Crivit / Lidl cycling apparel

MisterSpaccato

I finally got a bicycle (a lovely Emonda ALR ), and i need some cycling apparel to get me started while i wait for Rapha sales . I heard good things about Lidl's own brand, crivit. Does anyone know where to get those in south Dublin city? Thanks.

Danjamin1

MisterSpaccato wrote: »

I finally got a bicycle (a lovely Emonda ALR ), and i need some cycling apparel to get me started while i wait for Rapha sales . I heard good things about Lidl's own brand, crivit. Does anyone know where to get those in south Dublin city? Thanks.

Doesn't look like Lidl have it in at the moment but ALDI has stuff in last week, might be worth a look to see if they have any left.

Rokta

The bike stands (from both of them as they are basically the same) are rock solid and worth the comparative small investment. Clothing wise, I only use the base layers from Lidl and I like them.

magicbastarder

i've found the sizing on some of the tops (and i always get aldi and lidl mixed up) strange. thin arms, belly big enough to hide a small child sort of weirdness.

Rokta

magicbastarder wrote: »

i've found the sizing on some of the tops (and i always get aldi and lidl mixed up) strange. thin arms, belly big enough to hide a small child sort of weirdness.

Can't comment on the arms as the base-layers are sleeveless however I can confirm the belly! It is probably the reason I like them... :rolleyes:

fat bloke

Ah. Don't embarrass your lovely new Emonda with crivity crud. (Yes, yes, it's fine, like their frozen pizzas I'm sure, but don't tell me you can't do a lot better). And don't embarrass yourself with "my gloves cost more than my bike" Rapha stuff.

Join your local club.
Buy their gear.
It's usually subsidised, tried and tested, and high quality, and it gives you instant cool, instant heritage and instant credibility which you cannot buy anywhere else.

That's my top tip for today anyway (& possibly a new record for number of noses put out of joint in one post...)

Cee-Jay-Cee

Aldi's gear is much nicer quality and design than Lidl's who seem to favour puke green and brown/reddish hues over the regular popular red black & white for some strange reason. Lidl gloves & mitts are also very poor in comparison to Aldi's. I don't bother even going into Lidl for a look anymore because of their godawful designs/colourways.

CantGetNoSleep

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Aldi's gear is much nicer quality and design than Lidl's who seem to favour puke green and brown/reddish hues over the regular popular red black & white for some strange reason. Lidl gloves & mitts are also very poor in comparison to Aldi's. I don't bother even going into Lidl for a look anymore because of their godawful designs/colourways.

I don't live in Ireland but my local Lidl had cycling gear a few weeks ago, some nice plain black or black and blue stuff

Gorteen

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Aldi's gear is much nicer quality and design than Lidl's who seem to favour puke green and brown/reddish hues over the regular popular red black & white for some strange reason. Lidl gloves & mitts are also very poor in comparison to Aldi's. I don't bother even going into Lidl for a look anymore because of their godawful designs/colourways.

I second the quality for Aldi stuff.... Cheap but not nasty

lissard

If I were starting out again I'd probably start with wiggles dhb range instead of wasting my time with lidl stuff. Be prepared to spend at least €50 on bib shorts, your rear end will thank you!!

MisterSpaccato

fat bloke wrote: »

Ah. Don't embarrass your lovely new Emonda with crivity crud. (Yes, yes, it's fine, like their frozen pizzas I'm sure, but don't tell me you can't do a lot better). And don't embarrass yourself with "my gloves cost more than my bike" Rapha stuff.

Join your local club.
Buy their gear.
It's usually subsidised, tried and tested, and high quality, and it gives you instant cool, instant heritage and instant credibility which you cannot buy anywhere else.

That's my top tip for today anyway (& possibly a new record for number of noses put out of joint in one post...)

Joining a club just to buy their gear? Isn't that a bit of an overkill?

