Biblongs at Aldi

Tony Raven said:

Julesh wrote on 28/09/2006 11:18 +0100:

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Ok I'm back with...

1 Winter Jacket (Large)
2 Winter Shirts (Large)
2 Winter Longs (one black with white bits, one a tasteful dark blue)
1 Pair Gloves (Extra Large)
1 Pair Overshoes (10-11)

1 Winter Shirt (small)
1 Winter Longs (Small in a tasteful dark blue)
1 Pair gloves (small)
1 Pair Overshoes (4-5)

Are you planning a diet?

I note you were generous enough to clip the bit about the discount pork
pies (which I feel very guilty about as I've now eaten ev'ry one) but
I've yet to find a diet that promises a reduction in shoe size.

You just need to guess whether they are for Mrs Julesh, who is a petit
5ft 1, and mother of my neglected children (see other post) or whether
I'm an early rising slimeball and that by answering this I'm wasting
valuable EBay listing time :-)

Julesh

Actually if I go out and buy cycling stuff she either says "that's
nice", and it becomes hers, or says that I should have got her one and
makes me feel a heel for not being psychic (aka lacking Feminine
Intuition) and thinking about her. As I know there is always the EBay
option it's safer to buy stuff on spec. Nothing has got there yet!

grannyhalfstep said:

Cycling Kit Frenzy Report

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http://uk.aldi.com/special_buys/index.html

Eyewitness assessments

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24" Front Suspension Bike £ 79.99

Flat-pack-[censored]

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Wall Mounted Bicycle Holder £ 6.99

Plenty in all shops

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Bike Light Set £ 4.99

Not the best, but stock will run out soon.

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Armoured Bicycle Lock £ 2.99

laser-style keys, lock area looks vulnerable. Plenty of stock

not seen

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Winter Cycling Jacket £ 9.99

Rear pocket with vertical zip. Minor reflective bits. 3-armed sizes
left mainly

tick

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Winter Cycling Shirt £ 5.99

as above. Trad 3-pocket rear, plus 1 zippered rear.

tick

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Winter Cycling Trousers £ 7.99

Coolmax padded, sophisticated material, still a few in various sizes in
Catford store. Check size/length carefully.

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Unisex Waterproof Cycling Trousers £ 7.99

Overtrousers. Loads e'where, reasonable quality

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Unisex Cycling Thermal Underwear £ 8.99

Running out the door, but may be more in storage in Catford

tick, but the boxes I saw had separate Male or Female models & fits.

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Winter Cycling Gloves £ 2.99
Loads, but shortage of XL. Decent cuff length, terry nosewipe, some [censored] stitching, gel section doesn't cover ball of thumb

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Winter Cycling Overshoes £ 3.99

No bigger sizes

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Winter Cycling Socks £ 1.99

Look OK, but blanked them due to my size 13 tailfins

ignored

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My score c.£120 (me and mainly gf top to toe). Not a stitch intended
for ebay (unless I've wildly miscalculated broadness of Ms J's rear
[spreads hands]).

Spent a half a ton, or two ponys.

"Julesh" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
snip

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Actually if I go out and buy cycling stuff she either says "that's
nice", and it becomes hers, or says that I should have got her one and
makes me feel a heel for not being psychic (aka lacking Feminine
Intuition) and thinking about her. As I know there is always the EBay
option it's safer to buy stuff on spec. Nothing has got there yet!

You can't win either way. I went to buy some and decided to get my wife some
too. A she is on a diet and in any case womens sizes as in 12, 14 etc mean
little to me I didn't know whether to get a small or medium.

I rang her and asked to be told "what does it look like, does it look too
big or just right".

That was the reason I rang because I couldn't decide but thought she will
know her chest size, waist size etc.

Lets just hope they fit otherwise she will have to wait until she slims into
them.

DaveB

I went for:

1 x Grey Waterproof Trousers £7.99

I reckon these are decent enough for occasional use and will also
double up for non-bike duties. Supposedly windproof, waterproof and
breathable. We'll see.

2 x Socks £.299 - £1.99?????

Couldn't for the life of me see the size of these in store. They look
pretty small, but despite all this bought 2 pairs, possibly seduced by
the fact that they have left and right footbeds. Sock technology.
Size is actually printed on the sock - I ended up with 9-11s which is
about right. I guess they are alright.

2 x Gloves £2.99

Not the coolest looking things but seem decent quality and will see me
through the winter. Note: the gloves are unisex so LARGE is not
particularly large, unlike most of the clothing where MEDIUM is on the
large size. Confused yet?

1 x Cycling Trousers £7.99

Breathable, windproof, water repellant, Antimicrobial action 3m
reflective etc. Coolmax pad. Thick black tights. £7.99 to you squire.
Seem well made enough but may end up on Ebay as tights aren't really
my thing and the pad is a little thick for my liking. However, may
well keep for those cold January rides.

1 x Winter Jacket - Red £9.99

Breathable, windproof, water repellant

This nearly didn't make it into my basket but I got soaked last night
and was sold by the water repellant quality (yes - I know it won't
last) and also thought hey ho there's always Ebay for the returns.
Turns out it looks and feels really nice once on so it's a keeper.

