Cheap Commuting Cycle Gear

[pistonheadforum]

So ... I've spent all my cash on a nice bike and now looking for cheap-ish cycling gear to wear for the commute. I'm trying to commute as much as possible over the winter so the main aim is to cover the following:

- stay warm and dry
- spend as little money as possible

I've been to Aldi and Lidl and the shelves are bare - all the lycra regulars have already cleaned them out.

What do folk recommend from Amazon - little gems they have discovered that are worth getting.

The first rule of "budget club" is no brand name logos!

Thanks in advance.

[pistonheadforum]

I should have said ... I've got helmet and lights etc (not cheapies!) so just looking for clothes to keep out the elements.

There are millions of cycling items on Amazon - gotta be some cycling bargains in amongst them.

[Dr Murdoch]

This could be useful (and it might lead to more money being spent....)

http://www.bikebargains.co.uk/

[andy-ski]

Thanks for sharing that link, helpful and dangerous in equal measures 😂
I can’t believe I’ve lasted this long and not been aware of it

[Harpoon]

Altura offer decent gear. I picked up one of these at £15 recently - very happy with it.

https://www.altura.co.uk/products/detail/AL26AIR6/...

There's an assortment of stuff in the sale and not all in XS eg a waterproof soft shell for £40

https://www.altura.co.uk/products/detail/AL22POD6/...

All sale:

https://www.altura.co.uk/products/detail/AL26AIR6/...

[Dr Murdoch]

andy-ski said:

Thanks for sharing that link, helpful and dangerous in equal measures ??
I can’t believe I’ve lasted this long and not been aware of it

Updated daily......

(I'm currently seeing a counsellor over my addiction)

[Collaudatore]

pistonheadforum said:

So ... I've spent all my cash on a nice bike and now looking for cheap-ish cycling gear to wear for the commute. I'm trying to commute as much as possible over the winter so the main aim is to cover the following:

- stay warm and dry
- spend as little money as possible

I've been to Aldi and Lidl and the shelves are bare - all the lycra regulars have already cleaned them out.

What do folk recommend from Amazon - little gems they have discovered that are worth getting.

The first rule of "budget club" is no brand name logos!

Thanks in advance.

I have to say, I've bought three t-shirts from Amazon/eBay for around £10 (each).
All but one, which I never really liked in the end, have been consigned to the wardrobe "never worn" section, because the zips have bust and generally were quite ill-fitting in the first place.
One I didn't like the colours were out from the photo and it put me off wearing it unless I had nothing else clean.

Compare that with "real" tops I have bought which I favour wearing, even for a commute in the rain, which are all (an without exception) still fully zipping & unzipping, all fit well (assuming I buy the right size) after a LOT of use....and make me on average 0.14 mph faster*

With that in mind, I never did spend any more on anything like bib shorts or warm tops from Amazon, given the t-shirts were so poor. In the end it is true that you get what you pay for.

*average speed gains are subjective and may vary from person to person. this is not a guarantee. remember, zips can go down, as well as up.

[BeirutTaxi]

False economy though.. Cheap cycling gear will be uncomfortable and it will wear out quicker.

Endura cycle clothing is 'mid' range but for me strikes a sweetspot between longevity, comfort and price.

If I had to go cheaper then dhb kit from Wiggle gets my vote.


Kind regards,

Matt

[bakerstreet]

I would go with Altura, DHB and Endura. You want multiples of everything, more so with jerseys IMO. That way you can put on a clean jersey every day and beleive me that can be worth it in the winter months.

I've been commuting on bikes for about 8 years and currently do bike/train/bike every day in all weathers. Also done 30 mile round trips for a couple of years.

Just remember commuting is all about being organised with your bike and and kit. The fitness will come. Prep everything the night before and try and store things at the office (Spare cycling clothes, underwear etc etc)

I'm not the fastest on a bike, but I'm pretty organised with my kit at home and the office. Makes a big difference.

[Benjarke]

If you have a Decathlon near you they have some good value clothing. It's by no means the best but very reasonable for the price.

[FredClogs]

Decathlon innit.

[leyorkie]

Try sportpursuit.com the have some Dare2be stuff which is good quality but prices that won’t break the bank. Tops for less than £10 jackets around £15 etc.
I’ve had a few items and not been disappointed with all of them, amazing value for money

https://www.sportpursuit.com/sales/dare2b-cycling

You may have to sign up to see the site it is supposed to be a members sale

Edited by leyorkie on Tuesday 23 October 16:54

[ambuletz]

tag. I'm after something that'll keep me warm and dry too.

