Might as well be a virgin looking for advice

[Scott-S]

Hi folks, looking to return to the saddle after far more than 30 years off it (weight gain, kids, health & money issues etc etc you name it,,,) yeah basically real life got in the way.
Last time I was in the saddle I had an early 90's DiamondBack Sorrento (the cheap seat one) with a black and cool purple splatter paint job and while it wasn't anywhere near the best it was all I could afford and bloody good fun...

Fast forward to now, I have an eye on an early 90's Kona Lava Dome which was a bike I always coveted as kind of affordable but never really could be affordable for me BitD.

Now Im a 56 year old guy with no real clue what I need these days, the bike (if I buy it) will have a new chain, cables and brakes blocks as a minimum, probably new tyres too.
Anyways for now its probably canal paths till my lungs and general fitness allows, being in Glasgow it's rarely sunny so I reckon to get some pedals moving I need decent baggyish trousers (no leggings or any of that mamil nonsense for me thanks)

And that brings me to my question, any advice on halfway decent breathable trousers and maybe even a jacket would be appreciated as a typical internet search shows all the kit being well north of a hundred quid,,
maybe in a few years I might but for now I just want to get out and have fun without being bankrupted with high priced fashion gear.

Basic safety gear I have a new helmet of a respected brand, gloves, water bottle along with a basic tool and puncture kit along the lines of what I used to carry.

Always open to thoughts on anything I may not have considered.
And if the bike is what I hope it to be there will be pics next week, if not the search will go on

Many thanks for your time and advice
Scott

 

[doctor-bond]

Nice one - go for it. You’ll get loads of kit opinions, but I’ll jump in with don’t overthink it, especially for canal path riding: light weight ordinary trousers (might get a bit wet, but you get changed at home - if it’s really pissing down you prolly won’t want to be out anyway). If you want technical ones, Decathlon stuff is pretty cheap.

Any cheap cycling jacket will do: I’ve got fancy ones but often reach for an old Aldi one as the pockets are better than my Castelli. And you only need to wear them whilst riding if it’s really wet. If it’s mizzly, long sleeve jersey keeps damp at bay. (In fact, if I was going to spend on kit, it would be on merino tops and jerseys: often available via Aldi/lidle and online: I’ve got one with a wind proof front insert thingy that is worth its weight in gold).

Prolly worth sorting out a usefully sized saddle bag so you can shove in your tools, snap, and jacket when its not raining. Clip on mud/crud guards will stop you getting splatted with towpath mire.

 

[bold stelvis]

proper mud guards (though difficult to get properly sorted on mtbs without creating an aesthetic catastrophe) would probably do more to keep you dry then clothing

I too am in the Weege and find a not especially expensive kagoul and just going with MTB style shorts works fine, rather than trying to go for some sort of water proof leg coverings

 

[PhillB]

Great that you are getting back on two wheels! In terms of kit I ride in any old crap to be honest. I don't have the physique for Lycra and I have logos on my bike instead . If you are looking for good value, check out some of the Trousers and Jackets by Craghoppers. They make hiking trousers with zips that convert them into shorts. (Some people think these are uncool, but they are incredibly practical! and I've long since stopped caring about what other people think!) They also have zipped pockets which are highly useful when riding too.

another suggestion would be to look at places like

https://www.sportpursuit.com/
You can quite often find great gear on there at considerable discounts

Good luck with the Kona and hope to see pics!

 

[FluffyChicken]

Aldi / Lidl, you can take home a try it on take it back if you don't like it.

They do nice waterproof, warm socks too.
Or at least used some years back.

I will say they don't do as good 'MTB' stuff as they used to some 10year+ ago, it is more generic/road bike styled but still fine for what you and I do.
(they used to have some really nice long-ish baggy shorts).
They also seem to have stopped the commuter 'specially' targeted stuff too.

Recently they did have frame bags at Lidl though.

Hazard a guess the SportsDirect and thier branded shops may do some nice stuff? As they own lots of the major brands and in fact 3 of what where the main bike shops in the country just a few years back.

 

[Totoro]

Not far off same situation!

I have very fancy kit for hiking, Paramo, Berghaus and such... I don't wear any of that on the bike. I wear cheap stuff or good but old ruined stuff I've kept (its not a fashion show). Today I went out in the very bad wind and rain in just shorts (cargo, with pockets but old and shagged), breathable T-shirt (again, also old but used to be expensive) and an old Berghaus Paclite Extrem jacket (nice bit of kit but its my spare, I keep one for best). Jacket kept my torso dry but honestly I don't care much about getting wet if I'm only out for an hour or two, didn't see a single other cyclist out in the foul weather today but I mostly enjoyed it.

Check Vinted for very good but cheap used kit if you don't mind used.
For waterproof trousers I just use the ex military ones that I get off eBay but I've never rode in them as I like wearing cargo shorts.

 

[Russell]

My best winter jacket is from mountain warehouse. Cheap as chips but still going strong after nine years.

https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/adrenaline-mens-iso-viz-jacket-p7003.aspx/

 

[bikeworkshop]

Comfy clothes from the charity shop, or old items you don't mind losing

- wear what you want to, there's no need to dress up.
And experience will tell you what doesn't work.

Layers are the key to warmth.

Avoiding the rain is the key to waterproof.

If you're sweating and it's raining, you're going to get wet.

Inappropriate?
The loose gusset caught on the saddle nose by the bus stop,
Sleeves too short,
Trousers ripped up by the chain.

All you need is a pocket your phone won't fall out of really.

Mid 90s lavadome, perfect, go anywhere.

Get out and ride it, the clothes will sort themselves out

 

[CassidyAce]

Avoiding the rain is the key to waterproof.

If you're sweating and it's raining, you're going to get wet.

True. Either avoid the rain or power through it. Don't let yourself get wet and cold. Getting soaked isn't so bad if you just go for it and maintain your body heat. Getting soaked and cold is miserable.

Generally, I avoid the really cheap stuff because it won't last and I avoid the expensive stuff because I feel that I'd be paying for a brand name instead of functionality, or I'd be paying for marginal performance gains that are just wasted on me. (This was an interesting read, btw: https://www.hiperhelmets.org/. The two helmets judged to be the safest were at the cheaper end of the spectrum.)

Tapered trackies with zipped pockets are good for cold weather riding. Get a spare inner tube or two because trying to fix a puncture in the cold, wet or dark ain't fun. Get a bell, a loud bell, because all too often pedestrians are like zombies.

 

[Twozaskars]

I have a Muddyfox cheapo jacket from sports direct, not breathable at all so ok if it's cold but raining, if it's warm you're getting soaked from the inside out. An ordinary old worn out coat is better then, but I no longer have one.
Old Nike knee-length shorts I've had over 10 years, 2 matching pairs plus a third in different colours.
3 pairs of gloves which have been great this week - go to put gloves on and they're still damp from the day before? No problem when you've got spares.
I've spent my dosh on some Etnies camber pro Mtb trainers recently which are fantastic.