If you have a young rider at home you’ll know the struggle of finding them real cycling clothing to wear. As a dad, I’ve resorted in the past to XXS women’s shorts for my daughter that I’ve then trimmed down to get her something workable for longer rides when she wanted to. Jerseys are a bit easier as the close fit is less critical (and there are actually more options available), but it’s always been a bit of a compromise. Well, now Islabikes who have a nice range of both affordable and premium race-ready kids’ bikes decided they needed to kit out their young riders as well. The new Islabikes Children’s Racing Kit keeps it simple, but looks to get the fit where it counts…
Islabikes’ kids’ race kit is designed to give younger riders the comfortable & high-performance that is available once you size up to the wide range of offerings when you get to adult gear.
The biggest focus seems to have been put on the $60 shorts where getting a good fit is crucial. Since young kids don’t have the developed hips of adults it often doesn’t make sense to use an elastic waistband in a pair of shorts, so Isla decided to go with a bib strap construction. With a stretchy Lycra Sport fabric for the body of the shorts and bibs, this also was said to offer more flexibility of fit to let the kids continue to wear the bibs as they grow. Of course as adults we all know the pluses of bibs over shorts, so now our kids can get the same benefits. As for padding, Isla went with a basic medium thickness unisex chamois to offer a wide range of appeal.
The $50 jersey itself is a basic loose-fitting raglan cut with a standard three pocket arrangement. It uses a good wicking and fast-drying Dry-Tex polyester fabric and gets elasticized cuffs, hem & pockets and a short zipper. Like the shorts, the jersey also reflective logo printing for increased visibility.
Three sizes are available in each, based on age groups with the idea that a bit of stretch in the cuts will allow for room to grow. We did reach out to get a bit more detail than the basic 6/7, 8/9 & 10/11 ranges. The following are actual sizes in inches of the apparel laying flat, so you can compare to your kids other clothes to determine an accurate fit, keeping in mind that both jersey and shorts have a stretchy fabric.
| Jersey Sizing | Bib Shorts Sizing | |||||||
| 6/7 | 8/9 | 10/11 | 6/7 | 8/9 | 10/11 | |||
| chest | 15.5 | 16.3 | 17 | waist | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
| lower hem | 12 | 12.5 | 13.5 | thigh width | 7 | 7.1 | 7.3 | |
| front length* | 16.5 | 17.5 | 19 | waist to leg gripper | 5.7 | 6.3 | 6.9 | |
| back length* | 21 | 22 | 23 | inseam | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | |
| *collar to waist | ||||||||
