Donkey Label

ceolwulf · #1 05-10-2015, 10:13 AM

This seems like a good outfit. Making high-end kit in the US. I like the style of their jerseys. Anyone have anything from them?

http://gearjunkie.com/donkey-label-cycling-gear

tjk23 · #2 05-10-2015, 10:18 AM

Nice looking stuff, I just wish it was more affordable. The prices companies are charging are a bit outrageous.

gavingould · #3 05-10-2015, 10:49 AM

i have a jersey (non-merino) and a set of bibs.
nice stuff, the jersey i like a lot, especially the sleeve construction without elastic or gripper band at the cuff.

the bibs are very compressive, if in doubt highly recommend you size up. i like the no-gripper on these too.
had some issues with stitches coming out on the chamois - i was taken care of, though it took considerably longer than i expected to repair. felt a little like i was beta-testing, but i'd potentially buy again.

Cicli · #4 05-10-2015, 10:54 AM

Nice stuff. Stupid name.

tiretrax · #5 05-10-2015, 01:38 PM

Funny - complains about Rapha being pricey but $165 for a jersey isn't cheap.

Nice looking. I hope there's a wider selection of styles in the future. Too much black for my taste.

tjk23 · #6 05-10-2015, 01:55 PM

I have a spending threshold of around $100 for bibs and $50-$60 for jerseys. I've spent more and really couldn't tell a huge difference.

regularguy412 · #7 05-10-2015, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjk23

I have a spending threshold of around $100 for bibs and $50-$60 for jerseys. I've spent more and really couldn't tell a huge difference.

^^ This.

Mike in AR

tiretrax · #8 05-10-2015, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjk23

I have a spending threshold of around $100 for bibs and $50-$60 for jerseys. I've spent more and really couldn't tell a huge difference.

Only on bibs - higher priced usually have better fabrics and chamois, which is essential on a ride over 100k. When it's hot and humid in summer, no jersey stays dry for me.

CNY rider · #9 05-10-2015, 06:00 PM

I can't find anything at any price that is as good as the Rapha bibs so I get them when they have their sales.

nooneline · #10 05-10-2015, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjk23

I have a spending threshold of around $100 for bibs and $50-$60 for jerseys. I've spent more and really couldn't tell a huge difference.

Oh man, my experience is completely different.

I've been on teams that have changed vendors a lot so I've worn a lot of race-oriented stuff - big names, small names, stuff that's aimed at value and stuff that's aimed at sheer quality.

I notice a lot of variation. Mostly it has to do with cut, and quality of the fabric used. More expensive stuff has more complicated patterns that's more geared toward a riding position, not an upright mannequin. There's better stretch stuff, the seams are much higher quality, etc.

I've never had a high quality piece of kit that fell apart or was not durable in some way, which is reassuring. The tricky stuff comes in the midrange ($70-$90 items) where there's a real variation in quality. Some stuff is really chintzy, with meh fabrics, insufficient stretch, awkward cuts (highly subjective, obviously), etc. It's not impossible to find really nicely priced stuff that feels more like high-end stuff than like low-end stuff, but there's a low signal:noise ratio in that area. So, I can see the appeal of saying "I'm just gonna make something super high quality."

Donkey Label is local to me so I've seen a lot of people wearing their kit. It seems to get quite good reviews, FWIW. Never worn it myself.

stefus_prime · #11 05-10-2015, 06:50 PM

If I had the money I'd buy this solely for the fact that it's called "Donkey Label". Unfortunately it's way out of my budget and I'm too pudgy to wear a jersey right now anyways.

Slamcarneyson · #12 05-10-2015, 06:54 PM

I just have the cell phone sleeves and their awesome

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

jimoots · #13 05-10-2015, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiretrax

Funny - complains about Rapha being pricey but $165 for a jersey isn't cheap.

I giggled at that too, but I think the writer was subtly trying to tut-tut Rapha for Made in China whilst big-upping DL for USA made.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjk23

Nice looking stuff, I just wish it was more affordable. The prices companies are charging are a bit outrageous.

Italian fabrics ain't cheap. Assuming we're talking a small brand with small quantity orders, cost on those jerseys would be at least US$100. Add profit, tax, etc onto it and you're looking at $160 easy.

They ain't making super profits.

The '$X amount is too much for a Y item of clothing' gets me giggling sometimes, considering how much bloody money we all spend on hardware.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stefus_prime

If I had the money I'd buy this solely for the fact that it's called "Donkey Label".

I'm in the opposite camp. Maybe I'm missing some cultural reference here but I'm not into the name at all.

tjk23 · #14 05-10-2015, 07:43 PM

I not knocking anyone that feels the need to spend a lot of money on their cycling kit, and maybe "they" can tell a difference. I'm just not one of them. Back to the heart of this post; The Donkey Label kit looks great, I just wish they would make them more affordable. Cycling just seems to be getting more and more expensive if you want to fit in at group rides, $10,000 bikes with $400 shoes and $400 kits. Oh the price for fitness.

jimoots · #15 05-10-2015, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjk23

I not knocking anyone that feels the need to spend a lot of money on their cycling kit, and maybe "they" can tell a difference. I'm just not one of them. Back to the heart of this post; The Donkey Label kit looks great, I just wish they would make them more affordable. Cycling just seems to be getting more and more expensive if you want to fit in at group rides, $10,000 bikes with $400 shoes and $400 kits. Oh the price for fitness.

Start your own brand and make your own kit if you want tasteful stuff done with cheap fabrics.

It's not as hard as it sounds but it's not particularly easy to make a success of it either.