Best and worst cycling kit purchases

[BoysofMelody]

My best: wind proof packable jacket from Decathlon - £10 and has proved an absolute lifesaver on many an occasion. Plus a Belgian style cap I wear under my helmet in winter made by Madison.

Worst purchases: The pear of bib shorts I've just bought from Evans' own FWE range. Absolute bloody agony in the bum cheeks after 20 miles. I thought the pad looked slightly thin, but didn't realise how quickly it would start to hurt.

What's everyone else's best/worst kit purchases?

I've got a showers pass too, I think from Barchester's recommendation originally

I love it so much I went and bought a the rogue hoodie too for more casual cycling.

Gore is good too. I've got a waterproof shell from them that packs up very small.

I've got a showers pass too, I think from Barchester's recommendation originally

I love it so much I went and bought a the rogue hoodie too for more casual cycling.

Gore is good too. I've got a waterproof shell from them that packs up very small.

Well, I'm afraid I've gone for a cheapy from Go Outdoors as I was ordering something for the Guides from there! We'll see how cr*p it is. I did notice the Altura one everyone hates on there so avoided that!

Best: £2.99 neon sunglasses from Aldi. Perfect fit, block out light from all corners, and look fab!

Worst: Sealskinz winter gloves. They ave a sort of separate inner lining which slides against the outer padded one. which means my fingertips jam right up against the ends of the inners and give me number hands in about 10 min flat. Ended up replacing them with some cheap Lidl ones.

@CarabellaSmella What SPD shoes can anyone recommend?

I have wide size 8 feet, and I have two pairs of size 9 Northwave SPDs which are great. Agree about Shimano coming up small, which was a shame because it meant I had to return the most wonderfully lurid pair of shoes I have ever seen and wanted more than any precious

@TheLongRider My DH is also a Campagnolo fan, my bikes have Shimano and his commute bike is SRAM.

Every time I see SRAM I always want it to have an ! afterwards. My OH has SRAM on his bikes so I am forever shouting it at him in a kind of pop art "POW!" style (makes me laugh anyway...)

I am late to the party here but will add my bit in anyway...

I have recently indulged and brought Rapha shorts. I can no longer accept the skin shearing off my undercarriage for days after a bike ride. Mavic padded shorts turned out (on the first day of an 8 day cycling trip with friends) to be see through😬 Specialized ones slightly better but I am tall so I continually hoik them up while tucking in my muffin top.

Tops - I struggle with them all being too short in the body. I had some club kit from Owayo (custom made with emblem) and they are long but there's a stigma attached to that club locally so it's sadly no longer worn.

Gilet - great for when it's a bit chilly but you don't want long sleeves on. Pair with arm warmers and short sleeve top.

Mesh base layer - DHB from wiggle. Fab - keeps you cool even though it's another layer. Sleeveless and short sleeve versions for £20 ish.

Merino arm warmers - DHB again. Lovely and soft, warm yet cool too. Don't cut into the top of my less than toned arms either. £20 ish

Sunnies - I require contact lenses or am an unroadworthy liability. Sunnies with interchangeable lenses are a necessity to keep dust out. I had Oakleys, now Rapha shades (got impressive discount as they do offers from time to time).

Pedals - it took me literally years to brave a clip in pedal. I got dual side SPD with a flat side and they are great, particularly on a steep hill if I want to unclog one foot incase I need to stop at short notice. Down side is they are not light.

Garmin or similar GPS - no more wet/ripped/lost route directions on an audax. Also feeds the Strava habit😉

Bike - after years of riding round on a 56cm frame bike fitted to me by a well-respected local shop I could stand the lower back pain no longer. I went elsewhere, was fitted for a 54cm bike with narrower handlebars and a shorter stem. It was a revelation and off I went to do the coast to coast days later with no more pain. It's got Ultrgra, the gear changes are smooth and I no longer have to refit the chain on every ride as it's predecessor dropped off if you weren't very, very gentle with your gear changes and gave it about a weeks notice.

I doing frequent stalking of Wiggle, Rapha and a newly found Velovixen for offers. Cafe du Cycliste have lovely, stylish bike wear but it's £££. I am still hoping for them to have an epic summer sale🤞

I know this is an old thread but it's really good. I was really just searching for what to put on chafing but now I want to know about courses for wheel building!

I have recently got some cycling jeans, though again they are only for commuting but they have reflective bike logos on the turnups!
I think they were Vulpine but the current ones seem to have boring reflective dashes on the turnups (and I think mine were less than £100 too).

It’s good to read this back and see that my 2017 shoes are still in relatively good shape 5 years later, and I did indeed go on to get a new pair of Specialized Tahoe for my spd adventures.

Anyone got any good MTB waterproof coat suggestions for a size 16? I finally dumped my Altura and got a Proviz one which has been ok (love the high viz that lights up in headlights) but the colour has all worn off it at the cuffs and where I have my rucksack on, so that’s annoying.

@Piffpaffpoff the Endura MT500 and Singletrack ranges I’ve found good on the MTB. I’m a 14 and usually a large so XL should work for a 16. They are British so sensible sizing. I’d also recommend the stolen goat/VeloVixen range as their XL will suit a 16, size charts are very accurate, but possibly more roadie based. I do road, gravel, cyclocross racing and dabble in a bit of MTB so I’ve got so much kit this thread was a really interesting read back!