Cycling specials-Aldi Sept 27th

mikemac

No direct link but it's easy to find
http://www.aldi.ie/

Fabio

I've seen some of those in their weekly brochure...

As people on here may have already read, I am just facing into my first time of proper winter cycling (communting to college) and some of this gear looks very tempting especially at the seemingly reasonable prices.

It's all breathable too I think...

copacetic

there is also some lidl stuff from monday, winter tops, jackets and tights..

Fabio

I don't think the range is as big as what's coming into Aldi on Thursday though. Worth a look nonetheless I guess.

janney5

Has anyone bought the gear either from LIDL or ALDI before? Just wondering what the quality is like? Not looking for anything too high perfomance - just some basic enough gear to cover me for a cross city commute.

Fabio

janney5 wrote:

Has anyone bought the gear either from LIDL or ALDI before? Just wondering what the quality is like? Not looking for anything too high perfomance - just some basic enough gear to cover me for a cross city commute.

That's what I'd be looking for too really.

I've bought electronic gear from Lidl and Aldi before and they were grand - one of those purchases (albeit by my parents) was a 32" LCD TV and it's a damn fine machine.

If the cycling gear is anyway as good for value and quality I'd be very happy.

Membrane

janney5 wrote:

Has anyone bought the gear either from LIDL or ALDI before? Just wondering what the quality is like? Not looking for anything too high perfomance - just some basic enough gear to cover me for a cross city commute.

I bought the following Crane gear last year from Aldi:

Winter jacket: good quality, sizes are on the large side.
Winter trousers: seams aren't as flat as they should be, sizes are decidedly on the small side (in length and width) (beware: the material doesn't stretch much).
Winter gloves: good quality.
Cycling thermal underwear: again the material doesn't stretch much and the sizing is again odd. I'm a medium size all round, the top fitted fine, but the trousers were too tight (I couldn't wear them). I suspect that the seams are also not as smooth as they should be.

oobydooby

Anyone know what these winter cycling trousers are like? Would you wash them after each wearing? Are they an alternative to cycle shorts? I'm in the market for gear for my commute and the prices here look great.

*oops didn't see your post membrane, but are they essentially the same thing as tights?

boomdocker

lads, in fairness you get what you pay for. you will sweat like a pig in their winter gear. spend the money that you will waste on a whole load of crap in aldi on one or two decent tops/trousers. i'm speaking from experience.........

Membrane

oobydooby wrote:

Anyone know what these winter cycling trousers are like? Would you wash them after each wearing? Are they an alternative to cycle shorts? I'm in the market for gear for my commute and the prices here look great.

*oops didn't see your post membrane, but are they essentially the same thing as tights?

The winter trousers are aimed at sportive cyclists (as is most of the Aldi cyling clothing), i.e. skin tight with a padded insert. They should be worn without regular underwear. They should be washed after each usage.

rubadub

micmclo wrote:

No direct link but it's easy to find
http://www.aldi.ie/

On links like that you can rightclick the link and choose "copy shortcut" and paste it- that was easy to find but on some sites it can be hard

http://www.aldi.ie/special_buys/index.html


http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20070924.index

blorg

Personally I find the Aldi bike clothing to be very good value for money. No, it is not Assos, but it's not utter crap either. Certainly a good choice for the commuter or beginner.

CountryWise

Are those cycling vests really that warm? few good deals here the Hi Viz jackets are a must!

CountryWise

anyone pick up any of this gear yet? comments...

Ghost Rider

I got the Winter jersey, jacket, cap, overshoes and leggings.

The jersey seems fairly decent, although the cuffs are a wee bit flimsy and the sleeves a bit short (considering it's supposed to be large in size). For 12 brick it was a bit of a steal, in fairness. The jacket seems like really good value, though I haven't cycled with it on yet. Both are made from polyester-type fabrics so they're probably good at wicking away sweat but not water-resistant. The jacket in particular seems quite warm.

The overshoes are a bit tight on my ogre-sized feet but they do work. The cap seems decent too and works well under a helmet. (I don't need a cap and I already have overshoes, but I wanted to give the cap to someone and the two together were preposterously good value.)

As for the leggings, I still have them here with me in work and haven't yet been able to bring myself to try them on in front of my colleagues...

CountryWise wrote:

anyone pick up any of this gear yet? comments...

philstar

Membrane wrote:

The winter trousers are aimed at sportive cyclists (as is most of the Aldi cyling clothing), i.e. skin tight with a padded insert. They should be worn without regular underwear. They should be washed after each usage.

washed after each usage ......is that really necessary??

copacetic

philstar wrote:

washed after each usage ......is that really necessary??

i hope you are kidding!?

