I went to Well Street yesterday armed with my Daily Express '£5 off a £30 spend' voucher (and no, I don't read it, we just get all the papers at work) and got a track pump, a pair of the shoes and a pair of gloves. £4.99, £16.99 and £2.29 respectively, minus the Daily Express discount with some other stuff.
And I'm very happy with it all - the pump is really good, the pressure gauge doesn't work for toffee, but I can get my tires rock hard with it quickly and it seems reasonably well built.
Shoes are fine, they're just to replace my 'casual' Shimano SPD shoes. Like these ones but in blue and black and slightly tweaked:
Seem pretty well built and nice stiff soles. I've had the bottoms off to check the cleat attachments and they look fine, no different to my Shimano ones. Not tried them on the bike yet though.
And the gloves, well they're gloves. They're fine. Have the bit to wipe your nose on and the grippy bit. Fit fine. Cost less than a pint.
I don't really buy all this buy ethical stuff with this kind of thing - it's good to support independent businesses yes and for bike stuff I mostly do. And I wouldn't buy cheap bits for my bike because I wouldn't trust them... but these track pumps have been seen elsewhere for much more money 'branded'.
They'll be made in the same factory as lots of other track pumps you'll pay way more for and feel better about, but the staff won't be paid any more.
The shoes came from Germany - not sure where they're made (probably far East) but this is no different to your Nikes, Shimano shoes (just checked and my Shimano shoes were made in Korea, hmm, doesn't say which bit, ethical!), anything else really.
Only difference is how much is being made off the top of the commodity - Shimano shoes just make more for the manufacturer/retailer. You still have the sweatshop in Korea or wherever, unless you're talking about something like PAC bags, hand made in a village in Canada, but you pay for the privelege...
I went to Well Street yesterday armed with my Daily Express '£5 off a £30 spend' voucher (and no, I don't read it, we just get all the papers at work) and got a track pump, a pair of the shoes and a pair of gloves. £4.99, £16.99 and £2.29 respectively, minus the Daily Express discount with some other stuff.
And I'm very happy with it all - the pump is really good, the pressure gauge doesn't work for toffee, but I can get my tires rock hard with it quickly and it seems reasonably well built.
Shoes are fine, they're just to replace my 'casual' Shimano SPD shoes. Like these ones but in blue and black and slightly tweaked:
Seem pretty well built and nice stiff soles. I've had the bottoms off to check the cleat attachments and they look fine, no different to my Shimano ones. Not tried them on the bike yet though.
And the gloves, well they're gloves. They're fine. Have the bit to wipe your nose on and the grippy bit. Fit fine. Cost less than a pint.
I don't really buy all this buy ethical stuff with this kind of thing - it's good to support independent businesses yes and for bike stuff I mostly do. And I wouldn't buy cheap bits for my bike because I wouldn't trust them... but these track pumps have been seen elsewhere for much more money 'branded'.
They'll be made in the same factory as lots of other track pumps you'll pay way more for and feel better about, but the staff won't be paid any more.
The shoes came from Germany - not sure where they're made (probably far East) but this is no different to your Nikes, Shimano shoes (just checked and my Shimano shoes were made in Korea, hmm, doesn't say which bit, ethical!), anything else really.
Only difference is how much is being made off the top of the commodity - Shimano shoes just make more for the manufacturer/retailer. You still have the sweatshop in Korea or wherever, unless you're talking about something like PAC bags, hand made in a village in Canada, but you pay for the privelege...