Is Assos any good anymore?

[Meisen]

Assos? Rapha? Pearl? Who makes a great winter jacket for the real cold?

Just wondering before I sell a kidney for a new jacket. I have a '02 airblock jacket that is unnaturally warm. It's the warmest jacket I've ever had short of a down parka. Comfortable in 10-20 degrees with a jersey underneath and doesn't let so much as a whisper of air inside. It went pavement surfing with me a few years back and I think it's finally time to stop being "that guy" on the ride with road-rashed gear on.

[Bob Ross]

I'm still wearing the Assos AirJack 851 that my wife gave me for my birthday ~7 or 8 years ago, so I don't know what their current offerings are like...but every person I know who wears the new jacket says it's warmer than they imagined.

[glepore]

I have an airblock 851 (still available at a discount from swiss iconic) and a Bonka. Both excellent. The new Mille Jacket is allegedly excellent and less money than the Bonka.

[buddybikes]

I'm wearing a 20 year old model, today in fact, just need to replace the zipper

I love the model (no idea what it is) because has longer body. What newer fall/winter jackets have long body now?

[Johnnysmooth]

I have a newer (3yr old) Assos 851 that unfortunately, as a medium, is just too small for me and looking to sell. If interested, PM me

I had a large 851 for well over a decade - it was fantastic but started to get stretched out. Still bummed I didn't stay with that size, no other jacket has ever come close to fit, feel, warmth and no flapping.

[azrider]

Yes.

[huck*this]

When it comes to cold weather gear Assos is tops in my book. I personally also like the bib shorts. They seem to suit me best.

[PQJ]

All the Assos I have ever owned has been rock solid. Still using deep winter bibs I bought back in '04.

[mattsurf]

I have an Assos Bonka 6 Jacket, Assos S7 tights and Assos S7 Gloves

Without doubt the best winter kit I have ever used. I have been riding regularly in temperatures down to -8C (17F) but I also use it happily in 10C (50F) this is really useful as the day often starts really cold, but warms in the sun, In the coldest conditions I use a technical base layer and a thin Merino layer underneath the jacket

The jacket itself is not at all bulky, and remarkably light.

When it gets to -8C (17F) that is probably the point where the gloves start to stuggle a little, but they are incredibly warm for such a thin glove

The only disappointment is the winter socks, a good pair of Merino hiking socks are much better

[CNY rider]

Agree with all of the above.
There are lots of companies making good cycling clothing these days but Assos remains the gold standard for winter gear for me.

[Nooch]

have an assos shaq1uno that i bought for crazy cheap on closeout (like $120 from Erik's, IIRC) that has proven to be stellar (and light)

[happycampyer]

I’m curious to see how the new S9 stuff is. Assos’ product development cycle used to be a lot longer (or at least it seemed that way to me). The S7 line wasn’t introduced that long ago. The 851 was in production for a looong time, and, for the right temperature range, I think that jacket is still as good as anything made currently, and better than most.

To me at least, the construction of the newer jackets doesn’t seem as refined as the bonKa, tiburu, etc. I suppose getting rid of those ridiculous names is a plus. The recent blowout of inventory was pretty massive, and it looks like the newer stuff is aimed at a lower price point.

[tv_vt]

Have a Fugu, Airjack 851, and an Intermediate Evo long sleeve jersey. All work great. The Fugu is so warm, honestly I hardly wear it anymore. It's like armor for the cold.

[wgp]

The Fugu is so warm, honestly I hardly wear it anymore. It's like armor for the cold.

That was my experience, having owned both a Fugu and the 851. I bought the Bonka a few years back and promptly sold both the 851 and the Fugu. Bonka plus the great Assos baselayers (I have two weights of their winter baselayers) are all I need for the coldest temps I'll venture out in!

[54ny77]

It doesn't answer your question, but I have an 851 that dates back to the Bush Jr. administration. Quality and performance incredible. Boy was that pricey at the time, but well worth it. Unless it tears or I gain a few dozen pounds, it'll probably outlast the next couple of administrations also...


I looked last winter at upgrading for upgrading's sake, and the price of entry was off the charts. Would hope it's as good as the stuff of old.

[Lionel]

Been using Assos forever. The new stuff does not last nearly as long as the old stuff. The S7 Bib life is about 1/3 of the S5 who was about half of the S2. My AirJack is 10 years old ans looks brand new, I wish I could buy another one, in fact I wish I could still buy S5 F13 shorts too. I have not tried the latest winter jackets as they are all black.

[benb]

I have a Louis Garneau soft shell winter cycling jacket that I've had for about 6 years that's still going relatively strong.. maybe a little stretched out, but it's an awesome jacket.

