One Kit Wonder – how the right cycling kit can double for so much else
Garish, unflattering lycra and cycling. Cycling and garish, unflattering lycra. It’s like coffee and cake, or Poldark and scything. They just go together. Don’t they? Not necessarily. And if they do, today’s cycling gear most certainly doesn’t have to be ugly. Far from it. Over the three years since we launched VeloVixen, we’ve become ever more aware of how important it is to track down cycling kit that works well and looks great. But there’s another dimension that’s often overlooked: many active women have a preference for kit that can be used across a number of activities. To generalise for a moment: male cyclists are usually happy to define themselves as cyclists and invest in clothing that works for cycling and cycling only. Women who cycle generally
Garish, unflattering lycra and cycling. Cycling and garish, unflattering lycra. It’s like coffee and cake, or Poldark and scything. They just go together. Don’t they?
Not necessarily. And if they do, today’s cycling gear most certainly doesn’t have to be ugly. Far from it.
Over the three years since we launched VeloVixen, we’ve become ever more aware of how important it is to track down cycling kit that works well and looks great.
But there’s another dimension that’s often overlooked: many active women have a preference for kit that can be used across a number of activities.
To generalise for a moment: male cyclists are usually happy to define themselves as cyclists and invest in clothing that works for cycling and cycling only. Women who cycle generally want clothing with more flexibility. They want leggings you can use for cycling or yoga, tops you can cycle to the gym in and not need to change when you get there.
So how can you achieve this holy grail? Is it possible for cycling clothing to look great and work well for multiple activities? We think so. Here are 3 approaches:
1. Multi-Activity Kit:
Plenty of cycling kit these days can be comfortably used for other activities beyond cycling, allowing you to blend your cycling wardrobe seamlessly into your overall exercise wardrobe.
Take Urbanist’s Padded Cycling Pants – they’re flatteringly cut and beautifully finished, but perhaps most handy is their top quality Italian chamois pad: thick enough to protect you on shorter or medium length rides, but discreet enough to wear comfortably for running, yoga or a gym session.
Or Primal’s selection of cycling jerseys – perfect for riding with their technical wicking fabric and well positioned rear pockets, they also lend themselves to a run, triathlon or cross-fit session.
And the humble sock is becoming a cult item amongst cyclists this season, with outrageous designs and the hashtag #sockdoping trending. Cycling socks are made from material with excellent wicking and temperature moderation properties, plus reinforced heels and toes. Funnily enough, everything you need from socks for pretty much any kind of exercise!
2. Clothing for All Events:
Some cycling clothing is now so attractive and wearable that you don’t even need to be active to justify showing it off. Take Vulpine’s stunning range of merino tops, for example. Vulpine’s motto is ‘Ride & Destination’, but with clothes this classy, you don’t even need to bother with the ride bit. You’ll often find us wearing them in the office.
Jura’s merino jerseys are just as lovely; made of 100{c754d8f4a6af077a182a96e5a5e47e38ce50ff83c235579d09299c097124e52d} sumptuous merino wool, they have natural deordorising properties and keep you warm or cool as appropriate. But perhaps their most enticing feature is their vintage 1950s-style good looks, which are equally at home climbing a Dolomite or watching a boxed set on the sofa.
It’s not just about clothing, either, in today’s more enlightened cycling world. Hill & Ellis’ much-coveted leather bike satchels have top quality cycle rack fittings to match the quality of their leather, but when you walk into the boardroom carrying one, they’ll never guess your bag was created for cyclists.
3. Cycling Kit you Won’t Want to Take Off
And then there’s kit designed specificially for cycling that may not transfer so naturally to other forms of activity… but that just looks so damn good you’ll positively want to be seen in it before or after a ride.
Café du Cycliste are the doyens of this approach. Designed and tested in the hills above Nice, their range of women’s cycling gear is made for long days in the saddle. It looks so achingly elegant, however, that you’ll want to keep it on for that post-ride double espresso in your favourite sunlit café in the back streets of Nice. And probably the rest of the day too.
Morvélo aren’t far behind. The Brighton-based team are road cycling specialists who whose technical reviews are consistently among the best of any brand out there. It’s the graphics of their outfits that really makes them stand out from the pack, however – you’ll turn heads in all the right ways wearing one of their jersey/bibshort combinations.
Even cycling caps – the archetypal example of classic cycling headwear -can look fabulous off a bike. Wear them with the peak turned up to mix some gentle eccentricity with an implicit whisper of ‘I love cycling’…
So it seems that cycling and lycra can still be partners. But they don’t have to be. Cycling is no monogamist when it comes to clothing. Today’s best women’s cycling clothing comes in innumberable styles and materials. It allows you to get more out of your cycling whilst look stylish and sophisticated.
And it no longer has to be reserved for riding your bike.
To find out more and buy: www.velovixen.com
Liz Bingham, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
SOURCE: Sportsister – Read entire story here.
