Budget VS Mid-Range vs Premium Cycling Clothing
Knowing how much to spend on cycling clothing can be a tricky thing and sometimes it's not always clear what you're actually getting for your money. So, we put three different outfits to the test from different ends of the market to find out where you should be spending and saving. Our budget cycling clothing was from Amazon, our mid-range cycling kit is from Dhb and out top end cycling outfit is from Rapha.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 Clothing often varies massively in price and sometimes it's not always clear what
00:04 you're paying for or even if you're being overcharged. So today I'm putting
00:08 to the test clothing from different areas of the market to see what you
00:11 should be spending your money on. Now I do want to make it clear from the get-go
00:14 this video is not sponsored however the brands that I've chosen are ones that
00:18 you may commonly associate with these different areas of the market. So our
00:21 entry-level kit is coming from Amazon, our mid-range kit is being represented
00:25 by DHB and our top-end kit has been made by Raffer. I got hold of the most
00:30 essential of kit and that's the kind of stuff that everyone's gonna have when
00:32 they first start off to make it as fair a comparison as possible and that is the
00:36 humble short-sleeved jersey and a pair of bib shorts. Now our Amazon kit came in
00:40 and costed £45, our DHB outfit costed £100 and the Raffer outfit, tip the scales,
00:47 is £190. So we've got a pretty good cross-section here of what's
00:51 available. Now one of the first things we're going to look at is the fit. Now
00:54 some prefer a baggier more relaxed fitting garment whereas others might
00:58 lean towards a more tighter performance orientated feel and I'm definitely part
01:02 of that latter group. So we're gonna be looking at the fit, we're gonna be
01:05 looking at the breathability and we're also gonna be looking at the build
01:07 quality. First up though the Amazon kit, let's get it on.
01:11 Initial impressions are that it's not the best fitting kit for my preferences.
01:15 You can see here that the shorts are quite baggy and we don't have any
01:19 grippers so I am expecting the shorts to move around which isn't ideal because
01:23 you do want shorts to stay in place. I've also noticed here that the seams aren't
01:26 flat so these could start to rub against the skin as the shorts move around.
01:31 However that being said the chamois does feel pretty thick and supportive so
01:35 we'll have to see how it really performs out on the road. The jersey feels okay,
01:39 the cut isn't particularly fitted so it does lend itself more towards a more
01:43 relaxed feel. I think the best thing to do though is take this out onto the road,
01:47 give it a ride and see how it really performs.
01:51 So I've ridden this kit for a few kilometers now and the shorts, they're really
01:59 performing as I had expected them. The seams are rubbing against my skin and
02:03 the chamois is really not supporting me where I need it to be. Now some of those
02:07 issues are down to the size and fit of the shorts. I mean even though these were
02:11 the smallest ones they had on offer it's definitely worth spending a little bit
02:14 more if you need to find something that fits you properly. Onto the jersey and
02:18 it's made of a nice thick but fairly breathable fabric and I think for those
02:22 who are just wanting to go out and ride their bike and enjoy the outdoors it's a
02:25 perfectly suitable garment and when you consider that it costs £21 you really
02:29 can't fault it. We're gonna jump into the mid-range kit from DHB now. DHB have been
02:36 serving the large majority of cyclists for a really long time now and over the
02:40 years they've really developed what they have to offer. I've got here one of their
02:43 core jerseys and their Airon bib shorts. Now straight away you can feel that this
02:47 is a huge step up. It was a whole lot lighter and softer to the touch. Like the
02:52 Amazon jersey we've got three rear pockets however with this one we've got
02:55 an extra rear zipped pocket which is ideal for kind of your money or your
02:59 keys. I'm a big fan of the fit as well like I say I do prefer the more
03:03 performance focus feel and this while it does offer that I don't feel like I'm
03:08 being squeezed into it which is really nice. The bib shorts also fit really well
03:12 they feel robust and they also feature a large gripper which the Amazon shorts
03:16 didn't. One thing I feel could be improved upon is the chamois however it
03:20 is a considerable step up from what we had on those Amazon shorts. So let's get
03:24 this out on the road and see how it performs.