I like Rapha's stuff, and the brand is renowned for the high quality of the merchandise and of the post sale services, so why not? It costs a bunch, yes, but other brands with similar quality (cafe du cycliste, Assos, l'Etape, MAAP, Void, la passione), charge at least as much as them for their products. I like Morvelo designs, but there is literally nothing in stock right now in my size!

magicbastarder

so is it just me who finds most cycling club gear overcomplicated and fussy? i suppose they have to pander to their sponsors...

Chuchote

For winter cycling, I've got Crane base layer and whatever you call the jumper that goes on top of it, both from Aldi and both in merino, very very nice indeed to wear - warm enough but not boiling and wicks away any wet.

I've got Lidl shorts and below-knee yokeys and they're kind of baboonish, not really awfully comfortable and they can chafe.

Again, for winter, I got Aldi gloves, slightly doubtfully because they felt tight at first, but bright, bright yellow with good reflective strips. They loosened out almost immediately and are my favourite gloves now, much nicer than the Sealskinz that are my second-best.

Lusk_Doyle

magicbastarder wrote: »

so is it just me who finds most cycling club gear overcomplicated and fussy? i suppose they have to pander to their sponsors...

Only in Italy. Land of the 20 million little sponsors.

Chuchote

magicbastarder wrote: »

so is it just me who finds most cycling club gear overcomplicated and fussy? i suppose they have to pander to their sponsors...

Is that what it is? I thought they actually wanted to look like that.

HivemindXX

Nobody really made it clear and it is possible that the OP isn't familiar with the Aldi/Lidl model.

Basically this stuff (like the gardening/DIYing/Welding/etc-ing) goes on offer every now and again and that is when it appears in the shops. It will hang around there for a while, maybe a couple of weeks for some bits, maybe less than a day for popular stuff, and then it will be gone again until the next time.

I think you can subscribe to an email from Aldi and Lidl that will let you know what 'specials' are coming up. Between the two of them cycling stuff comes up four or five times a year I'd guess.

Those brands are good value but I'd describe them as decent quality at low prices. I second the recommendation for DHB, which is Wiggles own brand. This is more expensive but it is nicer, and you can just order it whenever you like instead of having to wait.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb/

My top picks from Aldi/Lidl are the gloves and the glasses. They both seem just as good as far more expensive items I've bought and since I am perpetually losing or breaking these things price counts for a lot. The compression tops / tech tees are nice too. I didn't like the bibs they had a long time ago. I think for bibs it is worth spending the extra money on quality (although don't go mad, DHB suits me fine).

arybvtcw0eolkf

I've all sorts of gear, from expensive to the cheap and cheerful Aldi/Lidl range. And tbh for durability I can't fault the Aldi/Lidl, esp for a casual/commuter cyclist.

Some things which fell to bits on me were the likes of lights, heart rate monitor & cycle computers. Just don't bother. But at the price, I can't fault their clothing. Esp their gloves.

I haven't used their helmets, without getting into a helmet debate ('cause there's a thread on them already) but I'm particular on what helmets I'll trust with my head, and which helmets I like the look of and its purely down to a personal choice for me there.

Oh, one last thing. In my experience if anything is going to fail on their gear its stitching and zips. I always check the stitching on their clothing, anything loose and I'll look in the bin for something better, failing finding something I'll add a few stitches when I get home.

I've very muscular arms and legs & find their arm & leg warmers are useless for me.

eeeee

magicbastarder wrote: »

so is it just me who finds most cycling club gear overcomplicated and fussy? i suppose they have to pander to their sponsors...

The gear for the club I'm in has no advertising, and no weird graphics, just classic, old school design. Nicest kit out there bar none, including Rapha and all!

Aldi kit is slightly nicer than Lidl kit I've found. I've only used their jackets and gloves though. I'd get decent shorts though, even if you're only going to need them a few months. DHB stuff is cheap and good.

magicbastarder

nee wrote: »

The gear for the club I'm in has no advertising, and no weird graphics, just classic, old school design. Nicest kit out there bar none, including Rapha and all!

would be interested to see it?

i got shorts recently in aldi - quality is not *great*, but grand for my commute. their idea of 'medium' is ever so slightly larger than most other medium shorts i've tried, but marginal enough that it makes little difference. for a tenner though, that's fine by me.

eeeee

magicbastarder wrote: »

would be interested to see it?

i got shorts recently in aldi - quality is not *great*, but grand for my commute. their idea of 'medium' is ever so slightly larger than most other medium shorts i've tried, but marginal enough that it makes little difference. for a tenner though, that's fine by me.

