I love ebay, and over the years I have been able to pick up most of my kit second hand much cheaper there. Want a Rapha jersey or bibshorts? Just sit and wait for an email. Most of the time the kit is in exceptional condition, as people are buying new but selling at a major discount, and a lot of items can be picked up for £50/60. Also I can find a lot of rarer ex-pro pieces that you would never find in a shop.
Having said that I like to have the newest shorts for long rides, and I do at least one 100mile sportive a summer. I started to think about getting some new shorts. I was inspired by Tadej Pogacar's berry coloured shorts he wore at the Giro, and by so many of you here rocking a colourful short. However when I started looking for some coloured bibs I was shocked by some of the prices. I knew new kit was expensive, but never really fixed my mind on it.
https://maap.cc/uk/products/team-bib-evo-violet
https://morelifesports.com/en/endurance-man/1652-yellow-endurance-bib-short-20.html
I've heard just how good Maap stuff is, but £225 for new bibs is eyewatering, especially if I wanted a few different colours. Maap and More life seem to have very broad ranges of colours, but there is zero chance of stuff like this coming up on ebay, so I could easily spend several hundred on a few pieces. I can afford it, but justifying it is harder.
I know inflation has been an issue in the last few years, but it does feel odd that these can be as much as a whole bike. I was booking my bike into my LBS for a service and they had classic road bikes like Raleigh's outside for £250/350. Does anyone else feel a little out of touch with the prices of brand new items? Stick to black, or any recommendations?
by Shitelark