The new Overland kit collection from UK clothing company Morvélo is less about crafting gravel & adventure bike specific kit, and more about just quality cycling kit that didn’t pigeon-hole you as either roadie or mountain biker. Sure the impetus was how to dress comfortably and functionally for gravel riding and bikepacking, but the end goal became a cycling kit that really was something you could wear off the bike as well.
Morvélo Overland all terrain, all bike cycling kit
Morvélo Overland did actually start out as riding kit for bikepacking and all around mixed-surface gravel road riding. The goal was to find some happy medium that was neither skin-tight road lycra (to limit MAMIL sightings) nor gravity-fed mountain bike baggies. Instead of looking “kitted up” for every ride, Overland is more of an adaptable range with active functional performance and more of a ‘hanging around camp’ look.
So with that in mind Morvelo took their decade of making riding kit and came up with something in between – fitted shorts over light weight padded shorts or bibs, fitted tees, and a bit of lumberjack flair. All of it suitable for getting loose on or off tarmac, flat or drop bars. Morvelo says much of the Overland line doesn’t even need to be confined to bike rides, this is kit for “any activity that requires clothing with stretch and breathability.”
Overland on & off-road riding tops
Morvelo calls the £75 Overland Short Sleeve Shirt a proper riding jersey disguised as a bottom up shirt. The cut is on the bike specific, it gets sneaky side pockets to add to the chest flap pocket, plus a 4-way stretch fabric that dries fast, and even reflective detailing front & back.
The 92% polyester/8% lycra Overland Shirt comes in plaids or prints, with snakes or foliage.
The £30 Overland Tech Tee is pretty much just the perfect t-shirt for riding in. It’s made of 100% polyester for breathability, sweat wicking & fast dry times, but it is said to have a soft cotton-like feel on the skin (not the plasticky touch of normal polyester.) Again a cycling cut with longer sleeves, longer back & wider shoulders means comfort while riding, plus reflective detailing for visibility.
The £60 Overland Dual Baselayer-Jersey is the most like a typical cycling jersey in cut & features, but it doesn’t stop there. Designed to be worn under another top or on its own, the baselayer fits like a riding jersey but offers two pockets up front & three more in the back to haul everything you need for the next backcountry adventure ride. It is made from a 100% polyester mesh fabric but isn’t really transparent, just more like some open vented summer bike jerseys. It wicks super fast, drying fast too, is packable, light, and comes with a Sasquatch on the back!
The £90 Overland Mountain Jersey is essentially a hi-tech hoodie. While it might look like a heavy sweatshirt, it is actually a lightweight 100% polyester fleece that offers breathable, quick wicking insulation. Again it has an on-the-bike cut, plus a rear zip pocket, zip chest pocket, longer sleeves with thumb loops, reflective detailing front & back, and a two-way main zip to help regulate your temp while riding. The jerseys are all gray, with a variable amount of logos or patches as you desire.
Overland on & off-road riding shorts
Morvelo’s £90 Overland Selector Shorts are than balanced ‘not too tight’, ‘not too baggy’ pair of overshorts. Made from a super stretchy 79% nylon/21% lycra fabric they fit close to the leg, over a pair of padded shorts if that’s your thing, but still offer full freedom of movement.
Wear them on the bike or around town, they are breathable, fast wicking, quick drying & lightweight. (Do you see a trend here?)
A silicone waist gripper & hidden adjusters keep them securely in place over padded shorts or on their own. Three zip pockets hold all your junk, and reflective details keep you visible.
Underneath the Selectors, you can pull on a pair of £45 Overland Undershorts. They get a thinner dual-density perforated version of Morvelo’s top road chamois to fit under the Selectors, any other shorts, or even a pair of jeans. The Undershorts are 100% lycra with a wide elastic waistband with printed on rubber grippers.
If you want to stick with fancy Italian lycra, the £110 Overland Bib Shorts get a top-notch, dual-layer perforated chamois that Morvelo uses in their regular ‘award winning’ cycling bib shorts. The Overland version adds three rear pockets so you can carry everything without a conventional cycling jersey. Legs get soft silicone band grippers, the bib straps are constructed of light mesh, everything gets flatlock stitching, plus SPF 50 protection from the sun’s rays.
Pretty much all of the Overland tops gets relaxed unisex-friendly fits with the exception of the baselayer that is more snug, with men’s & women’s specific close jersey fits. The shorts all get men’s & women’s specific cuts and chamois pads.
