Is Buying Cheap Cycling Kit & Tech A False Economy?

What’s your experience with buying budget cycling products? 🧐

omg the baboon shorts. These clothes might be okay for the posers who like to look cool. Ollie could lend the clothes to Alex. Alex is quite tall, I wonder how those clotes would fit him. Thanks for the tip on bibs. I also have a cheap helmet with a light in the back and it works oka

I can only afford budget stuff and I've had some very good stuff too. I've also had some very crap stuff but the same with expensive stuff. Theres good and bad on all budgets.
Unfortunately I find a there's a lot of snobbery with cyclists and if you're not wearing high priced apparel then you're not a proper cyclist. To me it doesnt matter as long as were out there enjoying it.

Lol... the image on the shorts is just to show the padding.... not to be worn like that..... lol........................

I spend a little more for tech (replace broken or worn with step up components) and save $$ on shorts and jerseys since cycling shorts can be ridiculous in cost. Just my strategy for 20+ years of riding.

Greatest GCN Video ever 😂

Liked this video a lot! Please more like this! Snobbery etiquette is interesting.

To be fair the front lights are great when CTT decide to force people to have a front light and you want a small one you can put on an aero bar last minute that looks kind of aero

CE is no marker for anything really. It is a self-certified label. If it is on products from random chinese companies i wouldn't trust it.

Ollie doesn't look any more ridiculous in his costume than the other guy does in his.

Why is that saddle cover guffing in the Amazon pic..?

those shammy close ups 🤣

what a shame, i feel like all these commenters didnt understand a single joke in this video

I can't believe they're still not addressing the used market.
If you're new to cycling and poor don't buy a shitty bike. Buy a decent used bike for less money. In the current market a 10s road bike is a great deal with great availability of quality used parts.

Think those shorts were under shorts, not meant to be used as you did, however, funny seeing Ollie dressed up like that. Get Connor in it, that would be a laugh. By him small in everything, but just get that "modesty screen blurring edit tool" at the ready. 🤔🤔🤣🤣

the down side of cycling are snobs like this....elitist buffoons.

Baboon bum shorts

The thing about the helmet, tho.. You say it's passed the safety standards, but is there a way to verify that? There's a long history of cheap products on Amazon with sub-par manufacturing that don't actually meet safety standards when tested, even if they've got the stickers. Here in the US, bike helmets are supposed to meet the CPSC 1 standards, but I couldn't find a way to verify it on the CPSC website.

As someone got into cycling about 12 months ago. The padded seat cover is a trap, no matter how much experienced riders tell you not to, it just seem to makes sense to the newb, I rode on it for a 80k ride and my butt was chaffed quite a bit.

I thought “comfy” seats are for the pros and their needs and is still way too hard for me, now I know the error in my ways and bought the most expensive saddle I can get sworks with mirror and it is worth every cent. Please save you money and buy the good stuff, it’s not “pro comfy” it’s just comfortable

Sorry guys, what is your message - cheap things are trash? I feel very pity for you "so called" pros...if you don´t know the different between a cycling shorts and a inner pant...if you buy cheap thing with your "experience" you should buy better, for what the hell do you need saddle cover on your carbon railed saddle? GCN is only a commercial channel to have click baits and make advertises for Canyon, Cannondale, Scott, Sram, Castelli, Shimano and to sell abonnements for the GCN Network... Sorry but there are a lot of people who are not sponsored and have to pay their cycling stuff and bike themself, or is this the possibly to liquid the GCN Shop/stock for the next season...If it is so, why you guy don´t make a episode maybe called "Blow out the shop"? ;) But for me i prefer other Brands then Castelli and i´ll never ever buy and make advertise for GCN. Cheers.

Those lights? I got a set here at a dollar store for curiosity, and they're garbage. The rubber is all that's keeping the electronics from getting wet and doesn't fit awesomely (so avoid rain..) and it's only going to get worse once you replace the battery as you stretch it out to take it off and pop in a new coin cell.

