The Insulated Vest over the Ride jersey.
If you’ve been by in the last 9 months or so you may have noticed our newly revised clothing section. We’ve been stocking some awesome stuff from Twin Six, Specialized and Endura, and now we’re stoked to have in some premium goods from Giro’s “New Road” line. What the hell is “New Road,” you ask?
Basically the New Road clothing line is 1/3 about style, 1/3 about performance and 1/3 durability. In their first crack at the bike clothing game, the folks at Giro decided to take a route somewhere in between “Performance” clothing and “Street” clothing. So there’s no tight lycra, but they’re not trying to make the elusive “bike jeans.” Three of the standout pieces for me are the Merino jersey, the Insulated vest, and the Republic shoe.
The Ride Jersey in Blue
The Merino Jersey is made of relatively heavy wool, so more of a September-June piece for Portland riders. It’s cut for riding but not so tight that you feel weird lounging at the coffee shop or bar post-ride. It’s not a cheap jersey at $150 but the long-wearing and low-stink properties of Merino wool are the real deal and this is a very nice, made-in USA piece that should outlast Coolmax Lycra by a factor of years.
There are 3 structured “bike jersey” style pockets hidden behind the side-access zipper.
The Insulated Vest is a really nice piece of clothing that truly makes the transition from on-bike to off-bike with aplomb. It has a lightweight and compressible Primaloft synthetic down fill for warmth on chilly mornings but can pack down to fit in a jersey pocket or bag when it’s not needed. It also has Giro’s slick hidden pocket system, where a big pass-through on the back opens into a hidden panel with a few pockets. Not quite as easy to reach as a jersey pocket but it also makes for a garment I’ll reach for even when I’m not riding. Pairing this with a jersey and arm warmers will be my go-to on cool days.
Vest- compressed.
Lastly, I’d like to mention how much I like the Republic shoe. I’ve been wearing a pair for about 6 months and they’re holding up well. The sole is plenty stiff, the uppers are nice and comfy and they look “normal” when I hop off the bike and go into a restaurant. They come with a second set of white laces for style points, though mine have gotten a bit dirty so I may switch back to the grey for rainy season. 
The soles have replaceable treads and the uppers are a pretty tough synthetic leather so these should go the distance as well as a more modern-looking shoe. If you commute, tour or (gasp) road-ride with 2-bolt pedals I can’t recommend these shoes highly enough.
We have a pretty good stock of these items as well as a few other nice pieces from the line. Swing by and check ‘em out if you’re in the neighborhood.
