buying advice required - bits & bobs

[Chicken Chaser]

Need to sort myself out with a few items

Firstly, anyone know where I can get a good deal on inner tubes for 700c x 23?

Also some recommendations on arm and leg warmers. Should I also get a garment for under or over my jersey for cooler weather? I've got a long sleeve roubaix top which is great in winter but a little too warm this time of year.

I also want to get myself fitted for some new shoes. My DHB road shoes have given me some nerve damage on my right foot and I suspect that this is due to them being too narrow.

Lastly I'm looking for a new pair of fingerless gloves.

All recommendations welcome however I don't have the funds for the likes of Assos.

[Rouleur]

Tubes - Ribble are cheapy cheap

Arm/leg warmers - DHB are good value

A gilet is perfect for adding a little warmth (and shower protection) for much of the year. It's worth spending a few quid on one as you'll find you get a lot of use from it.

Shimano shoes are great and quite a wide fit

A standard warmth L/S jersey is an essential IMO, again you'll wear it a lot. Pearl Izumi is a great brand for any type of clothing, also Gore is good.

[Jimbo.]

Chicken Chaser said:

Need to sort myself out with a few items

Firstly, anyone know where I can get a good deal on inner tubes for 700c x 23?

Also some recommendations on arm and leg warmers. Should I also get a garment for under or over my jersey for cooler weather? I've got a long sleeve roubaix top which is great in winter but a little too warm this time of year.

I also want to get myself fitted for some new shoes. My DHB road shoes have given me some nerve damage on my right foot and I suspect that this is due to them being too narrow.

Lastly I'm looking for a new pair of fingerless gloves.

All recommendations welcome however I don't have the funds for the likes of Assos.

Tubes: Ribble, Planet-X/On-One, Merlin, ebAY (High on Bikes) etc. Buying 5 or 10 at a time works out cheapest. Although no matter how many you buy, you'll always been one short of a warm Saturday morning...

Arm warmers: heard good things about Castelli Nanoflex, Gore and Prendas. No reason to doubt it . I use Endura Baa-Baa Merinos: not particularly water resistant nor wind proof, but warm even when wet.

Base layers: DEFINITELY! Rapha Merino, dhb Merino are both good in all conditions. Craft cool mesh stuff is very effective in hot weather, although not sure how well (too well?) it works in the cold. Wouldn't be without it myself.

Shoes: try on as many as you can within budget, even if it means paying more buying from a proper shop Run Northwave myself: fit seems normal-ish, although everyone's different.

Gloves: again, whichever fits. Gore stuff is good quality. Specialized make a big deal out of their whole "Body Geometry" stuff, and annoyingly they're right, as Specialized gloves are (to me, anyway) always comfy.

[Chicken Chaser]

Some useful tips here thanks. Ideally I need something which I can stuff in my back pockets when things get a bit warm. I carry a rain jacket in my rear pack which packs up tiny so getting wet isnt really a problem, its just that gap between say 8 degrees and 15 degrees when its too warm for a roubaix long sleeve, and too cold for a standard short sleeve jersey.

I think i'll use the LBS for arm and leg warmers and make sure I get properly sorted for shoes too.

[craigb84]

I use Craft Zero long sleeves for both snowboarding and under my jerseys. I find them excellent. They're also half price on Wiggle at the moment. I'm going to be ordering a few more.

[Jimbo.]

Chicken Chaser said:

Some useful tips here thanks. Ideally I need something which I can stuff in my back pockets when things get a bit warm. I carry a rain jacket in my rear pack which packs up tiny so getting wet isnt really a problem, its just that gap between say 8 degrees and 15 degrees when its too warm for a roubaix long sleeve, and too cold for a standard short sleeve jersey.

I think i'll use the LBS for arm and leg warmers and make sure I get properly sorted for shoes too.

Forget the rain jacket: chances are that as soon as you use it, you'll get as wet from sweat on the inside, as you would rain from the outside!
Windproof gilet, SS jersey and arm warmers are the way forward: that way you can chop/change layers depending upon the conditions as you ride

[Hackney]

Jimbo. said:

Forget the rain jacket: chances are that as soon as you use it, you'll get as wet from sweat on the inside, as you would rain from the outside!

This.

Bought one recently. Easily packs into a shirt pocket, great.
Cycled home in it the other day, as I'd expected it to rain on the way, and when I took it off
I may aswell have just stood under the shower.

You're better off getting rained on.