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Great value gear
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Just wanted to post a thread about great valued gear. As in stuff that’s dirt cheap and really holds up.

Tires <$15

Vitoria Zaffiro Pro. I had a pair of these come on the bike. They’re a little heavy and slow but they’ve held up. Use them as training tires and where them to the cords.

Conti Ultra Sport II. Bought them in a pinch and they held up for a while. Can’t think of a better deal.

Heart rate strap.
Garmin hard strap. $20. I don’t even know how long this last because I’m still on one from I don’t even know when. It’s basically immortal and works like a boss.

Off brand Jammers. <$20
I’ve had a few of the Sporti Jammers and a couple Amazon Chinese deals. They work just as well as anything else for training and seems to last.

Swedes <$3
For years I used Swedes. Not always the best open water option as I prefer the wide angle lens. But in the pool these will last longer and be just as comfortable as anything else. You could pay for them with pocket change.

Anything else anyone? Feel free to add!

I still lapped everyone on the couch!
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Re: Great value gear [Jloewe] [ In reply to ]
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Utlrasport II's came on a bike I bought. I was pretty impressed with the performance for a tire you can easily find for ~$15. bicyclerollingresistance.com tests show that the rolling resistance is only 2-3 watts/tire off the 4000SII.

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"
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Re: Great value gear [Jloewe] [ In reply to ]
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Old Navy flip flops. $2, and I've had the same pair in my swim bag since '14. That's a pretty good ROI....

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly
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Re: Great value gear [Jloewe] [ In reply to ]
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Target's Champion C9 shorts/tops wear like iron and cost a fraction of the big name brands, the only shorts I've found that wear as well as DeSotos. Not that they are cheap, but a great value are Balega socks-you just can't wear them out.
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Re: Great value gear [Jloewe] [ In reply to ]
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Has anyone had any experience with SLS3 gear from Amazon, particularly the Tri Suits? They seem pretty reasonably priced.
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Re: Great value gear [JasoninHalifax] [ In reply to ]
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JasoninHalifax wrote:
Old Navy flip flops. $2, and I've had the same pair in my swim bag since '14. That's a pretty good ROI....

Mine were too foamy and started to break down and get funky. I think they were absorbing stuff and not drying out.

I have havaianas now which are basically a solid block of rubber. They have held up great, even using them sometimes as pre/post race footwear.
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Re: Great value gear [beercity] [ In reply to ]
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Just bought a pair of Continental Grand Prixs (not GP4000) for $45.

They weigh within 5-7 grams of GP4000s and look almost identical. Bicycle tire crr tests show they are only 1 watt slower than GP4000s. So for me perfect as a training tire.
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Re: Great value gear [Jloewe] [ In reply to ]
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Alpha X aerobar at $749 (without extensions)
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Re: Great value gear [triguy86] [ In reply to ]
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New Profile Design Svet basebar on eBay for $65. Nobody seems to have much love for the white ones, hence the low price!

Louis Garneau Signature 84 shoes for $55 on Amazon. Take out the laces, add nice flat elastic laces and you've got a poor man's Giro Empire with fast-entry and exit.



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http://www.howesgreg.com
Last edited by: BungleJapan: Apr 27, 18 7:32
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Re: Great value gear [Jloewe] [ In reply to ]
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Jloewe wrote:
Heart rate strap.
Garmin hard strap. $20. I don’t even know how long this last because I’m still on one from I don’t even know when. It’s basically immortal and works like a boss.
+1.

Aero bottle:
Elite Crono CX (fiberglass cage) $34.

Aerobar extensions:
Zipp Vuka Alumina Evo $60. I don't have these yet, but I'll want them when I get a new bike.

Components:
Jack Mott used to preach about the high quality of the Shimano 105 line. I'm fully on-board with that line of thinking.

Goggles:
I use Aqua Sphere Mako goggles. They fit me really, really well and they're nice and soft. I get them for about $12 on sale.

Wetsuit:
I got an Xterra sleeveless in my size for like $35. I use a lot of eBay saved searches, so when something pops up in my size I see it right away.

-------------------
Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram
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Re: Great value gear [BungleJapan] [ In reply to ]
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BungleJapan wrote:
New Profile Design Svet basebar on eBay for $65.

Wow. That is a good price for what looks like a very fast bar.

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram
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Re: Great value gear [Timtek] [ In reply to ]
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I'm very happy with it. Last time I checked, they were still selling at about $65 on Amazon US.

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http://www.howesgreg.com
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Re: Great value gear [Jloewe] [ In reply to ]
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Stanley zip ties. $3 for 20 at Walmart

Make a great BTA or (on some seatposts) BTS bottle system.

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly
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Re: Great value gear [Jloewe] [ In reply to ]
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I buy all my running clothing from Old Navy.
It never felt any different or wicked (sp?) moisture any worse than way more expensive stuff from New Balance/Nike/etc...
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Re: Great value gear [y_nigel] [ In reply to ]
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https://www.sparx-sports.com/ good affordable tri shorts under $45
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Re: Great value gear [Jloewe] [ In reply to ]
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Walmart flip-flops. At the end of season they are $1 a pair. They last for about two years in the swim/gym bag and are great to wear down to the water at races and kick off knowing if they disappear you are only out $1.

"It's good enough for who it's for" - Grandpa Wayne
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Re: Great value gear [jp3] [ In reply to ]
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I bought the SLS3 suit below from this same ebay vendor last year and used it for a few sprints. I don't mind the suit. The size seemed right, it's held up as well as any other suit, and it's comfy.

