The Truth About Cycling Kit Brands — From 500 Real Riders

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If you’re new here, I’m Damian Ruse. I’ve spent the last 14+ years coaching cyclists at every level—from first-timers to the WorldTour. I’ve worked with over 300 athletes, helped develop elite performers, and built a system that merges scientific insight with real-world durability.

Last year, I exposed cycling brand pricing secrets. You dropped 500 comments naming the brands you actually trust. So, I analyzed every single one. After 14 years of coaching cyclists, from first- timers to World Tour pros, I’ve seen every gear mistake. But I learned some new lessons by reading every single comment. Some of you buy for image, others buy for function. And the brands that win, they know exactly what game they’re playing. I logged every brand mentioned, counted every vote, and what I found, it wasn’t what I expected. And let’s start at number 10. Neo Pro based in Australia. We call this the rider who doesn’t say much on the bunch ride. It just sits back in the pack totally unnoticed until they drop everyone halfway up a climb. Direct to consumer, strip back, no fluff, delivered to my front door for under 200 bucks fits better than my $400 bibs. You won’t find any influencer campaigns or dreamy mission statements here, just honest materials and pricing that actually feels fair. Yes, there’s reports that the quality can vary a little from batch to batch, but Neopro gets something right that a lot of the big players forget. Your ego isn’t stitched into the size of your logo. Okay, what’s the next one here then? Gibier from Ireland. It’s the no hype performer. Gibier is what happens when a brand decides to just keep showing up. No drama, no drops, no loud branding. Five seasons still fits like new. It’s like that one rider who trains through winter, rides through the rain, and never ever ever complains. The one you sort of forget about until they glide past you halfway through a fondo. Gibia is the kit equivalent of a well-worn steel frame. Not flashy, but solid. Their customers, they probably fix their own bottom brackets in the garage in the dark using a torque wrench that they’ve owned since 2003. This brand doesn’t chase trends. It just works. And for a certain type of ride up, that’s all it needs to do. Next one, number eight on the list, Van Risel, the disruptor. A supermarket brand racing at world tour level. That’s the kind of chaos that cycling needed. Van Risle, Decathlon’s house brand, is something a lot of us weren’t sure about until the performance numbers started rolling in. €7 jerseys, 90 bibs, aerot tested, race ready, and yes, genuinely fast. Now you know what the margin really is. Fit can be a little inconsistent. Apparently, stitching isn’t always perfect, but when it comes to price, to performance, it’s almost rude how good it is. Van Risle is what happens when accountants discover aerodynamics and suddenly a lot of high-end brands start looking a little overpriced. And this is where the list gets uncomfortable because Van Risel proves that premium pricing might just be premium storytelling. A €7 jersey can match a €200 one in the wind tunnel. What exactly are you paying for? This one’s a bit of a grouped one. Number seven, we have the workh horses. These are the steady hands of the cycling world. They’re not chasing aesthetics or designing their Instagram grid. They’re just making good gear season after season. Sportful just keeps delivering. 5 years, no issues. Endura is the one that dares you to ride through sideways rain. Pearlesumi quietly makes gear that lasts longer than some of our cycling careers. These brands don’t sell you dreams. They sell you comfort, fit, and the kind of durability that makes you forget that you’re even wearing a jersey. They’re not sexy, but neither is Saddler. And frankly, I know which one I would rather deal with. So, no, this tier isn’t about excitement. It’s about reliability, about trust, the kind of gear you throw on when you just want to ride, and you just know it won’t let you down. Uh, number six, Isidor from Slovakia. For me, it’s kind of like this conscious choice. Isidor is what happens when proriters retire and they start thinking about sustainability and still care deeply about shammy design. It’s started by the Veilitz brothers. It’s part marino, part mindfulness. Their fabrics feel different. Their production is local. Their messaging is thoughtful without being preachy. Feels good, rides better, lasts forever. Isidor isn’t trying to be minimalist for the trend. They just genuinely believe in owning fewer things and making those things count. It’s not flashy and it’s definitely not cheap, but when you put it on, you kind of understand where the money went. This next grouping, it’s a big one, but we get to the midway point first. So, we are halfway through and it’s something is becoming really clear. Cyclists, at least the ones who commented, don’t reward noise. They reward truth, craft, and honestly, maybe that’s not just a cycling thing because these next five brands, they’re not just making kit, they’re shaping identity. And can you guess who then sits at number five? It’s the combo of Panormile Studios Map and Black Sheep. And I call this the image tier. And this is the style battleground. Muted tones, impossibly tailored cuts. Now, these brands know exactly what they’re doing, and they divide group rides faster than someone surging out of a roundabout. Same