How much money do you have to spend to get kitted out like an An Post ChainReaction rider? We price the team's look; from bike to socks.
Cost of An Post Chainreaction kit in full
Every hobby cyclist, at one time or another, has experienced kit envy. Unlike a football fan, a simple jersey with an athlete’s name emblazoned on the back simply won’t cut it.
We cycling fans need the bib shorts to match the current aero jersey and carbon wheels worthy of the cobbled roads of Flanders. The brass tacks of it is usually cost.
In July, An Post Chain Reaction Cycles gave us the low-down on their team edition Vitus Vitesse Evo Pro.
But how much cash would one need to part with in order to look like an An Post-Chainreaction rider?
The team’s riders have been cruising around the roads of Europe on Vitus’ flagship model.
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The UCI accredited Vitus Vitesse Evo Pro is a fully carbon frame with carbon forks.
The oversized downtube features a squared profile to maximise stiffness and power transfer.
The huge bottom bracket and oversized chainstays improve lateral stiffness.
And the slender seatstays, profiled top tube and 27.2mm seatpost, offer a high degree of vertical compliance.
This all translates into enhanced rider comfort and reduced rider fatigue.
The bike is fitted with Shimano Dura Ace 9000 11-speed group set and is complimented by FSA components.
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A bike is nothing without a set of Vision carbon wheels to keep your machine light, fast and aero. This bike comes as standard with Vision Team 30 wheels.
The team has been working with Vitus since 2013, when Sam Bennett won a stage of the race into Caerphily.
The bike, wheels, group set and FSA components are on sale on Chainreactioncycles.com for a pretty decent €2,849.99.
So now we’ve had an in-depth look at the bike, and its price tag, what about the rest of the kit the ‘posties’ use?
The team uses the Kask Protone helmet.
Kask developed the Protone, in collaboration with Team Sky, following extensive wind tunnel analysis.
This helmet aims to provide the best of both worlds; air pockets for breathability, and aero dynamics. It’s available for the price of €201.99
To really look the part, the kit is essential. Irish company Spin11.com provides the team with light, comfortable racing and training clothing.
It has been created with one eye on leisure, or amateur, riders, lots of whom buy the kit each year. Spin11.com says it prides itself on the fact the kit is durable wash after wash.
It says its ethos is to provide simple, functional kit which has been tried and tested by the pros.
The custom clothing company creates kits for clubs and sportifs all over the country.
And it says the lessons learned from working with An Post-Chainreaction, and indeed the Irish national team, have fed back into its manufacturing and design processes.
The bib shorts are available at present for a reduced price of €44.99. Unfortunately the team’s race jerseys are no longer available as they’ve sold out.
But you can pick up lots of the rest of the kit. The long sleeve jersey is €65.99, the Gilet is €57.45 and the winter bib tights are €80.45.
The caps are €9, the winter gloves €26.95, the arm warmers €20 and the socks are €9.
The team’s Northwave Extreme Road Race shoes are €275.99. And the Speedplay pedals range from €110 to €525.
The team’s Oakley EV Radar sunglasses are available for €99.
It means if you wanted the team-issue bike and the full range of kit; you’re looking at around €4,300.
That price is approximate and the kit is available from both Chainreactioncycles.com and Spin11.com.
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