MTB Apparel - What's most important?

Which 2 things are most important to you?

  • Price

    Votes: 31 56.4%

  • Looks

    Votes: 25 45.5%

  • Brand names

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Durability

    Votes: 32 58.2%

  • Safety (abrasion protection)

    Votes: 5 9.1%

  • Australian made

    Votes: 3 5.5%

  • Being able to try before you buy

    Votes: 2 3.6%

  • Comfort

    Votes: 16 29.1%
  • Total voters
    55
Mr Crudley

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
Scotty T said:
@Mr Crudley Lab-Gear was definitely going for a Ground Effect vibe, then full bespoke with eleven, I think the new peeps have gone back to less bespoke.

All I'd say about starting something from my experience and what old mate told me is it's definitely not easy. Old mate makes t-shirts with his graphics on them now, bit easier than bespoke locally made riding kit. Some of them are ok but not my thing.
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There is market for it and I guess if you do make clothes in AU and NZ then you aren't there to undercut pricing for something made in Vietnam.
I do have respect for clothes makers here but I get pissy seeing brand name things like knicks made in Fiji or Honduras since they pricing heavy and you know made it place where the folks get paid SFA to do it. Someone is making a lot of money from them and you can bet it isn't the people that make it.

Another honourable mention is N-Zone who are in the Ground Effect type market. I have a thickish long sleeve top from them that I bought in Rotorua long ago and it has last very well also.

Free plug for them https://www.nzoactive.com/ although the new age NZ hipster-esque styling is a bit of an acquired taste IMHO.
 
C

Cropduster

Likes Dirt
Comfort for me, i'm not a fan of paying $200 for a pair of shorts but i do because they're way more comfortable with a removable chamois than cheaper ones. While i'm talking shorts, how about a choice of leg length, i'm 5'3" and even with my modest waistline they're still way too long in the legs, not comfortable.
I don't like logos everywhere, and i'm not fussy about colours but camo looks ridiculous.
Oh and if you're charging $200 for a pair of shorts make them durable, i have 2 pair i wear that are both about 4 years old, faded but still very usable and intact, even the chamois are still ok, just.
 
C

Cropduster

Likes Dirt
beeb said:
Factory rents, electricity bills, wages, superannuation, sick leave, annual leave, insurances, materials, etc... are all higher cost here and chop into that "mark-up" (ie: your profit margin) pretty quickly if trying to manufacture locally. I not saying don't try, but it's going to cost more and as much as most Aussies love to say they'd spend extra to buy local made, very few really do.

For a point of comparison, my bosses wife is Thai. When she started to apply for jobs here she had to ask him what annual leave was. She'd never heard of it before.
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This is spot on, as a small business owner i can tell you that that list barely scratches the surface. Govt. departments are always in your pocket for fees, licenses approvals etc and as a 1st world country the noble pursuit of making sure every employee is treated fairly and receives all of their entitlements means that it is just not possible to manufacture locally and have any hope of being competitive.

What's truly amazing, galling, infuriating is that major sports brands (you know them...) build factories in 3rd world countries where they often exploit the local workforce and manufacture a product that landed in any 1st world country ready for sale has cost them maybe $12, maybe.... their retail price is $199 and even with a retail that high a local manufacturer still can't compete........
 
Calvin27

Calvin27

Eats Squid
beeb said:
Factory rents, electricity bills, wages, superannuation, sick leave, annual leave, insurances, materials, etc... are all higher cost here and chop into that "mark-up" (ie: your profit margin) pretty quickly if trying to manufacture locally.
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Cropduster said:
This is spot on, as a small business owner i can tell you that that list barely scratches the surface. Govt. departments are always in your pocket for fees, licenses approvals etc and as a 1st world country the noble pursuit of making sure every employee is treated fairly and receives all of their entitlements means that it is just not possible to manufacture locally and have any hope of being competitive.
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Not sure this applies. My mum was a migrant sweatshop worker and even in Australia, the work gets contracted out at cutthroat rates. A lot of it gets aggregated and then the workers effectively become contractors (sound similar uber?) who get paid fer unit volume. This setup means little to no overheads, no entitlements, no rent or bills. I know a lot of people that still do this and they work out of their garages earning a lot less than the minimum wage. You'd think this was rogue brands but nope a lot of them are large chains. These days it's harder to find out who is actually behind the scenes as they keep it tight, but the mums groups always have a laugh (and cry) when one of their kids buy overpriced clothes that they only put together a few weeks ago.

So yeah $100 jersey, I seriously do not know where it goes. A lot are not even profitable so go figure.
 
H

HamboCairns

Thanks for all the bananas
My Fox Altitude (2016) jersey is still like new after 4 years. I found another one in a different colour for $48 delivered so I'll buy that.

I'm also a big fan of having a quarter or half length zip at the front because it gets fucking hot here!
 
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