zizou
Veteran
I was a long time mountain biker who started road biking a couple of years ago and initially i was astonished by the price of some of the road specific clothes - with waterproof jackets etc then i could understand it, i'd been paying similar prices for the ones i used for mountain biking and the prices were comparable to good hillwalking gear...but a bit of lycra and a pad for over £100 seemed absolutely nuts. So i was happy to get some bargains in Aldi and i was pretty happy with that gear. However i only had 1 pair of shorts and a couple of tops out of Aldi and couldnt wait around for another year for the summer stock to come back in so i 'upgraded' to Decathlon and dhb and generally found the fit was better and the quality a bit better too. Then i thought i'd treat myself a bit and it was shutt vr and Gore, their cheaper range of bib shorts. Again a step up from Decathlon and dhb, a bit expensive but not particularly so - about the same as a football top for example. Was more than happy with that and couldnt really see where any improvements could be made to justify spending 2 or 3 times more.
I was then given a pair of Assos t fi mille bib shorts for my birthday a few weeks ago and have now put in about 700 miles of use. I appreciated the gift nitially i felt sort of negative towards them - the fancy box, the chamois cream, the washing bag and detergent, i dismissed that as just fancy marketing and a waste of money and the reason why they were more expensive. I tried them on and they felt pretty uncomfortable, wasn't impressed at all. Got on the bike though and they felt comfortable...and they've remained comfortable since, i've put in short rides, long rides, been riding in soaking wet roads with no mudguard protection, have had them under the baggies when mountain biking in some filthy mud and they just keep caressing my derriere. Are they worth the RRP of £170? In a way no - i certainly dont get 10 times the enjoyment of riding my bike than when i wear my Aldi shorts. However they are now my favourite bit of kit and i just hope they last a long, long time so i dont have to go to the expense of purchasing a pair myself!
I was then given a pair of Assos t fi mille bib shorts for my birthday a few weeks ago and have now put in about 700 miles of use. I appreciated the gift nitially i felt sort of negative towards them - the fancy box, the chamois cream, the washing bag and detergent, i dismissed that as just fancy marketing and a waste of money and the reason why they were more expensive. I tried them on and they felt pretty uncomfortable, wasn't impressed at all. Got on the bike though and they felt comfortable...and they've remained comfortable since, i've put in short rides, long rides, been riding in soaking wet roads with no mudguard protection, have had them under the baggies when mountain biking in some filthy mud and they just keep caressing my derriere. Are they worth the RRP of £170? In a way no - i certainly dont get 10 times the enjoyment of riding my bike than when i wear my Aldi shorts. However they are now my favourite bit of kit and i just hope they last a long, long time so i dont have to go to the expense of purchasing a pair myself!
