“Are you going to change?”
“Is that a riding jersey?”
“That’s one of the coolest jerseys I’ve seen!”
Since I arrived home from Sun Valley Idaho, the home of Club Ride, with a New West Jersey this is exactly how my rides have started. Club Ride has been around for a few years now, but for 2013 they’re really hitting their stride. It seems that a lot of my friends are uninitiated when it comes to Club Ride’s unique riding apparel, but once they see it in the flesh cloth, they’re hooked. This is exactly what Club Ride is hoping for as they dramatically expand their line up for 2013 with the introduction of a completely new line – the SUB5 group.
Between the new SUB5 threads designed specifically for commuters(<5 miles), a vastly improved women’s line with the help of designer Patty Nilsen, and more options for the Sun Valley collection, 2013 will be the best year for Club Ride yet.
Highlights of the new lines after the break, including Club Ride Jeans! Yes, Jeans.
If you’re unfamiliar with Club Ride, the story began when founder and creator Mike Herlinger saw a western style shirt in the back of his closet after a ride. The sight of that shirt made Mike wonder why there weren’t bike clothes that had enough style to fit in at a bar after a long ride. So, Mike got to work and ended up making his first jersey by hand. Things evolved from there to the original Club Ride piece above, the Go West jersey. Made of light weight RideDryWear wicking fabric with hidden venting, pockets, and a hidden front zipper system, the Go West was quickly a hit with those who were looking for technical riding gear that didn’t look like it.
Fast forward a few years and Club ride is rapidly expanding with more employees, more options, and better inventory. Adding to that inventory is the new Sub5 collection which is mostly intended for commuters who ride 5 miles or less to work, though you could easily ride longer in it if you had to. In addition to the Sub5 group, for 2013 CR has really improved their range of technical fabrics by improving RideDryWear and introducing 4 new options – StretchRide9, StretchRide2, Sheer2Dry, and Wind2O. All of the fabrics are designed to be as light as possible while offering the ideal traits for each category of clothing.
Throughout the Sub5 line there is quite a bit of urban style matched with hidden functionality which should help you get to work without being covered in sweat, and without having to change. A lot of the pieces also bring elements of style across the line, like the pin stripes on the Rale Jackt that match up with the Pin’It shorts. The Rale jacket features Club Ride’s StretchRide9 breathable fabric, which is a 4 way stretch performance fabric with 9% lycra. The jacket’s water resistant fabric will help keep you dry from the outside, while vented under arms, and the quick dry fabric will help keep you dry from the inside. Like most Club Ride garments, a lot of thought was put in to each element so that the end result is something that Mike and the crew would want to ride in themselves. MSRP of the Rale Jacket sits at $149.99 and the Pin’It short is $79.99.
The shorts have an interesting fit, which is definitely more urban chic, than mountain brah. If you walk into the office wearing these, trust me, no one will think you’re wearing your biking clothes to work. Going along with the commuting theme, all of the Sub5 line has smartly integrated reflective accents to help keep you visible to other traffic. Women get a similar short in the Freedom, which come in a nice plaid or Raven Denim color.
Which brings us to some of the newest addition to the line – technical pants and jeans. Really, Club Ride is referring to both as jeans, but the Rale Jean on the left is made of StretchRide9 breathable fabric rather than denim like the Ray Jean on the right which features StretchRide2 breathable denim. The Rale is really more like a technical pant with a water resistance built in and a more stretchy tech feel than the Rays. I was able to try on the samples of each, and the fit was great – they weren’t restricting in any way and felt like there would be no issues riding in them. The Rays feature a Seamless crotch gusset like the Pin’It shorts, and a lot of the Club ride shorts, and both jeans feature the trademarked NoCrackBack – a raised section of fabric in the center of the backside of the pant to prevent any unwanted flashing of motorists.
The jeans feature two reflective elements, one on each leg. On the right, which happens to be the driveside, people roll up the pant leg to keep it out of the chainrings, so Club Ride snuck in a clever reflective strip that is visible only when rolled up. For the left side, both jeans feature a reflective strip around a special pocket that is down and back on the thigh to accommodate most smart phones and keep them from affecting your pedaling. There is also one reflective belt loop on the back. For Men and women, Sizing for the Rale will be offered in XS-XL while for men, sizing for the Ray will be offered in a more traditional 31-34 and 36 with women’s sizing coming in at 0-2, 4-6, 8-10, 12, and 14 . At the current stage, stocking different lengths would be extremely difficult for both Club Ride and dealers and would result in having only the sizes no one needs, so instead they opted to go with an extra long length for each size with the expectation that the end user will hem them to fit. MSRP for the Rale will be $159.99 and the Ray slates in at $129.99.
In addition to the Sub5 line, the Sun Valley collection also sees quite a few additions including a new jacket and an improved women’s line. The Cross-Wind is available in both men’s and women’s with two colors of each. The Chrome colorway really caught my eye since it seems like it would be fairly visible, without looking like a neon sign. Made with Club Ride’s Wind2O breathable, water resistant fabric, this is one of those jackets you can stuff in your pack in case the weather quickly turns. It would function as a great wind breaker, and a light rain shell should you need it. The hood isn’t designed to fit over a helmet, but serves it’s purpose off the bike.
The Cross-Wind has drawstring adjustments to keep the hood in check, and a zippered chest pocket with an additional snap pocket on the front. MSRP $84.99
Not only do the ladies get equal options for most of the line up, they also get all new prints and colors that really make the line pop. A lot of the women’s pieces are made from the super lightweight Sheer2Dry wicking fabric, with the Sub5 women’s pieces featuring burnout fabric designs like the Deer Abby above right.
The result? Some very unique outfits that are distinctly Club Ride. Above left is the Wheel Cute T with the Eden Capri, and above right is the Deer Abby with the Freedom short in Raven Trip.
Earth tones not your thing? CR has you covered if Pink and purple is more your speed. Again, the Tweet jersey has a fun print mixed with vibrant colors that pairs well with the Mountain Surf short which is somewhere between a board short and riding shorts.
There are so many additions and improvement to the line, that we can’t post them all here. To check out Club Ride for yourself, find a dealer, and get to it!