If you hit a decent sized bump on the road there's a chance it goes off as the battery isn't well seated (iirc, it's purely a tension fit), so yeah, wouldn't recommend them for anything safety related. It's better than nothing but.. I dunno.

I really enjoy your videos but joking apart there is a limit of bias. Terrible sizing of jersey was one thing but with the shorts you crossed the line. It is not fun it just hits at your credibility. I would prefer a more real life test paying a few more £ where materials/stitching are much better, the comparison I think would be more interesting and useful. But would you do that when you sell your own?

Shorts: clearly marked as underwear shorts and they should be used as such. And not be worn inside out because there was a photo of them to show the padding. They are shorter than normal as they are supposed to be used under some other non padded shorts or tights. I use a similar model for easy family rides with normal shorts or trousers. Their padding is not as good as proper shorts or bib shorts but they are ok if used properly and have lasted. And they have scored very well on amazon.

Helmet: EC certification sticker even if not fake is not all. I am thinking quality of materials that will not last, irritating and slippery straps that do not keep their position and so on. At the last black Friday there were branded helmets for less that £10. £20 for a no name is too much I think to buy blindly.

Ollie, when your knees are at the top they make an outwards-inwards move. Is this movement acceptable? Apart from possible aero cost could it strain your knee ligaments? Is is something you could improve on with cleat adjustment etc?

I cried laughing watching Ollie step out of the woods in those very tiny tight inside out shorts. That was hilarious. I started out riding with the cheap equipment also. Like they said, save your money and get the better equipment. So much better.

What about the eurobike?

This was a set up to poo-poo the products. You dare not say anything positive with your sponsor Castelli.

Regarding helmets... PlanetX's helmets cost around the same - sometimes even cheaper during a sale and worth every penny. Sadly planetX are having trouble getting stock for some of them but the ones they do have in stock arent bad.

I have myself a Podium SL from them but im waiting for the 'Evo' to come back in stock and they have been OOS for a very very long time with no ETA.

Great job Ollie. I have not laughed that hard for a bit. That in mind, I greatly appreciate the ratings provided. Allex - thank you for making the laughter possible. I echo everyone's comments about Amazon purchases being hit or miss. I've ordered Continental tubes from Amazon in the past which is something I consider higher end but from Amazon they ended up being a miss. The tubes barely lasted two rides as they could not deal with the high pressure, (120 psi). I think they were clones as they did not match the quality of my store bought Continental tubes.

Nah GCN just did this fail on purpose.
I got a few cheap kits out of Amazon and they still holding up like new.
They just doing a favor to the big bucks brands.
100% misleading video

Hilarious!! 😂😂😂 Loved it!

Sadly going for laughs, this missed a thing or two. It's well known that nobody pays full price for Rapha and it's equally true with all cycle clothing. You can find good quality branded clothing at discount with a bit of patience and internet searching. Maybe each having a budget and looking for kit you might actually want to wear rather than looking at this as a piss take. Some people really have to shop on a low budget.

Hey Guys, I am struggling to find a good reasonable priced pair of prescription sunglasses, can you do a video on this subject? I'm sure there are lots of cyclist in the same boat.

Bib straps make no sense to me. I wear regular cycling shorts and have no issues with them moving.

GCN might have jumped the shark on this. We get it that GCN presenters have a relatively pricey clothing sponsor and GCN earns money from sales. But are your writers and presenters aware of the privilege and conflict of interest? How can any clothing review be objective and not end up biting the hand that feeds you.
Sure, do a comedy sketch or do a proper review. You can't do both.
I had to stop watching after a few minutes because you weren't really doing either.
I'm not an advocate for the cheapest kit you can find, nor do I buy expensive kit including from your sponsor without regard to price or budget.
C'mon GCN, you are either a comedy show or a cycling channel. Your presenters are cyclists first and this video might have got a few laughs but we have comedians for this type of thing. I doubt anyone will watch any future GCN kit review other than for a few laughs

