So I've got the bike...now what about the accessories

legrandefromage":1wsxzy6r said:
As for winter jackets - I found a good quality Regatta breathable ski jacket with detachable fleece at TK Max. It has so far proved very useful when cycling to work with temps of -7C.

TK Maxx (and TJ Hughes) - forgot about them - they have always come up with the goods in the past when I've needed good quality snowboard clothing - you just have to go down there off-season to avoid the jumble sales and to get the half decent stuff...
 
Rod_Saetan":25y55jow said:
I cannot conceive of buying a helmet or shoes without trying it on first, in fact even gloves and other clothing should be tried before you buy too. There is a depressing fascination with 'getting the best deal' these days, a kind of one-upmanship in nailing the best online deal, this means nothing if the shoes/helmet you buy are uncomfortable.

I would offer the seemingly apt suggestion that you visit a 'local bike shop', like we used to do bitd, this is retrobike after all.

Point taken - not sure I would classify bargain hunting as 'one-upmanship' - I'm just a tight c%@£. I must admit I buy most of my stuff online these days, and even when I venture out to the high-street I will ensure I've researched (hence the post) and I am fully informed on every aspect of the item before doing so...that'll be the geek in me :oops:
 
legrandefromage":76che70h said:
Avoid cheap 'windproof' jackets from Aldi/ Lidl - they are boil in the bag sweat buckets

That goes for their 'windproof' longs too. They're windproof because they've sandwiched a layer of polythene between the material on the front of the legs.
Avoid unless you like itchy legs ;) Oh yeah and the 'pad' is in the wrong place for either male or female,despite them having separate mens and womens clothing. :roll: :LOL:


Sports direct have some nice lightweight thermal longs .Multi panel,drawcorded/elasticated waist,stirrups and a well placed if not a bit basic pad. Theyre the muddyfox brand and although modern, MF is still dear to our hearts so you can get away wearing them on a retro ride ;)
I think i got mine for £9.99 reduced because of one of their closing down sales. I took the XL ones and theyre a really good fit despite me being a lean 6'3",good on leg length for me anyway.
Worth a look (ignore the standard cheapo crap-lights,locks etc)
 
dyna-ti":w1vg2369 said:
legrandefromage":w1vg2369 said:
Avoid cheap 'windproof' jackets from Aldi/ Lidl - they are boil in the bag sweat buckets

That goes for their 'windproof' longs too. They're windproof because they've sandwiched a layer of polythene between the material on the front of the legs.
Avoid unless you like itchy legs ;) Oh yeah and the 'pad' is in the wrong place for either male or female,despite them having separate mens and womens clothing. :roll: :LOL:


Sports direct have some nice lightweight thermal longs .Multi panel,drawcorded/elasticated waist,stirrups and a well placed if not a bit basic pad. Theyre the muddyfox brand and although modern, MF is still dear to our hearts so you can get away wearing them on a retro ride ;)
I think i got mine for £9.99 reduced because of one of their closing down sales. I took the XL ones and theyre a really good fit despite me being a lean 6'3",good on leg length for me anyway.
Worth a look (ignore the standard cheapo crap-lights, locks etc)

I found the Muddy Fox shorts to be crap, padding in wrong place, and very basic. Think I've worn them once, and won't again. The top is nasty too, and I think I've only worn that once too. So I'd say avoid Sports Direct for cycling gear, although their cricket stuff is great value. I wear modern shoes, bib shorts, with some cut off, hemmed, tracksuit shorts, as I wore back in the day over my cycling shorts, and a retro top. Got my windproof top from an outdoor shop, forget the name. Need to get some decent waterproof socks
 
Rod_Saetan":jtp0muhq said:
I cannot conceive of buying a helmet or shoes without trying it on first, in fact even gloves and other clothing should be tried before you buy too. There is a depressing fascination with 'getting the best deal' these days, a kind of one-upmanship in nailing the best online deal, this means nothing if the shoes/helmet you buy are uncomfortable.

I would offer the seemingly apt suggestion that you visit a 'local bike shop', like we used to do bitd, this is retrobike after all.

As someone who owns a 'local bike shop', I'd implore you to do this. Granted, you may pay a couple of pounds more than you can possibly get away with online if you search around, but with helmets and shoes it's important to find ones that fit. Helmets are not all the same size and shape (I've got a Met-shaped head but not a Bell-shaped one, apparently) and you may find a brand or model that you hadn't even realised existed, or find a great discount on a previous year's model. (We've just started selling Kask and they are incredible helmets). Likewise shoes - no offence to N/B but lots of the forumites on other sites who like fixating on one brand and hailing it the "best thing ever" love Sidi, after all they're Italian, hand-made and expensive, but if you've got anything other than medium-narrow feet you're just not going to find any Sidis comfortable in the long term. Trying shoes on is the only way to check they're right for you - even better if you try them on with someone experienced in fitting cycling shoes who can assess the fit and recommend arch supports if needed.