The cons...
The sleeves are not as long (about mid bicep) as most other tri suits and the elastic in the end of the sleeve doesn't grip well, so they ride up even higher. I sewed some grippier elastic in to keep them in place. Problem solved.

I don't like the mesh back and side panels for non-wetsuit swims. It just seems slower than a smooth material.
https://www.pscp.tv/w/ba0fAzF4TlFheHhYTUpYRWJ8MURYeHlYWXBOcnZKTfPMY7aC7lb1yBbkz4GlG675XgcGo9Da3c55qhvwl0Of?t=13s


I went with this Sparx suit this year. It's a little cheaper and has none of the cons listed above.


https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F173259185312




Last edited by: Signal8: May 8, 18 17:59
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Re: Great value gear [Jloewe] [ In reply to ]
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Re: Great value gear [Jloewe] [ In reply to ]
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+1 on the Conti Ultra Sport II. I've been riding them since I bought my bike without issue.

My favorite running shorts were purchased from TJ Maxx for $10 bucks. They are Hind brand I believe with the built in compression shorts.

Refurbed garmin watches are a good value as well.
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Re: Great value gear [BungleJapan] [ In reply to ]
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BungleJapan wrote:
I'm very happy with it. Last time I checked, they were still selling at about $65 on Amazon US.

Do you think this would be a Svet Carbon Bar would be an upgrade over the stock T2 wing basebar on my cervelo P2?
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Re: Great value gear [Parkland] [ In reply to ]
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Parkland wrote:
BungleJapan wrote:
I'm very happy with it. Last time I checked, they were still selling at about $65 on Amazon US.


Do you think this would be a Svet Carbon Bar would be an upgrade over the stock T2 wing basebar on my cervelo P2?

Certainly looks like it should be, just by eyeballing it.

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http://www.howesgreg.com
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Re: Great value gear [Parkland] [ In reply to ]
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Parkland wrote:
BungleJapan wrote:
I'm very happy with it. Last time I checked, they were still selling at about $65 on Amazon US.


Do you think this would be a Svet Carbon Bar would be an upgrade over the stock T2 wing basebar on my cervelo P2?


Both are UCI legal even though the Svet looks like it is not. It must have a fairly tall carbon build to achieve 3:1 because it looks like a deep section. The Svet looks cooler than the T2, is about 50g lighter, and has straight brake drops (faster).

There are several variations of the Svet and each will effect aerodynamics. There are 3 different basebar drops: Zero (no drop), Svet V (lots of drop), and Svet R (medium drop). A tall, experienced rider like Chris Froome uses quite a bit of drop on his basebar so for the few times he's actually in the drops, he stays low and aero. The bars also have several widths, 38cm (narrow and most aero), 40, 42, 44cm (wide and stable).

When I upgraded my basebars (to Vision Trimax non-UCI legal aluminum ones), I did some of the work myself. I removed the aerobar clamps and and the basebar from the stem. So the shop just needed to replace brake cables and shim my brakes to fit the new bar drops. Then when the new basebars were installed, I had to remount the aero bars onto the basebars in the correct position. I think it was $40 and didn't include cable housings.

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram
Last edited by: Timtek: Apr 28, 18 6:53
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Re: Great value gear [Timtek] [ In reply to ]
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Be forewarned: I'm a notorious cheapskate.

The entry level Bell road (Draft MIPS) and MTB (Blitz MIPS) helmets are extremely well made, have full shells, have MIPS, have a good retention system and are very comfortable these days. They cost about $50 each. Outside of fashion consciousness, I don't think there's any reason to spend lots on a training helmet these days.

I never buy kickboards, buoys or paddles. Just use the ones at the pool.

Dolfin makes great cheap training jammers.

Speedo Vanquishers remain the best pool training goggles ever made, IMO.

The $10 Head "digital running gloves" at Costco are essentially perfect cool / cold weather cycling and running gloves. They fit better and last longer than the $60 Castellis I have.

Generic threaded paintball / keg 16g CO2 cartridges from Amazon are a fraction of the cost of bike shop ones and are exactly the same thing.

Lastly, if you can swallow your conspicuous consumption, BikesDirect's titanium road frame is really nice all purpose road bike. The frames are made by ORA who makes frames for lots of brands. They have good geometry, standard BB, seatpost and headset, really nice welding, butted tubes, nice cage mount reinforcements, good external cable routing, very strong Breezer-style dropouts, an easy to find RD hanger and a reasonably good carbon fork. The brushed finish is just as good an a Lynskey. The frame is stiff but compliant and handles like a true race bike. It's an awesome deal for $1K for the frame and fork.

Things in my experience to not to go cheap on: shoes, clothing, lights, tires and tools. For all of those, I get one step down from top of the line. Similarly, I always buy Ultegra and Deore XT.
Last edited by: hiro11: Apr 28, 18 8:06
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Re: Great value gear [Jloewe] [ In reply to ]
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Running shorts from TJs or Marshalls. I can usually get $50 Nikes for $15.

Full carbon clip on aero bars from eBay, $27 shipped. Got them in 2-days (Chinese I’m sure, but stocked in LA).



ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
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Re: Great value gear [Titanflexr] [ In reply to ]
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I forgot to mention. I love the ~$5 fingerless cycling gloves from eBay. They look like this but there are several different brands that use the same gloves:

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/GtQAAOSw4HVWDtHZ/s-l1600.jpg





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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram
Last edited by: Timtek: May 5, 18 3:03
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