Cycling jerseys -- why so expensive?

[nickiula]

I understand why shorts are expensive; they have padding and are manufactured to be extra durable. But, I can't figure out why jerseys cost so much? Aren't they basically polyester? I recently saw a lightweight wool jersey somewhere on the internet for about $25. Would wool provide similar "wick - moisture" removing properties as a polyester jersey. After all, serious campers always use wool socks to keep their feet dry (not polyester).

 

[Volnix]

Originally Posted by nickiula
I understand why shorts are expensive; they have padding and are manufactured to be extra durable. But, I can't figure out why jerseys cost so much? Aren't they basically polyester? I recently saw a lightweight wool jersey somewhere on the internet for about $25. Would wool provide similar "wick - moisture" removing properties as a polyester jersey.

Hiking gear is not that cheap either...

Do you know Lidl or Aldi? They are German low-price supermarkets that also have cycling gear. Pretty cheap for those non-elegant rides.

Very thin "merino" wool ones do wick moisture.

 

[nickiula]

thanks ---

There is an Aldi's near my home which I frequent on occasion. I will keep my eyes open for cycling gear.

 

[steve]

Also keep an eye on specials the large online retailers will run toward the end of the year. I've picked up some very cheap kit this way.

 

[baker3]

Originally Posted by nickiula
I understand why shorts are expensive; they have padding and are manufactured to be extra durable. But, I can't figure out why jerseys cost so much? Aren't they basically polyester? I recently saw a lightweight wool jersey somewhere on the internet for about $25. Would wool provide similar "wick - moisture" removing properties as a polyester jersey. After all, serious campers always use wool socks to keep their feet dry (not polyester).

economics 101, you sell your products for the highest amount your customer will bare. If people decided to stop buying them on mass, the price will be dropped by retailers. The price of stuff often has nothing to do with the cost to manufacture, things like value systems, fads etc. play a part.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

quote by baker3:
"economics 101"

This.

Shop Bike Nashbar for closeouts on clothing.

 

[limerickman]

Originally Posted by Volnix


Hiking gear is not that cheap either...

Do you know Lidl or Aldi? They are German low-price supermarkets that also have cycling gear. Pretty cheap for those non-elegant rides.

Very thin "merino" wool ones do wick moisture.

Lidl & Aldi sell cycling accessories at least once per month.
Jerseys, shorts, gloves, jackets, sunglasses.
Good durable stuff it is too.

 

[looseleftie]

Check Ali Express out!!! Awesome value, free shipping anywhere on any amount. Do yourself a favour, check it out

 

[mpre53]

For everyday riding, the basic, plain jane $20 jerseys from Performance, Nashbar, eCycling, and Areo Tech work as well when it comes to wicking as the more expensive jerseys. I have nicer jerseys. Some were gifts from guys who don't ride any more. A couple were award jerseys for meeting fundraising levels in charity rides. One was a shop jersey from a place that was going out of business that was basically given away at their clearance sale. All of them are name brands--Primal, Descente, Verge, LG, and so on. The basic jerseys do their job well enough by comparison.

 

[doctorold]

I found two basic Gore jerseys for around $25 a piece that I have worn to death. They are still in fairly good condition and aren't stinking......yet. But my two favorite jerseys are merino wool. One is 150 weight and the other is 260. They have thousands of miles on them and are like new. I got them on clearance but still paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $75 each. Expensive? Relatively. Considering their comfort and longevity they were pretty inexpensive. The good part about them is they are not covered in logos (a la NASCAR motif).

 

[Froze]

Dude, you are involved in a very high costing hobby which the industry will rip you off anyway you turn because they can and they know you will pay. Just yesterday I went to get a set of cheap plastic bar end plugs for a bike and they wanted to charge me $6...Huh???? Those things didn't cost 1 cent to make! And in the same store I could have bought a vacuum insulated stainless steel 20 ounce water bottle for...guess how much? yup, $6.49. Are they telling me that it cost the same to make and ship cheap plastic end caps as it does for a stainless steel water bottle? Does a $15,000 racing bicycle have more technology than a $15,000 KTM racing motorcycle? Why do higher end bike tires cost close to 50% of what a car tire cost and yet only last 2,000 miles instead of 60,000 miles? Get the idea?

Back to jerseys. I use to live in the Mojave Desert of California and I use to buy expensive Jerseys trying to find the slightest degree of relief from the heat, and what I found was that a $140 (I got it on sale for $85 so I'm only partially insane!) was just as cool as a $12 jersey from Walmart except I didn't get pockets in the back. This does make sense since even the most expensive jerseys use 100% polyester which is the same percentage used in cheap Walmart ones. What's really weird that I found out in the desert is that loose fitting jerseys that flap a bit in the wind is even more cooler than tight fitting because the wind gets inside the jersey and you feel much cooler. I get most of mine from discount places like Gordmans (sp?) etc or end of the year closeouts from online bike stores because the Walmart ones don't last real long. Wool is a great material but it's only really necessary if you'll be touring and may not change your jersey for couple of days because it doesn't stink like polyester, but it's expensive and not worth riding everyday in. Campers use it because it holds a lot of moisture, it's comfortable, and again it won't stink after several days of use.

However when it comes to shorts you can't go cheap, you need a good fitting short with a good liner, go cheap and you'll pay in the **** for it, but again wait for year end closeouts.

Regardless of where you buy or if you want bike specific clothing you will always get the best deals during end of the season closeouts and on Black Friday.

