Best Apparel & Accessories Under $100

[MommyBird]

I have recently upped my bicycling with the purchase of a road bike. I have moved beyond sight-seeing on a mountain bike wearing comfy clothes and tennis shoes.

So...I need a lot of new bike things and I want to keep the costs down and get a lot of bang for my buck!

I am sure many of you have been, are, or will be in this same situation so I thought I'd start a thread to address this issue.

We have a similar one on the "Air Forums"; which is the Airstream forum that I absolutely love. The thread is called "Best Mods Under $100" and it is a treasure trove of useful information.

Please share all of your reasonably priced favorites to save all of us shoppers from spending too much to get quality that can be had for less or from wasting our $$$ on cheap junk!

[Biciclista]

you can get decent gloves for under 30 dollars.

[Possegal]

My niece and I both have bought a couple pairs of these for riding in the cooler weather. We've both been very pleased with them, though I don't think either of us have gone out for more than 20-25 miles while wearing them.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes...00_20000_51500

[Grits]

Arm warmers. They turn a short sleeved jersey into a long sleeved one. Great for when it starts out cool and then warms up. You can easily stash them in your pocket or tie them around a tube

[ny biker]

Some good water bottles, and plenty of them.

For me the minimum number is 4. My bike has 2 bottle cages, so having 4 bottles means I can use 2 on a long ride, put them in the dishwasher and still have 2 clean ones ready to go for the next ride even if I haven't run the dishwasher yet.

I have a bunch of the Polar lined bottles to keep drinks cooler on hot days. Camelback now makes similar lined bottles.

If you prefer to use an actual Camelback or similar beverage-carrying backpack, get an extra bladder for it.

Also, stock up on spare tubes.

[lo123]

Be willing to pay more for good shorts, IMHO. Good shorts or lack thereof can make/break a ride. Try on lots of pairs and brands if you can. Some people like thick chamois, some minimal.

See if your LBS price matches online prices.

Jerseys - at a minimum, get 2. If you're going to go cheap on something, go cheap on jerseys. You can get house brand (Performance, Nashbar, etc) for really cheap from time to time.

armwarmers ++. IF you have small arms, you may want to try on a bunch in person first. The only brand I found that fit my tiny forearms was Specialized.

[shootingstar]

Athletic headband to protect ears, etc.-- just don't make it too thick, you want still fit helmet on top.

Little clip-on blinkie LED light.- Handy if you wear a knapsack when cycling. I even used it when I walked daily early morning & winter late afternoon on a dark rd. with hardly any streetlights to and from worksite.

Fleecy vest.

Foldable Light water resistant cycling jacket..preferably slim/close to body (for aerodynamic qualities. You don't want billowing jacket...) with arm/back vent.

Foldable light knapsack with erognomic padded shoulder straps - REI has a great little one for under $30.00US. I use it as a purse and to carry small pkgs. when we go on bike tours and get off later on in evening to carry something to walk over to a restaurant/cafe/store. I don't use it during the long, mulit-hr. ride itself, it stays folded inside my pannier since I dislike cycling with much weight on my back on long rides. Beats weight of a real purse in my bike pannier. Or carrying around a pannier or wallet itself into restaurant. Looks like REI has changed their design a little (mine has a top zippered pocket flap that falls over the drawstring top case) for upcoming months: http://www.rei.com/product/778466#

[nscrbug]

Here are some of my essential riding staples -

Smartwool socks - I can't ride without these. I look for deals online at places like sierratradingpost.com and backcountry.com.

Arm warmers are a must for me, on rides that start out chilly. I have a pair of Craft arm warmers and I love them. Soft, smooth fabric with a slight bit of compression in it...they're warm and stay put.

Toe covers - I use the Pearl Izumi Cyclone toe covers...got them at my local REI store for around $20. They block the wind and cold from getting into shoes...especially ones that have a lot of vents for cooling.

Tights - I got a great deal on a pair of Sugoi Sub-Zero Tights from Backcountry.com. I paid $39 for them, and they are super warm! Nice material, ankle zippers, lots of reflective material, and a good fit. I'm very happy with these tights.

Suspenders - might sound strange to most, but a friend turned me on to this one. On colder rides, when I'm wearing tights over my cycling shorts...I was always having issues with my tights slipping down my waist. Most of my cycling shorts have a rather slick/slippery feel to them, so the tights on top of them tend to not stay in place because of this. I got a pair of cheapo suspenders from Walmart, and problem solved. My tights no longer slide down, and I don't have to constantly yank them up while trying to steer with one hand on the bars (something I'm not very good at).

Windbreaker jacket - I recently picked up a Canari Touring Jacket from REI. At first, I thought the flimsy material wouldn't do much...but after wearing it on 4 windy/chilly rides, I have to say that it does a decent job of cutting the wind. I got the jacket in a Hi-Viz color...this thing is BRIGHT! It fits well, has 2 side and 1 rear pocket, a nice fleece-lined collar, has zip-off sleeves that convert it into a vest, and it stuffs down into a fannypack so you can wear it around your waist if it gets to hot. I paid up for mine ($70), but I have seen this exact same jacket on sierratradingpost.com going for around $30...which is a STEAL!

[ny biker]

A small wallet for ID, insurance card, credit card, a bit of cash.

I bought a jimi wallet this summer and I like it a lot. Mine is orange.

http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodPP_JIMI.html

[tulip]

For winter riding: an old cashmere cardigan from a thrift store: $10 max. Even better (and cheaper) it if has a few moth holes in it. Layer that with a windbreaker and a base layer, and you are set for the coldest days.

[Owlie]

+1 on the arm warmers. They're also useful off the bike. I've thrown them on under long-sleeve shirts for the walk to class..
Also +1 on the Polar bottles. They keep stuff cool and they don't give your water that plasticy taste.

[Becky]

A few of my favorite things:
Arm warmers,
a really lightweight windbreaker vest that scrunches up into a tiny ball (like my PI Optik),
Terry Bella shorts and knickers (probably no longer under $100 though ),
Smartwool socks,
a Buff,
my Mountain Feedbag (http://www.epicrideresearch.com/product-information.php), and
those wicking beanies or doo-rags- they keep the sweat off my face.

[Kiwi Stoker]

A Halo sweat band- they really work in stopping the sweat in the eyes and I also use mine to prevent the awful helmet line across my forehead.

[MommyBird]

Wow, this is some great information.

The most unexpected item has got to be the Mountain FeedBag. My husband is feeling the bug to do some ultra-distance rides and one of those bags would be great for training rides.

Arm warmers were more popular than I expected. I will have to move them up higher on my wish-list. I measured my arms and most of the brands do not even offer my size and I am not petite!
I would be interested to know how many prefer the unshaped to the shaped styles.

Thanks
Gayle

[nscrbug]

Wow, this is some great information.

The most unexpected item has got to be the Mountain FeedBag. My husband is feeling the bug to do some ultra-distance rides and one of those bags would be great for training rides.

Arm warmers were more popular than I expected. I will have to move them up higher on my wish-list. I measured my arms and most of the brands do not even offer my size and I am not petite!
I would be interested to know how many prefer the unshaped to the shaped styles.

Thanks
Gayle

Along the same lines as the mountain feedbag, I diligently use my "bento box" on every single ride. A bento box sits on the top tube, right behind the stem. They come in various sizes (I use a medium-sized one by RavX) and it's the perfect size to hold a Clif Bar, a pack of Luna Moons, and a few Newtons. I also use it to hold my cellphone, chapstick, & keys if I happen to be wearing a pocket-less cycling top.