Fabio

Well it isn't very convienient is it?

Actually it was a pity that they'd no bike shorts in Aldi. I picked up the overshoes, cap, jersey and light rain jacket and all for €41...a steal I think.

They all seemed to be pretty good to my amateurish eyes! The jersey is dead comfy and not too warm either - it doesn't exactly draw sweat from you without you peddling enough for it to happen anyway.

copacetic

Fabio wrote:

Well it isn't very convienient is it?

well neither is washing your underwear after every wear, but I'm assuming everyone does that?

Ghost Rider

copacetic wrote:

well neither is washing your underwear after every wear, but I'm assuming everyone does that?

crashoveroid

philstar wrote:

washed after each usage ......is that really necessary??

Well the question you have to ask yourself if you like getting saddle boils or not

rp

Assos. Well, do yer?

Membrane

philstar wrote:

washed after each usage ......is that really necessary??

The padded inserts in cycling gear are an ideal growth patch for bacteria, fungi etc. Although the inserts usually have been treated to reduce that, it doesn't prevent it happening.

philstar

Membrane wrote:

The padded inserts in cycling gear are an ideal growth patch for bacteria, fungi etc. Although the inserts usually have been treated to reduce that, it doesn't prevent it happening.

itchy mickey??:eek:

if i wore boxers would that help??

kenmc

would be very uncomfortable i'd imagine.

Membrane

philstar wrote:

itchy mickey??:eek:

if i wore boxers would that help??

Afaik cycling boxers with padding are a two part construction, a skin tight inner bit with the padded insert and another loose fitting boxer part over that. The skin tight bit is there to ensure that the padding doesn't move (which would cause chafing), the loose fitting outer part is purely for cosmetic reasons.

Another reason to wash after each use is that dried up salt is quite abresive.

Fabio

copacetic wrote:

well neither is washing your underwear after every wear, but I'm assuming everyone does that?

Yeah but people generally have a lot more underwear than cycling shorts...they're cheaper to stock up on!

Anyway I understand why they have to be washed - though it'd make it less hassle if you bought two or three pairs so you wouldn't have to rush them through a wash and dry cycle every night.

Actually, can you get semi skin tight shorts?

zorkmundsson

does anyone know if this stuff is still available?
need a new jacket for the (short) commute; fleece-lined jacket too warm, until december anyway. any recommendations?

rp

Maynooth Aldi still had quite a bit left sunday night, dunno about anywhere else. I got the long sleeved shirt, and it is far too warm for current conditions: maybe around 5c it'll come into it's own...

Fabio

Thought I would give this thread a bit of a bump.

I cycled to college in the rain today despite a heavy cold (clever boy so I am ).

Anyway I wopre the light rain jacket and overshoes from Aldi and just said I'd post up my impression of them...

The rain jacket was fine, it didn't make me sweat too much though I doubt it was fully breathable too. It did a relatively good job at keeping me dry from the rain and I'd have no problem using it again. It defintely isn't suitable for monsoon conidtions but it did the job for me anyway.

The overshoes were a little disappointing. I was expecting them to keep my shoes almost fully dry but they allowed a good bit of water through, so much so that my shoes are still wet! Bring a spare pair of socks in future Fabio!

My rucksack (havent gotten around to getting a rack for that so as to keep it off my back) is a Lowe Alpine Pax 30 and it kept all of my books dry and my cha ge of clothes dry too so if anyone is looking for a good rucksack then maybe you could have a look at this one. I got mine in a sale in Mahers in Cork for €25 and I have it a year now with no rips or tears.

Membrane

Fabio wrote:

The overshoes were a little disappointing. I was expecting them to keep my shoes almost fully dry but they allowed a good bit of water through, so much so that my shoes are still wet!

The Crane overshoes are not made to be used in the rain, they are for keeping the cold out (the current weather is far to warm for their use).

rp

Fabio wrote:

I cycled to college in the rain today despite a heavy cold (clever boy so I am ).

Unless you've a fever, a bike ride is the best thing for a cold, clears the sinuses and raises the metabolism, IMHO/E

blorg

It is possible to get overshoes that work 100%- BBB Waterflex would be among these and available at most bike shops. Shoes never got wet even slightly, even in torrential rain.

As Membrane says, some overshoes are not designed to keep shoes dry at all in the first place.

Fabio

Membrane wrote: »

The Crane overshoes are not made to be used in the rain, they are for keeping the cold out (the current weather is far to warm for their use).

Ah...I should have read the packaging.