Discussion
pablo said:
jamescodriver said:
Popped Into to lidl on Friday and they had some nice cycling stuff in.
Full bike tool kit £24, lovely saddle bag with tools and clips to the saddle via a buckle rather than Velcro £5!
HOW MANY TIMES??!?! its sFull bike tool kit £24, lovely saddle bag with tools and clips to the saddle via a buckle rather than Velcro £5!
t, you buy cheap, you buy twice...I've got the bike stand, sadle bag, tons of socks, gloves etc, all of are OK for the (limited) use they get, and in some instances have been much better "value" than their expensive (branded) equivalents.
When someone suggests they might buy an Apollo from Halfords for a 5 mile commute, everyone is up in arms and posts links to bikes costing twice the price with comments not far off "the Apollo is made of cheese and you will die", yet no one is supposed to bat an eye lid when people recommend buying cheap tools or accessories from Lidl...
pablo said:
When someone suggests they might buy an Apollo from Halfords for a 5 mile commute, everyone is up in arms and posts links to bikes costing twice the price with comments not far off "the Apollo is made of cheese and you will die", yet no one is supposed to bat an eye lid when people recommend buying cheap tools or accessories from Lidl...
So did you object as an ironic protest to such behaviour?pablo said:
When someone suggests they might buy an Apollo from Halfords for a 5 mile commute, everyone is up in arms and posts links to bikes costing twice the price with comments not far off "the Apollo is made of cheese and you will die", yet no one is supposed to bat an eye lid when people recommend buying cheap tools or accessories from Lidl...
That's because with things like clothing, they are often made in the same factories; be they expensive brands or lidl. There is almost no difference in the quality unless they feature branded membranes, and even then, the cheaper stuff isn't far off the likes of Gore. The final price is almost always down to mark-up. I have some Arc'teryx mountaineering kit (bought at cost), which is bonkers expensive stuff retail, and some much much cheaper kit. Can't tell the difference functionally between the two. Same with my Decathlon cycling jacket vs my Gore one.
With tools however, you get into manufacturing process (forging vs. casting) and materials quality, which do have a bearing on functional performance.
Bikes sit somewhere between the two. Nothing wrong with an Apollo bike functionally IMO as it will be fine for Mr Average on their commute.
yonex said:
I got some Crane stuff from Lidl and whilst it's not exactly the amazing it's lasted 8 months of commuting and racing. I laugh at some of the expensive gear it's ever decreasing in performance. A duff zip on a £10 Lidl gament is no different to one on a £200 Raff 
Pretty sure crane is aldi, cirvit is lidl.I've tried virtually all their kit at some point. Most of it has been great, but the crap bits in my eyes are -
track pumps (mine hasnt died yet but seems to be the exception)
chain cleaning tool (lasted about 3 uses before disentegrating)
winter gloves - two pairs failed to last a winter.
The workstand though is an absolute godsend.
rhinochopig said:
That's because with things like clothing, they are often made in the same factories; be they expensive brands or lidl. There is almost no difference in the quality unless they feature branded membranes, and even then, the cheaper stuff isn't far off the likes of Gore. The final price is almost always down to mark-up.
I have some Arc'teryx mountaineering kit (bought at cost), which is bonkers expensive stuff retail, and some much much cheaper kit. Can't tell the difference functionally between the two. Same with my Decathlon cycling jacket vs my Gore one.
With tools however, you get into manufacturing process (forging vs. casting) and materials quality, which do have a bearing on functional performance.
Bikes sit somewhere between the two. Nothing wrong with an Apollo bike functionally IMO as it will be fine for Mr Average on their commute.
Im not having that a £60 jersey is the same quality as a £5 one. The material will be far superior in the dearer top. I have some Arc'teryx mountaineering kit (bought at cost), which is bonkers expensive stuff retail, and some much much cheaper kit. Can't tell the difference functionally between the two. Same with my Decathlon cycling jacket vs my Gore one.
With tools however, you get into manufacturing process (forging vs. casting) and materials quality, which do have a bearing on functional performance.
Bikes sit somewhere between the two. Nothing wrong with an Apollo bike functionally IMO as it will be fine for Mr Average on their commute.
craigb84 said:
rhinochopig said:
That's because with things like clothing, they are often made in the same factories; be they expensive brands or lidl. There is almost no difference in the quality unless they feature branded membranes, and even then, the cheaper stuff isn't far off the likes of Gore. The final price is almost always down to mark-up.
I have some Arc'teryx mountaineering kit (bought at cost), which is bonkers expensive stuff retail, and some much much cheaper kit. Can't tell the difference functionally between the two. Same with my Decathlon cycling jacket vs my Gore one.
With tools however, you get into manufacturing process (forging vs. casting) and materials quality, which do have a bearing on functional performance.
Bikes sit somewhere between the two. Nothing wrong with an Apollo bike functionally IMO as it will be fine for Mr Average on their commute.
Im not having that a £60 jersey is the same quality as a £5 one. The material will be far superior in the dearer top. I have some Arc'teryx mountaineering kit (bought at cost), which is bonkers expensive stuff retail, and some much much cheaper kit. Can't tell the difference functionally between the two. Same with my Decathlon cycling jacket vs my Gore one.
With tools however, you get into manufacturing process (forging vs. casting) and materials quality, which do have a bearing on functional performance.
Bikes sit somewhere between the two. Nothing wrong with an Apollo bike functionally IMO as it will be fine for Mr Average on their commute.
When i was a student i worked in a sports shop and believe me the markup on the top branded gear is incredible.
Yes it was better but generally not by the price difference.
If your using your jacket to go proper mountaineering the yep go for the best goretex but if your just plodding round the shops buy a breathable membrane version.
Its the same with bike gear, just give it a good look and feel.
Yes it was better but generally not by the price difference.
If your using your jacket to go proper mountaineering the yep go for the best goretex but if your just plodding round the shops buy a breathable membrane version.
Its the same with bike gear, just give it a good look and feel.
shouldbworking said:
Pretty sure crane is aldi, cirvit is lidl.
I've tried virtually all their kit at some point. Most of it has been great, but the crap bits in my eyes are -
track pumps (mine hasnt died yet but seems to be the exception)
chain cleaning tool (lasted about 3 uses before disentegrating)
winter gloves - two pairs failed to last a winter.
The workstand though is an absolute godsend.
Yeah prolly was. It has lasted though and I have lost so much weight I need new kit anyway so am glad I never invested in decent kit last year!I've tried virtually all their kit at some point. Most of it has been great, but the crap bits in my eyes are -
track pumps (mine hasnt died yet but seems to be the exception)
chain cleaning tool (lasted about 3 uses before disentegrating)
winter gloves - two pairs failed to last a winter.
The workstand though is an absolute godsend.
I've bought spanners & Allen Keys, small socket sets with small ratchets and theyve been great. Had them about 7 years now and i've never suffered a rounded nut and they've never softened up at the sight of one.
There's a couple of things i've bought there in the past which havent been too great but the hand tools couldnt really be faulted.
There's a couple of things i've bought there in the past which havent been too great but the hand tools couldnt really be faulted.
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