Introducing Our Shop Kits

For the last three years we’ve had a plethora of questions about when we would be coming out with a kit. We held off because we wanted to make sure they’d be done right, and by right I mean quality kits, a design that paid homage to the heritage of the sport, and one that was unique without going in a direction people would expect. We have put all those elements together, and we’re pretty excited about it. The details are below.

The kits themselves are coming from Squadra, a company that has been around since 1996. That’s not a long time–when it comes to heritage brands–but deep in their history is work with Maurizo Castelli. Yes, that Castelli. Squadra was born out of that guidance. While not as ubiquitous in the world of custom kit as Castelli, the quality is on par with the more popular brand.
So much class. 
So much class.

As for the design: I (this is Bob writing) wanted a look that would pay homage to the to riders of the past. I figured it was best to start with the Champion of Champions: Fausto Coppi. Being the dominant rider of his time, Coppi was also a cultural movement. In post war Italy you were either with the urban Coppi, or you were a Bartali supporter, who’s deep Catholic faith was indicative of a Italy that has falling into the past.

To achieve this end, we asked Heartthrob Racing’s Tim Hubner to design the kit. (Tim also designed our water bottles this year; there’s still a few left!). I sent Tim a picture of this great rider in his classic Bianchi kit and said “Something like this.” Tim more than delivered with a light blue and white jersey that says The Polka Dot Jersey across the front in that beautiful Campagnolo script. On the right hand sleeve is a cartoon of the man himself. Underneath it reads “Coppi Lives, Coppi the Myth” in Italian, a line he gleaned from William Fortheringham’s excellent bio: Fallen Angel: The Passion of Fausto Coppi.

For the shorts we went with your basic black, and the letters PDJ along the leg in a cream color, as it was back in the day. The shorts will work with your favorite plain jersey, and the jersey will work with you favorite pair of black shorts. The pairing will look great, but you can mix and match either with your favorite kit.

As for cost, the jersey is $140.00 and the bibs are $190.00. I realize that this is expensive, but is in line with kit of this caliber but still less expensive than a pair of bibs from Rapha, Assos, etc… You’ll be riding this kit for  years, and not just because of this timeless design.

Wondering about sizing? We’ll have a fit kit here for the next couple of weeks, and you can come down and try it on. And of course, we will have women’s kit as well, cause that’s the way it should be. The pre-order window will extend a couple of weeks beyond that, so let’s say, have your order in by the end of November. The three of us are really excited about these kits, so expect fair amount of fun marketing from us.