Aldi Report and Review

I was unwisely late for the grand door opening, and reached the Old
Kent Road Aldi around 9.30am. Cycling raiders on their way into work in
town had done their work well. As I locked up, the final folks were
staggering out of the shop peering round huge piles of kit. By the
checkout, me see pure empty thermals boxes. In the aisles, 'nuff bare
hangers t'roway 'pon de floor. Backside! Few jackets, fewer shirts,
plenty of socks, gloves, overshoes, overtrousis. No biblongs, only one
pair trews in a human size - blue.

No sign of biblongs, and limited supplies of shirts and jackets. I
bought some gloves and various other gf bits and pieces just in case
(e.g. white she-thermals). As I had the time, cycled over to Aldi at
Catford. This store is bigger, and had a good allocation of gear, less
picked over. I picked over it all. Google didn't post, so this message
is very delayed, but at the time (11am), there were lots of small
clothing items at both OKR and Catford, together with lights and locks.
Locks looked ok at a distance, [censored] when investigated. Some thermal
u'wear boxes had exploded, so I could see that they were ok, rather
than top quality. Thermal top had a 'teabag' perforated panel inside
front, bottoms are drawstring waist. Sizings are generally all over the
place. If you get medium in everything, something won't fit, no matter
how 'medium' you are. Although they seemed ok, I didn't bother with the
one-size-fits-all socks, due to my size 13 tailfins.

No single item mentioned where it was made on any label.

Damage: c.£120 (for me, but more for gf top-to-toe). Aldi's strategy
worked, I spent some additional ££s on some good food and drink in
Catford store. And I'm proud to say that not a stitch of it is intended
for ebay, (so long as I haven't wildly miscalculated the breadth of Ms
J's rear [spreads hands]).

Also see discussion at
http://cyclingplus.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=109663&SearchTerms=,

http://uk.aldi.com/special_buys/index.html

24" Front Suspension Bike £ 79.99
Flat-pack-[censored] BSO

Wall Mounted Bicycle Holder £ 6.99
Plenty everywhere

Bike Light Set £ 4.99
OK for emergency, but I didn't like the look of them.

Armoured Bicycle Lock £ 2.99
Laser style keys, lock area looks vulnerable

Winter Cycling Jacket £ 9.99
Running out the door while I stood there. Minor reflective piping. One
rear pocket with vertical zip.

Winter Cycling Shirt £ 5.99
Availability as above. Trad rear three pockets plus extra rear zipped
pocket

Winter Cycling Trousers £ 7.99
Coolmax pad, fairly technical fabric, reflective leg piping

Unisex Waterproof Cycling Trousers £ 7.99
Overtrousers, look decent. Plenty in SE London stores

Unisex Cycling Thermal Underwear £ 8.99
Not unisex, double-check your own gender against box before purchase

Winter Cycling Gloves £ 2.99
Generous cuff length, terry nosewipe, some [censored] stitching, gel doesn't
cover ball of my thumb, shortage of XL

Winter Cycling Overshoes £ 3.99
Never saw any size over 9

Winter Cycling Socks £ 1.99
One tiny size 'fits all'

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http://uk.aldi.com/special_buys/index.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aldists in full uniform are required to salute each other at traffic
lights only

Josey' nospam@josey said:

"Alan J. Wylie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

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Yes - our favourite retailer is selling our favourite cyclewear next
week. Some of this will be cheap tat, but the clothing is usually very
good value.

I'll certainly nose at it, but I bought their "Crane sport" mits a few
months back (sprintime I guess), and they are in tatters now. The fabric is
not durable and the stiching very poor.

They cost you £1.99 though didn't they.

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Aldi Report and Review

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place. If you get medium in everything, something won't fit, no matter
how 'medium' you are.

Booger just reread this, after trying out my "medium for everything"
purchases. Back to the shops tomorrow.

On 28 Sep 2006 06:32:07 -0700, "grannyhalfstep"
<[email hidden]> wrote:

[---]

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Winter Cycling Trousers £ 7.99

Coolmax padded, sophisticated material, still a few in various sizes in
Catford store. Check size/length carefully.

Then double check - I find the Aldi sizes to be somewhat larger than
usual.

Andrew Price said:

On 28 Sep 2006 06:32:07 -0700, "grannyhalfstep"
<[email hidden]> wrote:

[---]

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> Winter Cycling Trousers £ 7.99

Coolmax padded, sophisticated material, still a few in various sizes in
Catford store. Check size/length carefully.

Then double check - I find the Aldi sizes to be somewhat larger than
usual.

Quite the reverse, for me, in this instance. (Gloves, and base layer trews)

In article said:

grannyhalfstep said:

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Winter Cycling Overshoes £ 3.99

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No bigger sizes

Plenty of 4-5, 6-7 and 8-9, but none at all in 10-11 in my local store
either.

Same for me, but I wasn't there for 9am. I did get the last pair of XL
biblongs, and the legs aren't really long enough, but they'll do if I don't
use the stirrups.