It's a 25F+ jacket though. It's not for Iditabike/Icebike conditions where it's like 5 degrees with a 50mph wind.

I have 4 pairs of Assos bibs.. they wear like iron except for the color fading. And I have the cheapest Assos bibs. They work great for me.. they haven't given in to cutting their clothes to fit non-cyclists.

[Meisen]

I reupped with Assos and I'm pretty happy with the new fugu jacket. Thanks!

[doomridesout]

Been using Assos forever. The new stuff does not last nearly as long as the old stuff. The S7 Bib life is about 1/3 of the S5 who was about half of the S2. My AirJack is 10 years old ans looks brand new, I wish I could buy another one, in fact I wish I could still buy S5 F13 shorts too. I have not tried the latest winter jackets as they are all black.

Is there anything on the market today that lasts as long as the old Assos? Obviously only time will tell but cost per wear is my metric. High cost is fine as long as it’s a good value long-term. My Rapha stuff from five years ago is getting worn out.

[verticaldoug]

Is there anything on the market today that lasts as long as the old Assos? Obviously only time will tell but cost per wear is my metric. High cost is fine as long as it’s a good value long-term. My Rapha stuff from five years ago is getting worn out.

I'm klinda surprised by Lionel comments. I think the S7 lasts longer than the S5. The old S5 bibs would thin out in the back and you could see everyone's tramp stamp on group rides.

I will admit the old S2 bibs lasted forever. I still have a pair of knickers with the orange chamois.

I think the new thermal shorts are really the best. I am still trying to talk them into making chamois less tights, but it is an uphill struggle.

[Lionel]

For me at least S7 is lasting 5 times less than S5 that lasted 3 times less than S2.

[zap]

Interesting.

Wearing Assos since '89.....real swiss cowhide chamois. Stopped purchasing Assos for a while after my F1-13 went kaput after one ride. My wife sewed it back together.

When Assos introduced the S7 I decided to try one more time. The Assos S7 has been the most reliable Assos bibs ever.....not one thread wrong.

Been using Assos forever. The new stuff does not last nearly as long as the old stuff. The S7 Bib life is about 1/3 of the S5 who was about half of the S2. My AirJack is 10 years old ans looks brand new, I wish I could buy another one, in fact I wish I could still buy S5 F13 shorts too. I have not tried the latest winter jackets as they are all black.

[572cv]

The assos shorts I have have outlasted every other short I have ever owned, (except for Ibex wool). They fade a bit after a number of years, but don't lose their opacity (see-butt-crack syndrome). Winter tights are beautifully made and fitted. No color fade on jerseys, either. They continue to look sharp for many years. The value is there, in my limited experience.

[Lionel]

Interesting.

Wearing Assos since '89.....real swiss cowhide chamois. Stopped purchasing Assos for a while after my F1-13 went kaput after one ride. My wife sewed it back together.

When Assos introduced the S7 I decided to try one more time. The Assos S7 has been the most reliable Assos bibs ever.....not one thread wrong.

Weird. I still have 3 Fi-13 in rotation.

[Dired]

In 2014 I bought 2 pairs of Mille S5 bibs with the blue pad. I used one pair for around 5k miles to date and hid the other one away as backup. I always hand-wash my active stuff using assos/graingers and let hang air dry. I recently found the second pair that I had put away and got a chance to compare the two, but besides some tiny snags on the seat there was no discernible difference. Again, one is brand new and the other has 5k miles but the inner tags look the same and there is no color fade anywhere. I actually lost a bit of weight recently and picked up a pair of centos, so will be selling these as a capsule piece. :)

[Charles M]

Assos still make the highest quality kit on the market.

That goes for the newer models.


There used to be a giant gap to second place, but now a few brands get close. I say "Brands" because only a couple of companies are actually "MAKING" their own kit.

Might sound odd,but Nalini (MOA SPORT) make some of the absolute best kit on the market (and they make it for multiple brands that you might consider top of the market).

Q36.5 are VERY good.
SOME of Rapha's new kit is very good and some of it is just ok. (some of it used to be a CRAP value, but they corrected that, choosing better manufacturing and raw materials)
Ale's winter kit is pretty good.
Nalini's top level kit is VERY good.
Campagnolo's house brand are made in Italy and they're all VERY good.

But I think Assos (their new product) is the top of the heap still. The difference to second place is close now. It used to be Assos 100 and second place was maybe 75-80, but second place is high 80's low 90's now.

[Robot870]

Wearing a 851 that's 10 years old......Norhing better !

