[stumblemumble]

With products such as "The Captain Ten Speed Jersey" and "Bike Messenger Jacket", The North Face clothing company has released a line of bike apparel.
Now for my judgement: North Face was a decent company back in around the 1970's, now it's junk. North Face produces a bread and butter product line of crap that is sold at a premium strictly due to the logo.

http://www.jensonusa.com/search/Def...em030811&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tnf311

 

[zgjp82]

What exactly do you mean "gone", when wasn't it. I have rode a bike since I was a child and BMX'ed as a teenager, as did a large majority of my friends. My family rides all my friends ride I have never really known a time that there wasnt a bike shop within 10 miles of my house. Or am I crazy?

 

[dundundata]

best jacket i've ever owned is a northface, yes it even beats my starter pullover with the huge kangaroo pouch.

 

[Sheepo5669]

That will piss the hipsters off! They will pick up a new hobby such as "Freestyle hammocking" once cycling is mainstream.

Its not as bad as you think

Sheepo

 

[the_owl]

North Face has been making cycling specific clothes for a while.
It went mainstream chic in the early nineties, there just wasnt the internet yet to reveal it.
I gotta say though, my North Face Cycling Jersey is my favorite spin class attire ...

 

[nachomc]

Do we care that it has gone mainstream? I'm confused.

 

[stumblemumble]

Do we care that it has gone mainstream? I'm confused.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing at all. You are also welcome to an opinion. I see next Abercrombie and Fitch offering roadie attire and Old Navy making fashionably pre-worn SPD shoes.
At that point I'd be disappointed. North Face is like Nike IMHO, they are a label, people often wear it to fit a style. Personally, if I see a North Face cycling t-shirt on someone I'd wonder: Since when did NF become a brand to be proud of for someone such as a cyclist? It's not a small company making quality product, it's not locally made, it's not a niche. It's just me. I personally wouldn't rock a Trek Bicycles shirt.

 

[Straz85]

Now for my judgement: North Face was a decent company back in around the 1970's, now it's junk. North Face produces a bread and butter product line of crap that is sold at a premium strictly due to the logo.

I hate this attitude, just because they're mainstream doesn't mean their products suck. They're not more expensive then companies like Marmot, Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, etc. All make similar products and are similarly priced. While I agree that college students (in New England, at least) wear TNF as a fashion statement, they still make a lot of great technical gear. Ever seen videos of people climbing Everest, K2, etc? Half the climbers are wearing TNF gear, and these are world class mountaineers, in life or death situations, they're not going to choose subpar gear because they want to look cool going to Econ 101.

Anyway, I think TNF makes great gear and I will continue to buy it if it suits my needs. I saw a pair of their baggy mountain biking shorts at their store in Peabody, MA the other day, I was very impressed, and they weren't anymore money than comparable brands.

 

[Mojo Troll]

I thought the same thing when mtn biking became an Olympic sport back in the early '90s. Do'nt worry. You'll get over it and continue to ride your bike.

 

[kisada]

someone's a bit of an elitist ...

I want big brands to get into the cycling game because not everyone is made of money.
It's rough enogh to get a decent bike, but then having to tack on the extra cost of all the accessories can really stop people from getting into and being able to enjoy the sport.

Big brands can do things such as sacrifice a bit of top notch quality for better pricing. Sure the MSRP of big brand names like Nike or TNF might not be any cheaper than biking specific "elite" brands but they also go on discount and have outlet stores which allows people who can't drop $200+ dollars on a cycling outfit to still get some gear that has some good tech and quality behind it.

I can't stand people with elitist attitudes ...
I've been fortunate that most people i run into could care less what you are wearing or riding as long as you have a good attitude, respect the trails, and respect other trail users.

I wear a mix of of gear from Specialized, Fox, Nema, Royal Racing, and actually have even repurposed some of my paintball jerseys as long sleeve biking jerseys, and the main priority was value.

 

[nachomc]

I'm not saying it's a bad thing at all. You are also welcome to an opinion. I see next Abercrombie and Fitch offering roadie attire and Old Navy making fashionably pre-worn SPD shoes.
At that point I'd be disappointed. North Face is like Nike IMHO, they are a label, people often wear it to fit a style. Personally, if I see a North Face cycling t-shirt on someone I'd wonder: Since when did NF become a brand to be proud of for someone such as a cyclist? It's not a small company making quality product, it's not locally made, it's not a niche. It's just me. I personally wouldn't rock a Trek Bicycles shirt.