Look up Sundrive Track Team.


The Lidl and Aldi stuff pales in comparison to the better gear I have. It's also huge. I'm not tiny but the small is massive, big baggy belly on it, and arms. I only use it for commuting.
The DHB stuff on wiggle is cheap enough and orders of magnitude better IMO.

magicbastarder

nee wrote: »

Look up Sundrive Track Team.

yep, i like that style.

secman

magicbastarder wrote: »

yep, i like that style.

Yep it is a nice kit to be fair.

Cee-Jay-Cee

nee wrote: »

Look up Sundrive Track Team.


The Lidl and Aldi stuff pales in comparison to the better gear I have. It's also huge. I'm not tiny but the small is massive, big baggy belly on it, and arms. I only use it for commuting.
The DHB stuff on wiggle is cheap enough and orders of magnitude better IMO.

I agree sizing is way off for Aldi gear. I wear size M in most jerseys and L in some castelli/santini/Italian clothing but take size S in Aldi jerseys. I'm 6ft and 76kg!

Miklos

secman wrote: »

Yep it is a nice kit to be fair.

Definitely one of the nicest kits out there. Usually a good wheel in a race too.

I'll throw my hat in with the DHB recommendations, nice quality gear at an affordable price. I've a pair of winter tights that I've had since 2012 that are still going strong.

Galibier is also worth a look, great quality at great prices and they're Irish.

Fian

I find Aldi/Lidl stuff fine tbh. I have some more expensive stuff but I don't really bother rooting through drawers to try to pick it out, I just tend to grab the first one that comes to hand.

One of my favorite cycling tops is from Decathlon - a Btwin one with two (rather than normal 3) pockets. They are just really comfortable, were cheap too from what i recall.

The other thing that i really like from Lidl / Aldi are unpadded cycling underwear that I use under cotton shorts for cycling to work. They have the benefit of wicking sweat and not rubbing against my thighs. Havn't seen tehm in a while though. For winter commutes I have unpadded Lidl/Aldi cycling tights that I similarly use under cotton shorts. Great in the rain as well - they don't get damp - or rather they do but it really doesn't matter since they are skin tight and not rubbing against me. Again they have featured less frequently in recent times and i will snap up a few more spares next time they come back.

I don't want to walk through my office in Lycra each day so I don't wear padded cycling shorts for the commute.

Get In There

Nobody has mentioned aliexpress which blows the lidl/aldi cycling gear out of the water especially the bib shorts.

You can pick up a full set for under 19e here http://goo.gl/UL3gco

A top for a tenner http://goo.gl/26Is0c

And bib shorts with blue gel padding for as little as 9e. http://goo.gl/Clno7g

All my cycling gear is from ali express, saved myself a fortune and i've no complaints about the quality.

Only downside is the delivery time which could be around 4 weeks.

fat bloke

To be fair to Lidl, I have 5 or 6 of their base layer tops sleeved and sleeveless. Some of them 3 -4 years old and they're brilliant. I use them all the time - summer and winter.

MisterSpaccato

Get In There wrote: »

Nobody has mentioned aliexpress which blows the lidl/aldi cycling gear out of the water especially the bib shorts.

You can pick up a full set for under 19e here

A top for a tenner

And bib shorts with blue gel padding for as little as 9e.

All my cycling gear is from ali express, saved myself a fortune and i've no complaints about the quality.

Only downside is the delivery time which could be around 4 weeks.

They look neat indeed! Delivery time can be a problem, though. I would like to buy something cheap and local just to get started, so i can ride while i wait for the delivery of the rest of the kit.

I know it's not a fair comparison, but how do these AliExpress kits compare to the more expensive brands?