factories, different story. For one half of the riders, this kit is everything. Every seam is a choice. Every collection launch feels like a fashion week drop. One rider said, “When I look good, I ride better.” For the other half, it is just all a bit too much. It’s cycling, not a catwalk. Map, great for the cafe, not so much for chasing wheels. But here’s the truth. Both sides exist because these brands understand something most others miss. They didn’t sell just clothing. They built tribes. Tribes with a language and a style and a world view. And whether you love them or you roll your eyes at them, they shape the direction of cycling style. They move first, the rest of the scene follows. So, here is a crowd favorite number four, Rafa. Let’s call him the legacy giant. And this brand turned cycling into a lifestyle that made it romantic, cinematic even. For a lot of people, Rafa was the gateway drug, the first time you cared about what you wore on a ride, and the reason you started shaving your legs, probably. For others, it became the brand of the cafe racer, the clean cleat, the $10,000 build that never sees a wet road. 5-year-old bibs full refund. That kind of policy used to define Rafaer, service, quality, and confidence in their products. But you have to say lately, Rafers caught between two different identities. They’re too expensive for the everyday rider who made them famous, but they’re not technical enough for the data obsessed racer. They’re drifting into this kind of no man’s land and they need to pick a lane. Innovation feels slower. Product names are getting recycled and that boutique pricing, it’s still hanging around even when the magic’s worn a little thin. Still, although I’ve never really owned any, when they get it right, and even I will admit they do still get it right, it’s hard to beat. the fit, the fabric, the feeling of it because somewhere under the lifestyle playbook, they’re still one of the best kit makers in the game. They just need to remember the ride comes first. The aesthetic follows. We’re getting close now up to the top. Maybe this one’s a surprise. Number three, Q 36.5 from Italy. Really, it’s like the science brand. This is the lab coat brand, the one that’s obsessed with thermo regulation and marginal gains, not just Instagram likes. Every fiber is engineered. Every stitch has a spreadsheet behind it. 16,000 km a year. It just works. Q 36.5 is for the detail freaks, the ones who weigh their gels and measure chain wear with surgical precision. It’s not cheap. It’s not trying to be cool, but apparently it works. And if you want gear that’s designed with the same intensity that you bring to your training plan, you’re going to feel right at home here. Now, this next one is a bit of a double whammy. The Castelli Santini, the let’s say the heritage giants. These two helped write the rule book on cycling style. Decades of protein heritage, real Italian craftsmanship, modern updates without a rebrand crisis. Castelli made saddle saws vanish overnight. These brands still feel like they’ve been stitched by hand, even when they’re mass- prodduced. They’ve walked that line between legacy and innovation better than probably almost anyone in cycling. just consistent quality because cycling isn’t about power meters and zone 2 all of the time. It’s a culture and these brands remind you of that. Now, the final one, the big dog, the big guns come out. ASOS. So, we finally reached the summit. The gold standard. The brand that most riders try to pretend they don’t want until they finally cave in and buy a pair of bibs that change everything. Changed my cycling life. Asos isn’t about flash. It doesn’t care about trends. Or it didn’t until recently. It just fits perfectly. Like, the fabric is an extension of your body. I’ve only ever owned two things from Asos. And yes, they were the best cycling clothes I’ve ever worn. And that’s exactly why it’s number one. Not because it’s the best value. Venrizzle wins that. Not because it’s the most durable. Gibier takes that crown. But because ASOS achieves something almost no other brand does. The kit disappears completely. No friction, no distraction, no mental noise about comfort. You just get to go out and ride on the road. And that’s not clothing. That’s the purest expression of function. Yes, they’re expensive, sometimes weirdly fragile, but the first time you wear them, you just understand. There’s no friction, no fidgeting, no noise in your head about whether you’re comfortable. You just ride. It’s clothing. It’s engineering disguised as fabric. The difference between a good ride and something closer to a religious experience. And hey, if anyone from ASOS is watching, this isn’t sponsored, but it probably should be. I already talk about you like I’m on payroll. Let’s just confirm it. So maybe this list really wasn’t about brands. Image gets you in function keeps you loyal. Same thing applies to bikes, jobs, probably relationships, too. The first kit you buy that says who you want to be. The one that you keep wearing, that says who you are. So here’s the takeaway. bike kit that makes you want to ride more. Not because it looks good in photos, but because it disappears when you’re actually riding because the best gear, you just forget when you’re wearing it. Drop your top three in the comments. Tell me where I went wrong and if this helped you make a decision or avoid a bad one. Or if you missed how this all started, the breakdown of what brands don’t want you to know is in this video.