Specifically about North Face, they make quality stuff. I have a North Face shell that is ridiculously comfortable and excellent in the winter. I would consider their other clothing for back packing but have some Columbia stuff instead for that. However, if North Face started making jerseys, and they were priced competitively with the other jerseys on the market, I would certainly consider buying that clothing.

 

[stumblemumble]

someone's a bit of an elitist ...
Big brands can do things such as sacrifice a bit of top notch quality for better pricing. Sure the MSRP of big brand names like Nike or TNF might not be any cheaper than biking specific "elite" brands...

That's exactly what I want to be wearing, sacrificed quality for better pricing. We're not talking about jeans and T-shirts. I had a NF Gore-Tex jacket that pilled all over after a month from when I bought it. It was just over a month old and NF warranty wanted like $300 to fix the shell on a $400 jacket! (It wasn't anything I did, this was a faulty jacket).
So yes, North Face blows.
Nike is a terrible company, worn by people who want nothing but the logo because it's cool. I prefer to own equipment that has quality, not fashion. If that makes me elitist, that just fine.

 

[Berkeley Mike]

I don't know, man, I thought it went mainstream in about 2004 when yet another clown threw a leg over a bike.

 

[CasteelG]

Wait... When was cycling NOT mainstream?

 

[evasive]

I hate this attitude, just because they're mainstream doesn't mean their products suck. They're not more expensive then companies like Marmot, Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, etc. All make similar products and are similarly priced. While I agree that college students (in New England, at least) wear TNF as a fashion statement, they still make a lot of great technical gear. Ever seen videos of people climbing Everest, K2, etc? Half the climbers are wearing TNF gear, and these are world class mountaineers, in life or death situations, they're not going to choose subpar gear because they want to look cool going to Econ 101.

Anyway, I think TNF makes great gear and I will continue to buy it if it suits my needs. I saw a pair of their baggy mountain biking shorts at their store in Peabody, MA the other day, I was very impressed, and they weren't anymore money than comparable brands.

A lot of their products do suck, though. I don't deny that they still make some good technical clothing, but they diluted their reputation when they branched into lifestyle clothing and started selling in department stores 15-20 years ago. A result of that was a lot of poorly thought-out junk intended for the suburbs or inbounds skiing. Arc'teryx has started to do the same thing.

I would say TNF is generally more expensive than Marmot, though. While they make some expensive pieces, Marmot has pretty much staked out the no-nonsense and more affordable end of the spectrum. And I'd say that Patagonia is the most expensive of the lot. They got the 'Patagucci' nickname for a reason. I'm lucky to live near an outlet store. But they're also the only manufacturer that's still independent (Columbia owns Mountain Hardwear, for example), they make quality gear, and they stand behind it 100%.

 

[646-ATL]

If we're going to base our opinions of a company on one person's experience with one product from said company, then TNF is great because my back pack has lasted through 3 years of daily use in high school, 5 1/2 years in college and untold day and weekend trips during and since (thats 14 years of hard use with anything but care taken.) And Nike's "Pro" cold weather shirt has been kicking hard as my only tech base layer for 2 winters now of many many uses and runs through the washing machine. And if its in the 35 to 45 degree range thats the only shirt I need for a run.
With all that being said I refuse to pay full retail for these types of items and wait to find them on sale, but quality is quality and it doesn't matter what the name is on the logo. If it works who cares who makes it?

 

[Eric Z]

i have a few TNF jackets. the ones from the mid-90s seem to be better quality than the mid-00s version. i'm not a fan of the fleece pilling and making the jacket look old when it's not. i do think it's funny how some do wear them as a fashion statement- to each their own though. i'm not losing sleep over it. i just get pissed because i'm 6'4 and a lot of their stuff isn't long enough.

 

[Ötzi]

We survived Polo/Ralph Lauren bike gear, I doubt the North Face is going to destroy us.

 

[the_owl]

Seems cycling goes mainstream every ten years or so.
The fixie wool cap skinny jeans crowd is now leading the way.

 

[Rod]

Whenever I see cycling clothes at the local wal-mart I'll be worried. Now that I think about it, I did see a carbon water bottle cage there once. YIKES! Maybe it is starting to become mainstream.