03:28 Okay so as expected the DHB kit is miles better. It's really no surprise why they've
03:39 become the go-to brand for the majority of cyclists. Now the shorts feel so much
03:43 better. They're tighter, they're locked in, they're not moving around, I don't have
03:47 any seams rubbing against me and more importantly that chamois does feel a
03:52 whole lot more comfortable. Now it's not spectacular but it does feel pretty good
03:57 and much better than those cheaper shorts. Now on the straps I've got
04:00 consistent hemming meaning I don't have any seams pushing into my skin like I
04:03 did with the cheaper shorts and on these shorts I've actually got grippers
04:06 finally which means that they do just stay locked in place. Now onto the jersey
04:11 I'm a big fan of the fit. It's a light breathable fabric and it just doesn't
04:16 distract me whilst I'm riding. Well I think what DHB have done they've made
04:19 kit which serves the weekend warriors and the keen amateurs really well which
04:23 actually is unsurprising because that's exactly who they're there to serve.
04:28 Last up we've got the kit from Rafa. Now once again we've taken a big step up in
04:34 the feel of the fabric and it while it doesn't feel as silky it feels a lot
04:38 more premium. You can really start to see the attention to detail for example with
04:42 the inclusion of the zip guard which means that the zip isn't going to be
04:45 rubbing against your skin which is really nice. We've also got a really thick
04:49 gripper at the bottom of the jersey which allows it to stay in place along
04:54 with some thick elastic on the arms again just to hold the jersey in place
04:58 and it feels a lot more dialed in. There's also a place to mark your kit
05:01 without having to sew in labels if you belong to a recycling heavy household.
05:05 These shorts have flat seams everywhere meaning they won't be rubbing against
05:08 you. We've got seamless straps which again only improve your interaction with
05:12 the shorts. Extra benefits that come with buying clothing from a premium company
05:15 are that they often offer crash replacement schemes. Rafa also offer
05:19 their repair service so should you damage your kit they will repair that
05:23 for you. These things can come in really handy because cycling isn't without its
05:27 risks. Let's jump out for one final time and see how this kit performs.
05:32 Well it's no surprise that this kit feels great and works perfectly. I really
05:42 can't find a fault with it. The chamois is leaps and bounds ahead of the DHB one
05:45 and it's really comfortable and supportive. If you plan on spending hours
05:49 in the saddle then that's going to be really important. The elephant in the
05:52 room though is that this outfit is nearly double the price of the DHB one
05:55 but is it twice as good? For the majority no it's probably not. However if you're
06:00 going to spend the hours in the saddle then you're really going to come to
06:03 appreciate these small differences and benefits like crash replacement schemes
06:07 and repair services are really handy. So I think what they've done here is made
06:11 kit for those of a performance orientated mindset and then have priced
06:15 it to suit. So in conclusion what should you be buying? It really depends on what
06:22 type of cyclist you are. If you're an occasional cyclist and want something a
06:26 bit more suitable than normal clothes to ride in then the Amazon kit will serve
06:29 you well. The only thing to make sure of is that the shorts do fit you properly
06:33 so that they don't rub. If however you take your cycling any more seriously the
06:37 step up in price to mid-range kit is absolutely justified. The build quality
06:41 increases, the fabrics are of a higher standard and the fit is more refined
06:45 which also has the side benefit of being more efficient in the wind. The chamois
06:49 also increases in quality meaning one of your key contact points with a bike is
06:53 greatly improved and this will then pay big dividends in comfort. While premium
06:57 kit does have its place in the market I think it's fair to say that it's not
07:00 going to be for everyone. First off the cost might be too high for those that
07:04 think the benefits are just a bit too marginal. However you do get protections
07:08 such as crash replacement schemes so that if you do have enough it is a whole
07:12 lot less painful if you need to replace your kit. For those who spend many hours
07:15 in the saddle and are of a performance orientated mindset premium kit will be
07:19 the go-to. Easy to rip off though? We don't think so if you value good quality
07:24 kit and it allows you to ride in tricky conditions. With a higher build quality
07:27 more expensive kit is also likely to last you a whole lot longer too. So
07:32 really you have to ask yourself what type of cyclist you are and what values
07:36 you align yourself with. The great thing is no matter what type of cycling you do
07:39 there's going to be kit out there for everyone. So let us know down in the
07:43 comments which kit you'd go for. If you enjoyed the video drop it a like,
07:46 subscribe to the channel for more content and I'll see you again soon!
07:51 you
07:53 you
07:55 you
07:57 [BLANK_AUDIO]