velocio cycling apparel

I stumbled upon this company this morning and thought I would mention it.

Cycling clothing needs to fit and fit right if it is going to be of any use. I have had cycling clothing of differing quality, cut, and comfort levels over the years and can attest to the fact that if it is not right, it is not comfortable. Clothing which bunches up in the wrong places is not, ummm, helpful.

Cycling clothing needs to fit while you are on the bike.  This is of lesser concern for upright bicycles, urban bicycles, and the like, but it rapidly becomes apparent that street clothing does not cut it on a race bike. Proper cycling clothing - and I am talking about "race kit" here, not casual clothing reinforced in all the right places and crudely adapted to the bicycle - is longer in the back, and actually pulls your shoulders forward slightly when standing up. Compared to street clothing, race kit adds material in certain places, and removes it in others. The stuff feels weird and bunches funny when standing for sure, but clothing cut for the position a rider has on the bicycle is markedly better than clothing which is not.

Thing is, most manufacturers make their cycling gear for men first. It is designed for pro racers, and changed up from there. Fine, as far as it goes. I am male, and appreciate the trickle down effect of top notch cycling gear meant to be comfortable for use in Grand Tours.

But my daughter and wife, on the other hand, are female. And cycling clothing for women is not as nice as cycling clothing for men. The cut and style are often not as suited for female riders.

Enter Velocio.

They make cycling clothing for women first. From what I can see, and what I have read about the stuff, it is top notch.

Here is a direct quotation from their webpage describing their approach to making cycling apparal (and it is one that I can appreciate and one which drives me to buy the best cycling clothing I can afford):

"Philosophy
They (ed: they refers to the designers) decided there should be a choice.
That every rider should have really great cycling clothing. Clothing designed, from the ground up, with the goal of making every ride beautiful and amazing.
They worked hard to find the best fabrics and the best sewers.  They spent hours pouring over sample swatches considering drape, softness, comfort and performance on the bike. They considered the last pedal strokes of a day-long ride when you feel… ahem …everything.
They learned early that details matter. They obsessed over every color, every cut and every option we had. The result is clothing that performs like a well-tuned bike: efficiently, quietly and with ruthless reliability.
There’s art in cycling. It is too beautiful a sport to ride a jersey with those bubbling fabric folds. (You know the ones that happen from poor, boxy designs, like you’re trying to smuggle baguettes on a ride? If you want baguettes, you’ll stop at a bakery, thank you very much.)
Finally, to love progress and to draw inspiration from the sport’s much celebrated history, Velocio was designed as something to wear pedaling into its future.
That’s our philosophy.
Welcome to Velocio."

If we collectively want cycling to grow, it is foolish to ignore women, isn't it? I have been following velonews online for quite a while and have noticed a big uptick in women's cycling compared to when I was younger. This is a trend I wish to see continue.

Good clothing can only help with that. It is as important as the right shoes, and proper bike fit.