Hey everyone,
I’ve recently had two pretty disappointing experiences with brand-new kit durability, coming from two completely different price points, and wanted to see if this is becoming a broader quality control issue.
- MAAP Solar Pro Race Jersey (€110)
I bought this jersey brand new and have worn it only twice. After its first ever hand wash in cold water with mild detergent, the heat-transferred "MAAP" logos started peeling right off at the edges. For a €110 jersey from a premium brand that hypes up "performance engineering", having heat-transfers fail instantly feels pretty unacceptable.
- Van Rysel Bib Shorts
On the budget/value side, I’ve been riding these bibs for just 3 months (~1,000 km / 35 hours of saddle time). The stitching holding the chamois pad in place is completely unraveling. The pad is detaching, and the pulled thread has even created small holes in the outer fabric.
I always follow standard care instructions (hand wash or gentle cycle, line dry only, no harsh chemicals).
Is this a known batch issue for MAAP's heat-transfers? And has anyone else noticed fragile stitching on Van Rysel bibs lately?
Curious to hear your experiences and how customer service handled warranty claims for you with both brands! I will go on ASSOS now !
by Legitimate-Rock5663
5 Comments
After my past few experience with maap’s logo peeling off, i won’t spend another dime on overpriced jerseys with large silk screen or heat transfer designs.
For the van rysel, they are cheap so i can’t expect too much. Use for quick coffee or recovery rides. They offer free exchange so it is not a big issue for me.
P.S: I am loving my assos and q36.5!
Not to excuse brands here, but prints are an increasingly difficult thing to master these days since regulations on glues and bonding methods etc were tightened by EU and global authorities in recent years. This means that many brands are currently fumbling around and panically testing to determine how to circumvent the issue, and it’s causing extreme headaches for both customers and product developers still. Of course the question still remains if these products should ever be able to pass a (proper) QC and make it to the market in the first place.
Personally I will not be buying anything with large-ish prints for the foreseeable future until I am fairly certain it has been properly mastered and fixed. What I have seen though is that at least my newer Pas / Mechanism bibs seem to be holding up good while the lettering texture has been changed to mitigate the issue, but I am finding myself hand washing all my items with print just to further reduce the risk of the print being damaged.
Regarding your image of the Van Rysel bibs, it is quite difficult to address this damage without knowing how they generally fit, what saddle you’re using, if there is rubbing taking place etc. Damage to seams in this area is 9/10 times caused by rubbing with the saddle directly to the stitching, which no bib will be able to withstand, regardless of price tier.
I have a few MAAP jerseys and I haven’t had this issue. Not excusing the brand here, because that shouldn’t be happening regardless though.
I was interested in some of the Van Rysel stuff, but less so now if that’s the bib quality.
I put all of my cycling stuff in delicates bags and wash it separately from my other clothes on a delicate cycle so it doesn’t get ripped up by other zippers and such, since cycling stuff is so expensive, and then hang dry everything.
Curious if you’re running these on a gentle cycle with a bunch of other clothes or not.
That being said, you should check out Q36.5. The stuff I have from them seems to be miles ahead of MAAP from a quality perspective.
For bibs, I have the Assos Mille GTO C2 bibs and the quality is night and day compared to budget bibs I’ve checked out (like black bibs). I’d recommend going for a high end bib from them rather than cutting costs on those, since it makes riding way more comfortable.
The black bibs I have have held up for years without falling apart like those Van Rysels, so if you need budget you could go that route. But the chamois is way less comfortable than my Assos bibs.
Highly suggest everyone use wash bags when washing your kit. You can get 3 bags for under $10 on Amazon. Simple mesh bags with a zipper that will help protect from this kind of stuff.
We’re getting scammed left and right, in cycling