My main use will be to cycle 2 miles to the gym (and back), in the evenings, I won't go if it's raining. I just want something that'll keep me warm and isn't restrictive, easy to take off/on when i'm at the gym.. I'm overweight so tight fitting clothes is a no no.

at present i wear a thick pair of jogging bottoms, a baselayer top with a sweatshirt over this. I'm probably going to buy myself another, thicker sweatshirt to replace the current one i use.

[Collaudatore]

Another point of note here, for those looking to cycle on a budget.

You don't have to wear cycling specific clothes. In fact that goes for a lot of cycling stuff.
Degreasers & lubricants, I am looking at you!!!

Don't tell anyone, but I actually wear non-cycling sports clothing on my bike. It was cheap, it fits well and looks good (in my opinion/even if I do say so myself )
Okay, it looks like it's meant to be for cycling...

But back to the point. Stuff that is cycling specific is always twice or more the price it can be. It also depends what you want out of cycling.

To the poster above, if you've got stuff to wear that's cheap enough and fit for purpose, buy more
There's no need to buy the latest Castelli Super Delugio whatever it is this week for £200+

I do realise that the velominati are on their way round to my home now to confiscate my bike and break my knee caps for saying what I have in this thread

[Gareth1974]

Harpoon said:

Altura offer decent gear. I picked up one of these at £15 recently - very happy with it.

https://www.altura.co.uk/products/detail/AL26AIR6/...

There's an assortment of stuff in the sale and not all in XS eg a waterproof soft shell for £40

https://www.altura.co.uk/products/detail/AL22POD6/...

All sale:

https://www.altura.co.uk/products/detail/AL26AIR6/...

Some bargains there - does anyone know what Altura sizing is like? I wear medium in pretty much all clothing, but once bought some Endura gear which was way too small in medium.

[bigdom]

ambuletz said:

I'm probably going to buy myself another, thicker sweatshirt to replace the current one i use.

Just find something with a wind stopper type layer, makes a huge difference. Merino base layers work well, warm even when wet, naturally anti bacterial too, so can be worn all week without them smelling.

[millen]

Planet X and their associated brands (On One, Holdsworth) tend to be better value than most better known brands. As one who suffers badly from a combination of cold and wet I've been very impressed with this full winter jacket https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CLPXESSJ2/planet-x-e... which I bought last winter in their pre-Xmas sale for c. £49 (from memory, their sale starts around 3rd week in Nov). Only downside is the bum-shielding flap (which can be velcroed into the up position) tends to get very grubby in bad weather.

Another lesser-known 'function over style' make is https://www.d2dcyclingclothing.co.uk/d2d-cycling-c... I've just bought their neoprene gloves as from experience few cycling gloves are both warm and properly waterproof and I hate being barely able to operate the left shifter with un-cooperative digits. I briefly considered buying scuba diver gloves instead (£10 on eBay) but shied away on the grounds that they're supposed to operate as a wetsuit, ie with a layer of water inside.

Many folk say that decent mudguards make a big difference to commuting in the wet.

[Harpoon]

Gareth1974 said:

Some bargains there - does anyone know what Altura sizing is like? I wear medium in pretty much all clothing, but once bought some Endura gear which was way too small in medium.

I'm a medium for T-shirts and shirts on the high street. I got the Airstream jersey in a L and it's a snug (aero!) but comfy fit. The Podium Elite jersey in L went back as it was too small.

[Craikeybaby]

Dr Murdoch said:

This could be useful (and it might lead to more money being spent....)

http://www.bikebargains.co.uk/

How did I not know about that before!!!

No that the weather has turned, I'm in the market for a commuting jacket. Over the summer I have been riding to work in my work shirt and trousers, however it is getting too cold to be outside without a jacket. It is only a 10 minute commute, so no time to get too hot.

[louiebaby]

millen said:

Planet X and their associated brands (On One, Holdsworth) tend to be better value than most better known brands. As one who suffers badly from a combination of cold and wet I've been very impressed with this full winter jacket https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CLPXESSJ2/planet-x-e... which I bought last winter in their pre-Xmas sale for c. £49 (from memory, their sale starts around 3rd week in Nov). Only downside is the bum-shielding flap (which can be velcroed into the up position) tends to get very grubby in bad weather.

Many folk say that decent mudguards make a big difference to commuting in the wet.

Nearly all my commuting gear is Planet X, the DFS of bike gear.

I have a bonus of being huge, so I get a lot of their clear out gear.