It鈥檚 no secret that cycling can be an expensive sport. The bikes themselves can run well into the five figures. And then you鈥檝e got to dress yourself. Clothing for road and mountain riding is rife with price inflation: $250 jerseys, $500 pairs of shoes. Maybe the craziest example is Assos鈥檚 new winter jacket.
All clothing is cycling clothing. You can鈥攁nd should鈥攔ide in whatever makes you comfortable. But technical riding apparel exists for a reason. Shorts with chamois pads reduce chafing, especially on long outings. Lightweight jackets provide a measure of protection against wind and rain听but stow easily in jersey pockets when not needed. Those same jerseys, with their said pockets, also offer storage听and are designed with听full-length zippers for temperature management.
That does not mean you need to spend top dollar for a quality cycling kit. There鈥檚 a large range of apparel that听boasts a听more reasonable price tag, and the sacrifices to features and performance are marginal. Here are some of the best bargains in cycling apparel鈥攊tems that are affordable and work well regardless of price.
Bib Shorts
The Black Bibs ($40)
Bib shorts are the foundation of any kit. I use them for road and mountain biking, alone or layered under shell shorts or pants. Good ones tend to be expensive, though, which makes the听 even more impressive. I鈥檝e endured chafing from plenty of cheap bibs over the years. But I have not heard a single person鈥攆rom former pro racers to new cyclists鈥攗tter听a bad word about these. They鈥檙e made by the retail arm of Starlight Custom Cycling Apparel, which designs听clothing for cycling teams, and feature the same gender-specific, dual-density CoolMax chamois pad as the brand鈥檚 Alpha bibs. They also boast a high-compression Lycra for proper, bunch-free fit and muscle support. What I鈥檓 most impressed by is the range of offerings across an inclusive size range: XS to 3XL for women and XXS to 4XL for men.
Jersey
Bontrager Circuit and Anara听($75)
There are a few less expensive jerseys out there: ($55) or the dirt-cheap ($10). But I like the slightly pricier 听(for men) and听听(for women), which boast听light, fast-drying fabrics that won鈥檛 pill in the wash, a听slim (but not race-tight) fit that won鈥檛 flap like a sail, and thoughtful features like a security zip pocket. Often听jerseys come in just a few colors, but the Circuit comes in ten, and the Anara comes in eight. All styles feature minimal Trek/Bontrager branding, so you can avoid the rolling-billboard look.
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Warmers
Castelli Pro Seamless ($30)
Castelli is known for its premium (and often pricey) apparel, but it听wins the affordable award in this category. The is a knit 听(for the arms or knees)听made听from a stretchy, socklike polyester-Lycra fabric that is slightly lighter听than conventional thermal fleece fabrics. Still, it鈥檚 surprisingly warm, and the price is hard to beat. The seamless construction means no points of irritation or chafing, and the curved cut on the knee warmer won鈥檛 bunch up behind your joints when pedaling. This product听lacks an elastic gripper but comes in two sizes that offer reasonable coverage.
Jacket
Endura Pakajak ($70)
Scotland-based Endura is renowned for its foul-weather gear听but also for its听simple, durable designs. The fan-favorite is all that听and one of the most affordable wind shells you can find. There鈥檚 no magic to it. Endura just gets the basics right: a lightweight ripstop fabric treated with a PFC-free DWR听finish, a full zipper, a long-cut tail to protect you from rear-tire spray, and mesh vents under the arms. It鈥檚 windproof and water-resistant, so it鈥檒l stand up to showers (though not听downpours). It also packs down tight to fit in a jersey pocket, enabling听you to听take it on any ride.
Gloves
Giro Trixter ($20)
I ride in full-finger gloves all听summer, even on the road. I like the extra grip on brake levers, and I don鈥檛 like palm padding, which almost all half-finger gloves have. So听don鈥檛 think of the as 鈥渏ust鈥 a mountain-bike glove. It slips on with no bulky wrist closure, the fabric back is lightweight and vents well, and the microfiber palm has good grip and a touchscreen-compatible thumb and forefinger. Bonus: it comes in five colors and six sizes, so you can find one that fits your style and needs.
Road Shoes
Shimano RC300 ($120)
Road shoes are subject to some of the worst price inflation in cycling gear (looking at you, Lake and Sidi). That鈥檚 why I like , which is often listed as the RC3. The fiberglass-reinforced nylon sole isn鈥檛 as stiff as carbon fiber, but that sole stiffness on its own is not a major performance factor, . The RC300 offers several听advantages听to boot. Unlike numerous shoes at this price, it features fore-aft cleat adjustability to accommodate the midfoot cleat position that many riders find more comfortable. It鈥檚 also available in standard, women鈥檚, and wide lasts, in sizes 36 to 52, which means it鈥檒l fit a lot of people. Inexpensive road shoes sometimes sacrifice comfort, in part听due to cheaper closure systems. But the RC300鈥檚 Boa L6 covers the entire midfoot with a single micro-adjustable dial that doesn鈥檛 lead to hot spots. The synthetic leather upper lacks听adequate听ventilation, so if you tend to ride in hot weather, consider the white version鈥攊t鈥檒l show more dirt but won鈥檛 absorb as much heat as the black.
Mountain Shoes
Specialized Rime 1.0 ($110)
The is built for versatility on and off the bike. Its听nylon composite midsole is stiff enough to keep your foot from wrapping around small mountain-bike pedals (a large-cage pedal helps even more),听but it鈥檚 not so stiff that hike-a-bike sections are听painful, and the street-shoe style won鈥檛 scream 鈥渂ike nerd鈥 in more casual situations. There鈥檚 a chunky outsole for grip and a rubberized toe to protect against rock strikes. Specialized didn鈥檛 overthink the closure system: it鈥檚 just laces and one midfoot strap. And while the shoe听fits all two-bolt clipless pedal systems, it comes with a treaded cleat insert so you can start riding it with flat pedals and upgrade to clip-ins later.
Helmets
Specialized Align II ($50) and Lazer Chiru MIPS ($65)
These are two of the most affordable helmets to get a five-star rating from Virginia Tech鈥檚 well-regarded helmet-testing lab, the only independent entity in the U.S. that tests for both linear impact and rotational energy management. The road-ish and mountain-bike-oriented both feature MIPS liners and one-hand quick-adjust fit systems. They鈥檙e also available in three sizes and a bunch of colors.
All helmets sold in this country听have to meet the same pass-fail Consumer Product Safety Commission听standards, and the听Align and Chiru test out as well as or better than helmets that cost hundred of dollars听more. So what鈥檚 the catch? These are heavier than high-end versions, the fit systems aren鈥檛 as elegant, and they have fewer vents. But that鈥檚 pretty much it. If you like the look and fit, you can save a ton of cash.
Sunglasses
Tifosi Dolomite 2.0 ($70)
Every pair of shades听I鈥檝e had from this underappreciated company has been durable, comfortable, and offered clear, distortion-free optics for a lot less than you鈥檒l pay for fancy brands. The comes with three sets of polycarbonate lenses鈥攐ne for sunny days, one for overcast conditions, and a clear one for night riding. The full-wrap design provides great wind protection for fast road or mountain descents. But the aesthetic isn鈥檛 so racer boy that they look weird off the bike. And if full-wrap bothers you, the classic-looking 听(from $25)听may be more your speed. Both are also available with prescription lenses (the upcharge varies) through Tifosi鈥檚 Rx program.