[CNY rider]

I'm klinda surprised by Lionel comments. I think the S7 lasts longer than the S5. The old S5 bibs would thin out in the back and you could see everyone's tramp stamp on group rides.

I will admit the old S2 bibs lasted forever. I still have a pair of knickers with the orange chamois.

I think the new thermal shorts are really the best. I am still trying to talk them into making chamois less tights, but it is an uphill struggle.

I have the same ancient knickers with the orange pad.
So comfortable, so well made, and virtually indestructible. :banana:

[zap]

Weird. I still have 3 Fi-13 in rotation.

I purchased mine right when they came out. Maybe the mamuschas in Romania were not fully trained.

[robertbb]

Castelli / Sportful are exellent.

Alpha ROS and Sportful R&D 2.0. Polartec neoshell and Polartec alpha... anything else simply isn't serious.

[happycampyer]

Assos still make the highest quality kit on the market.

That goes for the newer models.


There used to be a giant gap to second place, but now a few brands get close. I say "Brands" because only a couple of companies are actually "MAKING" their own kit.

Might sound odd,but Nalini (MOA SPORT) make some of the absolute best kit on the market (and they make it for multiple brands that you might consider top of the market).

Q36.5 are VERY good.
SOME of Rapha's new kit is very good and some of it is just ok. (some of it used to be a CRAP value, but they corrected that, choosing better manufacturing and raw materials)
Ale's winter kit is pretty good.
Nalini's top level kit is VERY good.
Campagnolo's house brand are made in Italy and they're all VERY good.

But I think Assos (their new product) is the top of the heap still. The difference to second place is close now. It used to be Assos 100 and second place was maybe 75-80, but second place is high 80's low 90's now.I also don't think anyone makes as complete a range of clothing as Assos, especially from spring/fall into deep winter, rain, etc.

[OtayBW]

When Assos introduced the S7 I decided to try one more time. The Assos S7 has been the most reliable Assos bibs ever.....not one thread wrong.My experience as well. My S7 Equipes are my go-to bibs. I like 'em more and they have held up better than older Assos Mille bibs from years ago. My $0.02.

[poff]

I like 7mesh stuff, they are Arc'teryx cycling people. They have the best jerseys and jackets - way more sophisticated than Assos. Their Oro jacket is made of Goretex Active and weighs less than 100g. I also like that they combine different high-tech materials to form a complete package which is durable, breathable, and wind/water proof. I have not tried their bibs though, but I switched to their jerseys and jackets from Assos and other companies.

[buddybikes]

WHY does Assos basically make black-death color? This eliminaHted my decision on jacket.

[wgp]

I have the same ancient knickers with the orange pad.
So comfortable, so well made, and virtually indestructible. :banana:

I too use these orange pad knickers to this day - outstanding quality! Don’t even remember how long ago I bought them.

Cold enough today here in DC to break out my Bonka for the first time this season, and it’s a magnificent piece of clothing ;-)

[Dired]

I like 7mesh stuff, they are Arc'teryx cycling people. They have the best jerseys and jackets - way more sophisticated than Assos. Their Oro jacket is made of Goretex Active and weighs less than 100g. I also like that they combine different high-tech materials to form a complete package which is durable, breathable, and wind/water proof. I have not tried their bibs though, but I switched to their jerseys and jackets from Assos and other companies.Oro is also shakedry, excellent stuff.

Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

[Lionel]

I have the same ancient knickers with the orange pad.
So comfortable, so well made, and virtually indestructible. :banana:

I still have one of those as well !

[Lionel]

Wearing a 851 that's 10 years old......Norhing better !

Totally, wore mine this week. It is so old but looks brand new and works so well. The 4 back pockets are also incredibly good.

[Lionel]

Assos still make the highest quality kit on the market.

That goes for the newer models.


There used to be a giant gap to second place, but now a few brands get close. I say "Brands" because only a couple of companies are actually "MAKING" their own kit.

Might sound odd,but Nalini (MOA SPORT) make some of the absolute best kit on the market (and they make it for multiple brands that you might consider top of the market).

Q36.5 are VERY good.
SOME of Rapha's new kit is very good and some of it is just ok. (some of it used to be a CRAP value, but they corrected that, choosing better manufacturing and raw materials)
Ale's winter kit is pretty good.
Nalini's top level kit is VERY good.
Campagnolo's house brand are made in Italy and they're all VERY good.

But I think Assos (their new product) is the top of the heap still. The difference to second place is close now. It used to be Assos 100 and second place was maybe 75-80, but second place is high 80's low 90's now.

Yeah the distance to second place is very close. But because the first place bar has been lowered.

[FlashUNC]

Yes, very good.