Wednesday 1 May 2013

Recommended: dhb road and mountain bike clothes

I'd love to own a wardrobe of Assos gear. Something for every weather, style and fit. Nothing pongs and everything is easily accessible and still feels fresh when you put it on in on a cold morning. The reality of life however, means that my wardrobe is in fact an awkwardly shaped box on the floor of the spare room and it's all mainly cheap dhb gear from wiggle.co.uk. It pongs on occasion and it's certainly not fresh. But I still rate and recommend them and continue to buy more stuff too.

My first pair of mountain bike shorts was a pair of Pearil Izumi Pro's. They were £100 (in 2003) and they were amazing. I managed to eek use out of them until only a few years ago. Setting the bar so high so soon meant that anything else I bought was loose fitting, awkward to wear and didn't feel right whilst on the bike.

I tried Fox, other Pearl Izumi shorts and Royal. Nothing compared to spending good money for good quality.

Until I tried dhb. Now I don't work for them and there's no affiliation, but I'm so genuinely chuffed with the quality and value of their products that I wanted to share my views.

My dhb collection

I really like their stuff.

  • Bib tights
  • Bib shorts
  • Arm warmers
  • Summer socks
  • Thermal socks
  • Merino base layer
  • Long sleeved jersey
  • Waterproof
  • Phone wallet
My favourite piece of kit at the moment has to be my long sleeved jersey.

dhb Vaeon Roubaix Long Sleeve Jersey

Here's what I like about it
  • Great value. I'd expect this jersey to last a few years and per ride, we're talking less than £0.50. Which is great.
  • Snug fit. It's an odd material and cut in that it suited me as soon as I put it on. There was no bunching or re-adjusting. Sure it's tight, but it conforms more than it compresses.
  • Pockets for your needs. I personally don't use the pockets that often, but I've done a 100 miler with this jersey and have had all of my food, phone and arm warmers stashed in there. No discomfort and everything fitted fine.
  • It's not wind-proof, but it's wind-proof enough. Coupled with a base layer it's great for crisply cold mornings, but with a light vest underneath it it's great for Spring rides. Obviously it's not suited for Summer, but I appreciate it's versatility when you need to layer up.
  • Colours. Black is awesome. Red is even better!

A bit about Wiggle

I use to be all about chainreactioncycles.com. I grew up looking at MBUK and browsing the CRC adverts with their prices and small photos of the components I could only dream of. Then along came Wiggle and my first thought was 'they're are not as cheap as CRC'. Then something happened. CRC got worse, Wiggle got better and price wasn't the only differentiator. It was the service too. And CRC service has always been really good and everyone is really friendly, but wiggle run sportive events, they have their own brand of clothing which is brilliant (and suited to UK weather) and you get the sense that they're committed to the UK biking scene. Maybe CRC and other retailers do this too, I know Evans do, but Wiggle have captured the essence of the sport for me and my wallet too.

They also appeal to my running and swimming side too. Check them out: wiggle.co.uk

wiggle.co.uk/run | wiggle.co.uk/cycle | wiggle.co.uk/swim

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