Macy0161

Aldi had cycling gear recently. I was in a store over the weekend and they had most left, but limited sizes.

I've found the aldi shorts ok, but been a while since I fitted in the smallest lidl size. If aldi had their recent bibs in my size left, I would've picked them up.

In my experience, Ali express shorts would be comparable to aldi. They're ok, but more commuter standard than long weekend spin. If you go via parcel motel you'll get them in a couple of weeks. Just go off the individual sizing charts. Nothing wrong with the jerseys though.

Got Galibier shorts recently - a real step up from the similarly priced spin 11 club gear.

secman

I have been wearing Madison shorts and similar for the last while and no issues with saddle soreness or chaffing. I did 105 km on Sunday last, no issues at all. Tonight I did a mere 24 km and grabbed a pair of shorts I picked up in Lidle last week, they were terrible in comparison , no comfort and I actually got soreness. I'll never buy the lidle /Aldi shorts again. The vests and jerseys are okay to use but their shorts fall far short of what is required for a comfortable ride.

arybvtcw0eolkf

secman wrote: »

I have been wearing Madison shorts and similar for the last while and no issues with saddle soreness or chaffing. I did 105 km on Sunday last, no issues at all. Tonight I did a mere 24 km and grabbed a pair of shorts I picked up in Lidle last week, they were terrible in comparison , no comfort and I actually got soreness. I'll never buy the lidle /Aldi shorts again. The vests and jerseys are okay to use but their shorts fall far short of what is required for a comfortable ride.

There's more at fault than bad or poorly manufactured shorts if you got sore after just 24km no matter what you wore.. That or you've an exceptionally bony arse

MisterSpaccato

On a slightly unrelated note, i'm having a hard time finding a Shimano shoes dealer in Dublin, do you know one? I fell in love with those RC7!

secman

Annie Lazy Boomerang wrote: »

There's more at fault than bad or poorly manufactured shorts if you got sore after just 24km no matter what you wore.. That or you've an exceptionally bony arse

On the bony arse bit .... wishful thinking on my behalf, the padding on the Lidle shorts is very thin, no comfort in them at all , very noticeable last night having been wearing half decent stuff for the last 6 months. A 25 km commute is as far as I would wear them and as I don't commute I'll only use them again if stuck. I say lidle/ Aldi as I bought a pair of each last weekend and can never remember which is which .... crane/ crevit.

Cee-Jay-Cee

secman wrote: »

On the bony arse bit .... wishful thinking on my behalf, the padding on the Lidle shorts is very thin, no comfort in them at all , very noticeable last night having been wearing half decent stuff for the last 6 months. A 25 km commute is as far as I would wear them and as I don't commute I'll only use them again if stuck. I say lidle/ Aldi as I bought a pair of each last weekend and can never remember which is which .... crane/ crevit.

Crivit= Lidl
Crane = Aldi

Brian?

Quickstep wear Crivit gear. They must be putting some serious effort into improving it. It used to be muck.

I still wouldn't buy it. Get Castelli gear on sale.

Inquitus

Brian? wrote: »

Quickstep wear Crivit gear. They must be putting some serious effort into improving it. It used to be muck.

I still wouldn't buy it. Get Castelli gear on sale.

The Crivit technical undergarment tops are great, the vest is like 4 yoyos and as good as much more expensive stuff out there, I have a bunch of them, rarely ride without wearing one.

Brian?

Inquitus wrote: »

The Crivit technical undergarment tops are great, the vest is like 4 yoyos and as good as much more expensive stuff out there, I have a bunch of them, rarely ride without wearing one.

Actually yeah. I have vests from Lidl. Forgot about that. They're grand, but then I'd never spend decent money on a vest.

Inquitus

Brian? wrote: »

Actually yeah. I have vests from Lidl. Forgot about that. They're grand, but then I'd never spend decent money on a vest.

Agreed, I wouldn't bother with their Jerseys or Shorts, but the undergarments, socks, and gloves are all decent enough and priced very competitively.