Wheelist said:

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I'll certainly nose at it, but I bought their "Crane sport" mits a few
months back (sprintime I guess), and they are in tatters now. The fabric is
not durable and the stiching very poor.

Jc.

Where is this stuff made?

Almost certainly in a far-eastern sweatshop.

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I've been having an argument with my better half re. exploitation of
workers for too-cheap clothing vs. the benefits of a large pile of
winter cycling kit.

I have the same moral tussle with myself.

Daniele
--
Consideration fact
* With the robot the grudge which is possible it knocks from most
shouting distance.
* It is short accurate and it knocks.

D.M. Procida said:

Wheelist said:

someone else wrote

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I'll certainly nose at it, but I bought their "Crane sport" mits a
few months back (sprintime I guess), and they are in tatters now.
The fabric is not durable and the stiching very poor.

Jc.

Where is this stuff made?

Almost certainly in a far-eastern sweatshop.

Trouble is, nearly everything is. Cycling gear's one of the few things where
it *is* relatively easy to get stuff that's made in the UK, though, with the
exception of shoes.

Obviously buying things that don't last has a fairly high environmental
impact, though.

A

In article said:

I did get the last pair of XL
biblongs, and the legs aren't really long enough, but they'll do if I don't
use the stirrups.

(And a little loose about the waist, but there weren't any L left.)

D.M. Procida wrote on 28/09/2006 23:20 +0100:

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Wheelist said:

Quoted message said:

I'll certainly nose at it, but I bought their "Crane sport" mits a few
months back (sprintime I guess), and they are in tatters now. The fabric is
not durable and the stiching very poor.

Jc.

Where is this stuff made?

Almost certainly in a far-eastern sweatshop.

Quoted message said:

I've been having an argument with my better half re. exploitation of
workers for too-cheap clothing vs. the benefits of a large pile of
winter cycling kit.

I have the same moral tussle with myself.

Look at it as Far East family with some income vs begging on the
streets. Its not good for them but its a lot better than the
alternatives currently available to them.

The Travels of a T Shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli is a
good read on the subject.

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

OT: Apologies to all for two very similar posts - due to a combination
of googlegroups very poor 6-hr+ update cycle, and the fact that google
can't seem to cope with a googlegroups identity and a different
googlemail identity on the same PC. I'm quaking at the thought of the
amount of spam I'm now likely to receive.

If anyone replies to my recent ...gmail post, please make sure my email
is removed! Please!

Shouldn't happen again, I'm shifting to the free newserver
http://news.motzarella.org/en/index.php, and I recommend any one else
struggling to read/post urc via google to do so. They're bound to start
charging to register in the end.

O.

Marcus Red said:

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Aldi Report and Review

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place. If you get medium in everything, something won't fit, no matter
how 'medium' you are.

Booger just reread this, after trying out my "medium for everything"
purchases. Back to the shops tomorrow.

Doh!
Googlegroups stress continues.

My spies tell me that Old Kent Road Aldi was empty of larger garments
as of 9a.m. this morning.

Alan Braggins said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Alan Braggins

Quoted message said:

I did get the last pair of XL
biblongs, and the legs aren't really long enough, but they'll do if I
don't use the stirrups.

(And a little loose about the waist, but there weren't any L left.)

Only two cycling shirts left in Southampton this afternoon, one medium and
one XL. Bah. At least the vultures had left the biblongs alone. :-)
--
Chris

On 28 Sep 2006 00:14 grannyhalfstep said:

Ready.

Steady.....

Go!

Yes, I know it's a bit late!

Got to Southampton shop over an hour after opening, bike racks full
(at first sight they were only half-full, but the stands are so close
together you can only fit one bike in the space between them, IYSWIM).

Trousers weren't any good for me (lots of trying on going on, with
some shoppers commenting "I hope you aren't going to take off
everything to check the fit" and similar). When the waist was right,
leg length was too short by a fair margin, and that was standing up,
so vastly too short when legs bent. Also seemed VERY "snug".

Tops fine. "Shirt" tried out this morning as a sort of light jacket -
canary yellow finish appears to be nicely visible!

Point made by someone else about gloves being unisex means I now
understand why I had to buy "extra large". Large pair taken back
after lunch, by which point the stock had gone down substantially.
Chatted to various folk there, pointing out that "large" gloves were
actually men's medium, and that the overshoes were sized for cycling
shoes, not for trainers (ie narrow soles, not extra-wide/thick).

Tried gloves this morning too - fine, apart from a tendency for the
finger seams to stick out a bit and catch in the ST levers when
changing down. Also, had they not been so super-cheap, I would have
given them a miss as they suffer from the standard glove problem of
being designed for folk whose fingers bend backwards as much as
forwards, ie the glove fingers stick out straight from the hand,
rather than being lightly curled inwards.

At these prices, I'm not _that_ bothered if the stuff doesn't last
very long, and I expect to get a decent money's worth out of it.

Many thanks to OP for the heads-up.

--
Tim Forcer [email hidden]
The University of Southampton, UK

The University is not responsible for my opinions