I'm not blindly advocating going to your LBS, I fully appreciate that if you're after the cheapest possible price then you can find someone who runs a warehouse and doesn't have to keep a nice shop open (or feed his family ;) ) but if you want good service, good advice and sometimes a better discount or better freebies than you can get online, I'd recommend giving the LBS a try.

Oh, one more thing - please remember that for the people who go down to their LBS, spend an hour trying stuff on, and then go home and buy online there is a special level of hell reserved for them. They deserve it. ;)
 
Pierre":1i2naarp said:
Rod_Saetan":1i2naarp said:
I cannot conceive of buying a helmet or shoes without trying it on first, in fact even gloves and other clothing should be tried before you buy too. There is a depressing fascination with 'getting the best deal' these days, a kind of one-upmanship in nailing the best online deal, this means nothing if the shoes/helmet you buy are uncomfortable.

I would offer the seemingly apt suggestion that you visit a 'local bike shop', like we used to do bitd, this is retrobike after all.

As someone who owns a 'local bike shop', I'd implore you to do this. Granted, you may pay a couple of pounds more than you can possibly get away with online if you search around, but with helmets and shoes it's important to find ones that fit. Helmets are not all the same size and shape (I've got a Met-shaped head but not a Bell-shaped one, apparently) and you may find a brand or model that you hadn't even realised existed, or find a great discount on a previous year's model. (We've just started selling Kask and they are incredible helmets). Likewise shoes - no offence to N/B but lots of the forumites on other sites who like fixating on one brand and hailing it the "best thing ever" love Sidi, after all they're Italian, hand-made and expensive, but if you've got anything other than medium-narrow feet you're just not going to find any Sidis comfortable in the long term. Trying shoes on is the only way to check they're right for you - even better if you try them on with someone experienced in fitting cycling shoes who can assess the fit and recommend arch supports if needed.

I'm not blindly advocating going to your LBS, I fully appreciate that if you're after the cheapest possible price then you can find someone who runs a warehouse and doesn't have to keep a nice shop open (or feed his family ;) ) but if you want good service, good advice and sometimes a better discount or better freebies than you can get online, I'd recommend giving the LBS a try.

Oh, one more thing - please remember that for the people who go down to their LBS, spend an hour trying stuff on, and then go home and buy online there is a special level of hell reserved for them. They deserve it. ;)

All excellent advice. I feel the need to highlight the fact at this point before we go any further, that I have indeed used all 3 of my local bikes shops in the last 4 weeks, for various advice, repairs and NOS components. Having only been in a handful of times, I have already built a good rapport with them and can see us being on first name terms in the not too distant future... Infact, I will be popping out again shortly to pick up an old specialized that has been in for a fork service - whilst I'm there I may well purchase some more grease and maybe a new crank-extractor (if in stock and at the right price).

I'd also like to note I was only using the eBay links as examples of products I had seen to get feedback on what others thought of them and if they had seen something similar/better....and I do not necessarily plan on purchasing all the items blindly, certainly helmets and shoes are a must, but also gloves for me, as I have particularly dainty skinny fingers - it should also be mentioned that I have matching feet - hence my previous purchase of Sidi's ;)

So I think we're all on the same page that where possible we should use our LBS's, in the meantime though, I'm in the preliminary internet-based research phase so if anyone has any more suggestions on the previous 5 points, I'd love to hear them :D :D
 
Pierre":18ecry2v said:
Rod_Saetan":18ecry2v said:
Likewise shoes - no offence to N/B but lots of the forumites on other sites who like fixating on one brand and hailing it the "best thing ever" love Sidi, after all they're Italian, hand-made and expensive, but if you've got anything other than medium-narrow feet you're just not going to find any Sidis comfortable in the long term. Trying shoes on is the only way to check they're right for you - even better if you try them on with someone experienced in fitting cycling shoes who can assess the fit and recommend arch supports if needed.

^I agree with all of this :) I bought my Sidis (Dominator 4 Megas) nearly ten years ago at Condor Cycles, after trying on practically every ~£100 pair of shoes they had, and in the end it came down to the patience of the shop assistant to work out that Sidi's 'Mega' (wide) fitting was right for me, even though I've never considered myself to have wide feet.
 
spencer13":18ke7b2o said:
i see you have a 94 gt may be able to help out with a period jersey
spence

Cheers for the offer but I've got an old team scream jersey for that one mate, and then sorted for an orange jersey circa 96 too - although I'd be interested in getting the one with all the oranges as always wanted one of them :)
 
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