Good choice on kit so far, with the Rapha store so near make the most of it, the vast majority of their kit for 'regular' sized cyclists is pretty much the pinnacle of comfort, features and quality. I had a weak moment back in the summer (birthday!) and bought some of their Core bib shorts (£75) and a pair of their Pro Lightweight shorts (£175) in a deal. I returned the Pro as the Core are such good quality with a fantastic strap and pad design they're the best fitting shorts I've ever worn. Until now I've not grabbed any more (they're £100 normally) but as soon as there's another sale I'll buy another pair (or two).
Most of the rest of my kit is Sportful and Castelli, the
Fiandre range from Sportful I've found fantastic for UK spring/autumn riding. My go to commuting shorts during the cooler weather are
Sportful Fiandre NoRain and I'll wear them October-April. During the winter I'll wear a pair of thermal padless tights over the top, current ones are DHB. Jerseys tend to be Castelli but most of my thicker thermal jerseys are Sportful (
R&D Long Sleeve Wind are superb) with a
DHB ASV Windslam for the worst of the weather (I've had ice form on the outside of it when riding). I've tended to go this route rather than with jackets as I prefer the closer fit and will layer up underneath, I wear a gilet almost all weathers. I can ride a wider range of temperatures by managing my own layers and wearing the same jersey/outer layer this way. I've found windproofing almost more important than thermal (because I have
good base
layers). DHB is certainly worth a shout for commuting gear, excellent value and quality, but the fit and sizing can be a fiddle to get right. I used to wear mostly DHB but as I've sized down have replaced it with more expensive. The only way I've been able to fill my wardrobe with sportful & castelli kit is by buying clever, waiting for deals and buying winter kit in the summer etc etc. Hope that helps!
I've heard
@Roady has quite the extensive tool kit
Totally missed this before lol
I did start out buying complete kits, thinking I needed EVERYTHING and then carrying much of it with me. I now carry far less and my advice would be to research more about which specific tools you need and then buy the quality value ones of them. Park tool are expensive, but some of their range is
easily affordable if you buy specifics. My toolbox has a lower layer of tools from kits I bought and have never/barely used, while breaking/wearing out the ones I needed as they where cheap.