CE can also be that it is china export and that CE looks the exact same as the safety certified logo😅

From my short experience in the cycling world, don't skimp on the helmet and lights besides the bike itself. All other stuff like a kit has been fine skimping on from my experience. I have bought several cheap shorts off of Amazon, and some are great to wear for cycling. The only reason I say don't buy cheap helmets and lights is that there is a huge difference between good helmets and cheap helmets that I found after having a little accident as I wore a cheap helmet. Now I fork out however much money on the helmets without hesitation. The same with lights because cheap lights just don't put out enough lumens to see well besides being seen by others when it is dark, so, again, I figured just fork out the cash on lights to get it right from the get-go.

I was given a saddle cover and it didn't last long on my bike because it was removed after a few days because it was a lot worse than nothing

This feels the worst kind of sneering at people who can't afford the expensive premium kit. One obstacle to people taking up cycling is feeling that you need expensive bike & kit and that you'll be laughed at if you can't afford to spend more - this video reinforces that

Saddle cover could easily double up as a knee pad for jobs around the house

Best way to save money on kit.....don't spend any money on kit. I just wear a t-shirt when it is warm.Toss on a hoodie and /or wind jacket if cold. I see no need for fancy kit when everyday riding. You couldn't pay me to wear the shorts....even if they were the correct size.

The lights seem a real bargain. Being seen is more important than saying much of the time.

I think people who think they need saddle covers actually need to ride more. I have periods even now, if I don't ride for a few months, my butt gets sore. Then I get adjusted to riding and it is all good. I would look at a different saddle first, and only use a padded cover as last resort.

For sure find a system and set up that is comfortable so you get out and ride more. I live in western Canada, so 'kit' is a warm fuzzy hoodie and wind jacket/pants and studded tires. I also heat my water so is is still liquid by the end of the ride. Riding well below zero no problem. Ice is the biggest challenge, even with steel studded tires.

I used to use one of those gel pads on my old bike, thing was invaluable for a fat guy!

This was a great episode. There are soooooooo many cycling items on Amazon. Some are great and a good value. Some, as we have seen, are complete garbage. I have found a brand of kits on Amazon that I really like. The whole kit (bib, jersey) is about $40 USD and they are nice. The bibs fit well and are very comfortable. They don’t have a 4” inseam like the ones in this show. The jersey’s are nice and even have a small zippered pocket in the back for keys/wallet/ID. I own a few of these kits and for me they are much better than buying a kit for $200 or more. I also bought a few floor racks for my bikes. They don’t connect to each other but for the price they are a steal. They work well and I haven’t had any issues with them.

Taking this into consideration, there are many items I would not even try on Amazon. My thought is anything drivetrain related should be a decent investment. You can send back a kit you don’t like. If a cheap part leaves you stranded on the side of the road you will be very unhappy.

Also, for god’s sake, do not buy a seat cushion. They were spot on with their recommendation. More padding does not make a seat better. We have a Peloton and that is one huge downfall of the Peloton. The seat is way too soft and horribly uncomfortable.

Geez, Ollie…were those your legs, or were you riding a chicken?

At least Ollie doesn’t look like an absolute tool wearing giant GCN logos

Even worn correctly - and in the right size - I wouldn't really trust these products. I would rather save up to buy good quality from Santini, Castelli, Isadore or Café du Cycliste.

Do you know what else feels bad on your skin? Castelli premium clothes when they are wrong size. Sorry, but this feels like a waste of time, who buys xsmall and xxxlarge at the same time? Why not make a video with a comedic vibe with Castelli products 3xl shorts and xxsmall jersey for example? I am sure castelli would love it

My question is, does Alex knew that Ollie will end up wearing the jersey and the shirt? How did he manipulate the coin that Ollie was holding? 😂😂😂. Thank you guys for the info and the laughs.