The Assos disease

[HLaB]

Hopefully the replacement pair will last much much longer - very strange that both broke off after just the 3 rides Overshoes without zip tabs are not much use at all.

Have you tried a pair of Altura Stream, they've got velcro fastners and I've been very impressed by mine.

 

[gezza]

Could be worse. Imagine if you'd started with Rapha gloves.

i have Rapha socks i bought at the Etape du Tour trade show,luckily i havent caught the disease,YET !!!

 

[amrushton]

i have Rapha socks i bought at the Etape du Tour trade show,luckily i havent caught the disease,YET !!!

I have considered the new Rapha winter socks but figure my Assos or DeFeet ones will be as good. I tried to get the Rapha winter glove but they had sold out! Obviously the market in £90 (gulp) winter gloves is good. I have the Assos o/shoes but looked at the Lusso ones recently and was impressed. Velcroed rear entry and reinforced toe

 

[Nicensleazy]

Just bought a couple of Assos tops from Primera, they have a sale on at the mo

 

[Jonathan M]

not yet caught it here am i immune?

You might be, I bought some assos mitts to replace som campag ones, and they are no-where near as comfy as the campags. Thye seem to have a seam that chafes the skin between my fingers.

So having discovered I'm allergic to Assos it should save me some money. I'll stick with giordana/campag stuff I think.

 

[Joe]

<Another member.
Started off with some bibshorts, then another (more expensive!) pair of bibshorts. Today I got the Airjack 851 jacket that I've been coveting for months. Can't wait to try it out! Feels lush and appears to fit perfectly, though I do look like a star trek extra.
You just know it's going to be good when it comes in a box

 

[GrahamG]

With Assos I get it - they spend lots of money on R&D, getting products perfect and they meet the demands of pretty much the most demanding customers out there (the hardcore racers and long-distance riders). When you hear the stories of clothing being sent back to Assos and getting repaired or replaced free of charge then I think you get an idea of how you get VFM.

Rapha I get but just can't bring myself to fall for the marketing hype - it's really stylish stuff (difficult to find high performance and style together hence their success), but the prices are hideously high. Also, I can live with higher prices from companies like Ground Effect, Solo, Swrve etc. that all have ethical policies which guarantee a fair wage for everyone involved, but when it's got a huge mark up just to pay for artsy B&W photos then I have to take issue.

 

[GrahamG]

My apologies for the debate style post - I've never joined in with the Assos/Rapha bashing/supporting threads before but I've recently been looking at the stuff in more detail!

 

[yello]

That's a fair post Graham. I don't read it as bashing at all, just expressing a firmly held point of view. And one that seems to be backed up with some experience.

I think it fair to say that Rapha do do R&D but nothing on the scale of Assos. But when you compare the 2 companies; their relative size, their intended markets, their focus and ethos then you can understand the difference. It's almost an unfair comparison because I'm not sure Rapha even aim to compete with Assos.

Assos is out of my budget really. For my purposes anyway. I think if I was competition focused, and/or put a lot of hard training miles in then I would look at their stuff. I do think you get what you pay for and, if I had the need, I'm prepared to spend the money.

I like Rapha because it's stylish. I also think their soft shell jacket works, and I'm very impressed with mine.... but I'm not tempted to buy anything else of theirs. I think for just about everything in their product range, I can get something just as (if not more) functional at a lesser cost.

 

[Blonde]

I used to just assume that assos was overpriced, but after trying their stuff (first purchase was bib shorts) it is obviously such good quality kit; a superb fit, so well thought out, researched, designed and produced that I really can't fault it. I am a total assos convert. I only ever wear the lady assos shorts now - no other shorts or chamois worked for me before I tried them. I also have assos base layers, summer and winter jerseys, socks, gilet and bib knicks and tights. They're all brilliant. I like Giordana and Castelli jackets and jerseys for looks and fit, and own several, but they are still not quite as good as the assos ones and I have not tried their shorts.

 

[GrahamG]

Yello - I still get tempted by Rapha stuff!

 

[Joe]

The 851 jacket is AMAZING by the way.
Fits perfectly, is amazingly comfortable on the bike, and just generally well thought out. Solid zip, comfy cuffs that sit nicely inside your gloves, cosy and high but not constrictive neck, big deep pockets including a zipped section. Why the hell don't other manufacturers have four rear pockets?
Puts all other jackets and winter jerseys I have to shame.

 

[spire]

The 851 jacket is AMAZING by the way.
Fits perfectly, is amazingly comfortable on the bike, and just generally well thought out. Solid zip, comfy cuffs that sit nicely inside your gloves, cosy and high but not constrictive neck, big deep pockets including a zipped section. Why the hell don't other manufacturers have four rear pockets?
Puts all other jackets and winter jerseys I have to shame.

I agree!

 

[Eat MY Dust]

I've had problems with zips not staying up on the overshoes. The solution you may ask, elastic bands!! Just about the most expensive overshoes you can buy and they're held up with elastic bands. Great look!

 

[jayce]

i got sidi overshoes with velcro they do the job,as for clothing it never ends its always something you see then you want it ,,,well i do