 

[chenlinf]

I find a tip about sport lover cycling jerseys from forum member, their price is very attractive, and you can check it: www.sport-lover.com

 

[Froze]

Originally Posted by nickiula
I understand why shorts are expensive; they have padding and are manufactured to be extra durable. But, I can't figure out why jerseys cost so much? Aren't they basically polyester? I recently saw a lightweight wool jersey somewhere on the internet for about $25. Would wool provide similar "wick - moisture" removing properties as a polyester jersey. After all, serious campers always use wool socks to keep their feet dry (not polyester).

Because the manufacturers know that if they advertise it with enough mumbo jumbo scientific words that us stupid fish would be attracted to it and take the bait. In reality all those expensive jerseys are is 100% polyester which you can buy for $15 at Target, Walmart etc, except those don't have the rear pocket which I could care less about but some might, so if the pocket is needed wait till Black Friday and buy some on sale at leading bike online store for around $15 each.

I use to live in the Mojave Desert area of Southern California and rode my bike in 100 degree plus weather, I actually found the cheap Walmart jerseys to be cooler because the didn't fit skin tight and the air was allowed to billow slightly inside the jersey and kept me cooler than my $120 (on sale for $65) jersey. Once I found that out I never bought another expensive jersey except for touring then I have some wool ones for that purpose because they don't stink after an hour of riding.

But then I found out something even more shocking, a cheap football jersey was even cooler! A football jersey is made of 100% polyester but it has holes all over it allowing the air to flow massively through it.

You have to be careful with this hobby because manufactures are bidding for your cash, this is why we spend $50 for a tire, yet if car tires were made using that same financial logic they would cost us around $2,500 each! Does a bike tire have more technology in it than a car tire? NO, in fact it has far less technology in it. A $15,000 KTM racing motorcycle would cost $1,500,000 if it followed the same logic as bikes do. Why did I bring up the motorcycle? because they actually have bicycles that cost that much, and is the manufactures of those expensive bikes telling us that there is more technology in their bicycle then there is in a KTM motorcycle? again NO, but the biking industry is making fools of us, and fool and his money is soon parted. The reason prices in the cycling industry have skyrocketed in recent years is because cycling is the new corporate meeting room like golf use to be, and remember how much golf equipment use to cost?

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Meh. I just paid $128 for a Super Record chainring. I would have paid twice that much not to ride shitmaNO.

Quote by Froze:
"The reason prices in the cycling industry have skyrocketed in recent years is because cycling is the new corporate meeting room like golf use to be, and remember how much golf equipment use to cost?"

Never heard that one before.

I thought it was caused by the unionization of those damned Romanian elves.

 

[Froze]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB


I thought it was caused by the unionization of those damned Romanian elves.

Well that too.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

I agree with what you are saying, overall, Froze.

It's weird...a bike with a frame/fork built in China with very simple mechanical components sourced from the cheapest labor on the planet costs $5,000-$10,000 when an econobox car only fetches $15,000-$20,000.

The economics of scale, I guess. Perhaps some liability costs tossed into the mix (priced a 'cheap' civil aviation market aircraft lately?)?

I know of very few execs in my AO that ride. Of course, I'm half a continent from Silicon Valley!

 

[531Aussie]

Bibs are also a ripoff. They're just about the only product left in the world that doesn't come out of Asian, apart from the shitty knock-offs.

 

[Froze]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
I agree with what you are saying, overall, Froze.

It's weird...a bike with a frame/fork built in China with very simple mechanical components sourced from the cheapest labor on the planet costs $5,000-$10,000 when an econobox car only fetches $15,000-$20,000.

The economics of scale, I guess. Perhaps some liability costs tossed into the mix (priced a 'cheap' civil aviation market aircraft lately?)?

I know of very few execs in my AO that ride. Of course, I'm half a continent from Silicon Valley!

Liability isn't any where near on a bike as it is with motorcycles, cars, and especially airplanes which have the highest cost of liability added into the purchase price. So the liability cost added to a bike is almost nil. And how much is the cost of liability tagged on an airplane? not that much, only 3% no matter how much the plane costs. So no way is the cost of a bicycle driving the cost of bikes up, no, this all about corporate greed, they know that cycling is all about disposable income and they know they can get it. The corporations also know we are stupid, plain and simple, they come out with something new that will cost a lot more, be more difficult to repair, and have a shorter life expectancy, then the previous model...and like the idiots we are we run and buy it because Lance Armstrong (or some such person) all endorse it as the newest and greatest thing we all should have if we want to be true cyclists.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Quote by Froze:
"...we run and buy it because Lance Armstrong (or some such person) all endorse it as the newest and greatest thing we all should have if we want to be true cyclists."

I'll be the first in line to buy 'Lance's One-A-Day EPO' pills.

Regardless of the price tag!

Not to debate general aviation liability costs in a jersey thread (CF jumps the shark debates have seen much more imaginative leaps, for sure), but...

"I recall something in the order of 1/3rd the price of a new aircraft was for liability cost to cover the airplane over the lifetime expected."

From: http://www.get-aviation.com/blog/airplanes-business-use-productivity/general-aviation-piston-aircraft-decline

Between the costs of product liability, industry insurance requiements and .gov regulation the most quoted figure I hear around the local airports is somewhere around 1/2 to 2/3rds the price tag of a new piston-powered non-LSA plane.

Cheap jerseys, shorts and tights? Shop Bike Nashbar! I just snagged two pairs of the Mansfield II tights for $47 delivered...no liability costs built in to those winter wear goodies!

 

[mpre53]

The upshot is, maybe 3% of General Aviation accidents are the result of a defective product. Mostly, they are the result of a defective pilot. Guys with 100 hours or so who outfly their abilities (JFK Jr.) or those rich guys who buy more airplane than they can handle (Thurman Munson).

Single most common one: "Continued Flight into Adverse Weather". Or CFAW as we used to refer to it.