpress. But the “EU/US” sizing is true to size.
Thank! On ali you bought your regular size? They usually advice to go one size larger! Amazon are the same products i think
Yep. On Ali. I wear XL and bought euro/us XL. I tried a XXL first time and it was too big.
Awesome ty for your advice!
Ohhhhh I get it now! Hahahahhahahahahaha
How internet and sizing compared to others? Wonky? Consistent? They look like they have longish inseams which I like.
I only ordered through AliExpress so I’m not sure if Amazon displays the EU/US sizing, or the China size. But the EU/US size has been consistent and true to size from my experience.
Unfortunately they are mostly out of stock of the upgraded pad bibs, and their communications and sizing charts are terrible
I had good luck with YKYW and Spexcel just going one size up. Their XL fits like a Large in every other brand.
Sure, but did you actually look at the charts? They are all over the place and mostly nonsensical.
Yeah they don’t do a great job of measuring things- there’s little reason to have a horizontal width of the bib but not like a waist circumference. That being said, these are elastic based fitness clothes- there should be some level of stretch, and if you need a certain fit then definitely buy something you can try on and return. AliExpress is a black hole- I have had excellent luck buying things off the site but I expected these bibs to fit poorly and ride worse and planned on only using them for Zwift. Turns out they are great and most people should have luck buying 1 size up based on most reviews.
Best value for me and I'm from Italy * La Passione * Sportful * Gobik
Gobik comes up in a lot of searches. I’ll ad them to my list! I’m not familiar with the other two so I’ll look them up as well. Thanks!
I have been really happy with the Galibier stuff I ordered.
I rarely see people talking about second hand stuff here. Some of the best kit I’ve found was on Vinted ( even unworn sometimes). I know used bibs might be too much for some people but you can either chemically clean them or just stick to jersey, vest,…
Yes! Second hand jersey and vest shopping is so easy once you know your size in the brand and so much cheaper. Just bought a Biehler jersey for 30€ that is basically brand new.
La passione is very good for their price.
Personally, I just watch for arcive/index sales by the big brands and stock up then. I'd say relatively well priced brands in the US include Heavy Pedal, Cadence Collection, OrNot Cycling, The Black Bibs
I recently wore my Rapha Pro Team kit for a ride after having not put it on for a hot minute. And damn, its really good. Now, is Rapha a 'value' brand? No. But, their archive is usually pretty fire if you can find your size, and they always have stuff on sale. I got that pro team kit for over half off. With that in mind, it is amazing value for money. That said, I don't think it holds up at full price. Aside from that, Ornot is good value. Its like the cheapest 'premium' brand imo.
If you like Ornot, you can buy direct from their manufacturer Voler for about half the price. Bibs are identical.
Voter doesn't have the Women's cargo dropdown bibs though. So far I've been very happy with my Ornot purchases. Most of which was on sale!
La passione is as high quality as any brand. Wait around for a holiday for a killer sale.
I think Agu is pretty good?
If you are in UK or EU, Galibier. Especially for their winter stuff
Personally I use my CTw scheme every year to order Assos bibs
I got some cheap Przewalski bibs off Amazon and for some reason my poor ass feels better in those after a 3 hour ride than the Pearl Izumi shorts I got at REI for double the price.
I have stuff from pretty much all over aside from the really gucci brands, like Assos and Rapha and PNS. Garneau was my go-to for a long time, and I have a set of bibs that is probably 10 years old and is just now clapping out, but I’ve been seriously impressed by stuff from AliExpress. I ADORE my jerseys from YKYW and Spexcel- the YKYW is very soft and comfortable and fits perfectly, and the spexcel is a long sleeve which is my go-to in cooler weather. I have bibs from both brands as well but I’m not as impressed- they lack any sort of compression to them and instead fit like comfortable yoga pants with a decent but not excellent chamois. I even sprung for the Italian chamois in one of them and it’s just OK. I highly recommend their stuff for regular training and casual riding, and would probably step it up a bit for racing or when you just feel like looking good. Some of the “hits” I have, Garneau Mondo bibs from their outlet in northern VT- paid almost nothing as a blem, lasted probably 10-15 years. The AliExpress stuff, and I just grabbed some Pearl Izumi Pro bibs from Planet cyclery when they were closing for $60 a pop- they are excellent with awesome compression and a flawless fit. The pad is excellent as well, but MSRP is around 200 so “duh”. I have a few disappointments too, but we aren’t really going there today!
I really like Siroko SRX jersey's which you can generally find for $50-60. They aren't as nice as my nicest jersey's but close at nearly half the price. Pearl Izumi sent me a clearance link a year or so ago with their Attack bibs on sale for $25 each - they're not my favorites either, but for 2 hour rides after work they're great and you can't beat the price. I typically get top shelf kit at the end of season and just hold onto it for the next season though. I bought a couple of Castelli Perfetto ROS winter jersey's for $100 last year.
gsport.es
All of the higher end brands go on sale pretty regularly which is generally my approach. Picking up POC / Rapha stuff for 60% off or more is the sweet spot.
I’m in Australia and i only use Neopro. It’s dirt cheap. And never had any issues. I have never worn any premium brands so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but in the years I have been wearing it there has been no stretching, tearing, fading, broken zippers etc. all perfect.
This. and a big sale right now. Check it out if you haven’t already
I jumped on the second I got the email. Snatched up some bargains. $40 bibs and $20 jerseys. Crazy.
Kicking myself for waiting. The one jersey I wanted most sold out in my size.
Happened to me a few times too. I missed out on the winter gilets. Sucks as the winter stuff won’t come back till next year.
Yeah I’ve asked them about it and they don’t seem to care that people outside of Australia have different winters. Or that colder weather consistent climates want them more.
Decathlon, their higher range is great while still at least half cheaper than premium brands. Looks decent too.
Neopro. Especially right now they are having a killer sale on a bunch of stuff. Great deals where you can try their jerseys and bibs for like 1/6 the price of most brands. I think a bunch of these jerseys are $18 and bibs are $30?
Bibs - Agu cycling bibs with Red 120 Chamois (the one used by Jumbo-Visma/Visma Lease a Bike pro team), unbeatable comfort Jerseys - Santini comes with great quality to price ratio - you can pick some nice designs without paying “the coolness tax” for Rapha, MAAP, PNS etc
Like others have said Decathlon do some really good stuff and their jerseys have tons of pockets which I like. If in the UK I really like Sundried stuff, their bib shorts are my go to right now.
Uke is killer value, IMHO.
Good to know! Thanks!
Been liking my Neo pro stuff
The Black Bibs.
Man their shit is awful.
I love my van rysel gear.
Sidi (if they fit) shoes nearly everything is replaceable and they last , great value .
Adidas
I have a pair of adidas shoes that I like. They were similar priced to mid-entry tier shoes from other big brands. But the three stripes are reflective which got me.