One of the cycling magazines has an article on cycling tops. Which one to buy kind of thing. Now this all well and good, but who actually spends £40 on a bamboo t-shirt or £105 on a merino top? I don't. Why would you?
Last time I was on Snowdon, Gelert had a sale on and their bamboo t-shirts were £12, and they are blooming' brilliant. No smell and they carry sweat away. They look good as well - certainly as good as the £40 Steve Peat version. I mix them on colder days with long sleeved wicking t-shirts from TKMaxx, again around the £12 mark. Being none cycling items they are multi-use, so on cycling holidays I use them as normal t-shirts in the evenings. Just wash them in the shower post ride, and they dry real fast.
I've also seen waterproof cycling jackets at upwards of £100, going to £300, recommended by Singletrack. Yeah right, that's me. Again TKMaxx comes to the rescue. I got a Nike fully waterproof and breathable gore-tex running jacket for £70. It works brilliantly as a cycling jacket, especially as it has ventilation zips in the underarms and is coloured dark green. This was a lucky buy, but for years I used a gore-tex golfing jacket that I got from them. Being a golfing item it worked very well, although I did look like a pensioner.
So if you need new tops, don't just Wiggle them, think laterally. Any outdoor shop sells these new wicking tops, so you could try Blacks or Milets. Gelert gets my vote though. £12 is a bargain.
Oh and whilst I'm on money and cycling clothing. Have you seen the Brompton range of jackets? Looks like a wrinkled up suit jacket but costs almost £300. Looked at one in Evans and before I saw the price I thought it poor value whatever the cost - the buttons were not very well attached even in store, and the quality seemed poor. The one in store looked like a charity shop item for a tenner. Honest, it was shite poor quality. Some people must be easily parted with their cash is all I can say.
Last time I was on Snowdon, Gelert had a sale on and their bamboo t-shirts were £12, and they are blooming' brilliant. No smell and they carry sweat away. They look good as well - certainly as good as the £40 Steve Peat version. I mix them on colder days with long sleeved wicking t-shirts from TKMaxx, again around the £12 mark. Being none cycling items they are multi-use, so on cycling holidays I use them as normal t-shirts in the evenings. Just wash them in the shower post ride, and they dry real fast.
I've also seen waterproof cycling jackets at upwards of £100, going to £300, recommended by Singletrack. Yeah right, that's me. Again TKMaxx comes to the rescue. I got a Nike fully waterproof and breathable gore-tex running jacket for £70. It works brilliantly as a cycling jacket, especially as it has ventilation zips in the underarms and is coloured dark green. This was a lucky buy, but for years I used a gore-tex golfing jacket that I got from them. Being a golfing item it worked very well, although I did look like a pensioner.
So if you need new tops, don't just Wiggle them, think laterally. Any outdoor shop sells these new wicking tops, so you could try Blacks or Milets. Gelert gets my vote though. £12 is a bargain.
Oh and whilst I'm on money and cycling clothing. Have you seen the Brompton range of jackets? Looks like a wrinkled up suit jacket but costs almost £300. Looked at one in Evans and before I saw the price I thought it poor value whatever the cost - the buttons were not very well attached even in store, and the quality seemed poor. The one in store looked like a charity shop item for a tenner. Honest, it was shite poor quality. Some people must be easily parted with their cash is all I can say.
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