Club Ride’s cycling apparel is a mix of style and performance, with technical fabrics sewn into casual looking garb that moves easily from the bike to the cafe. Based in the mountains of Sun Valley, Idaho, where the trails are epic and the sunsets gorgeous, Club Ride has a decidedly western motif to much of it’s line, but we’re kinda diggin’ it.
I tested the Go West jersey and Half Rack shorts, and Kristi tried out the Bandara women’s jersey. We wore them for the long 9+ hours of this year’s Five Boros Bike Tour and on a few subsequent mountain bike rides on local trails. On one ride, I pedaled a leisurely 4+ hours through the local trails and bike paths, stopping at Moe’s for my well earned middlebrow burrito on the way home without worrying about the odd looks I sometimes get when standing in line while fully spandex clad.
Jump on in for the full review and more corny photos…
MEN’S STUFF
What’s most surprising about Club Ride’s clothing is how light it is. The jersey, despite being dark and having to wear a vest over it during the Five Boros ride, never got too hot…and there were plenty of times when we were standing around in the midday sun waiting for bottlenecks to clear. The shorts (knickers, capris, whatever you want to call them) are about half the weight of Chrome’s Loop Pro knickers (which are also very nice, for the record), making them much cooler on hot days. They’re also a little looser, making them more appropriate for mountain biking.
The Go West jersey is a stretchy, lightweight polyester with vented mesh side and back panels. There are two zip pockets on the rear and two snap chest pockets. I preferred wearing it without anything in the pockets because, given how light the fabric is and the loose fit, it tended to pull the jersey around a bit when getting all aggro on the trails. For commuter style riding, it wasn’t an issue. They’re positioned pretty far to the sides, which makes them easy to get into.
The snap button front conceals a zipper that runs almost to the top. If you’re modest, this keeps things from coming unbuttoned at inopportune times or having skin show between the buttons when you’re leaning over in riding position. MSRP is $90 and it’s available in Ale (brown), Indigo (tested), Raven (black) and Sublime (pale lime green). I’m 6’2″ and wore a Large jersey.
The Half Rack shorts have an 18″ inseam and are made of a stretch nylon. They have a slightly tall waist, but it’s very comfortable on the bike, with no bunching or weird stretching. They have a gussetted crotch and articulated knees, too. I’m a 32″ waist and wore a Medium, which fit very well. The side pull straps let you adjust the waist quite a bit and the cam system keeps it where you set it. There are belt loops if you need them.
The non-zip pockets have mesh liners to keep them light, and the zip pockets on the left rear and leg are just the right size for a smartphone and money clip. Like the jersey, these are really, really lightweight and worked well even on hot days. The only complaint I have on these is that the snap button is a little weak…it tended to pop open when bending down sometimes. A regular button closure would be appreciated, as would a second zip pocket on the right leg. MSRP is $110 and they’re available in Raven (black, tested) and Olive.
Overall, I really like the stuff and would recommend it highly. It’s joined my regular rotation of gear.
WOMEN’S STUFF
Like the men’s jersey, the Bandara is a lightweight wicking polyester, but it gets a full length side mesh panel and small back venting system. The sleeve is mid-length, and it has the same rear zip pockets with a single left-chest snap pocket on the front. It also shares the same front zip behind the button facade, though it stops a little lower than the men’s jersey.
Kristi: I wore the Women’s Bandara jersey in Berry color for the Five Boro’s Bike Tour. It’s a great shirt, very stylish and quite airy compared to typical cycling jerseys. I liked the knit panels on the sides, which made it comfy for moving around on a bike, or standing around drinking a beer.
I’m partial to the snaps and overall cowboy styling, it’s cute and I felt stylish wearing it. There’s an inside zip along the front, so you can unsnap the snaps and just have the zipped portion up for more ventilation/security. Since I wore it with a white tank top underneath it looked nice open or closed. I had a size M and the fit was a little bit big on me, however, if I’d looked at their size chart, I would have seen I needed a size Small.
Overall, I really like this shirt for it’s casual style and functional performance. MSRP is $90 and it comes in Berry (shown), Powder (a light blue), and Bone (cream).
