Introducing our new 2020 range
While in our previous blog post we outlined our important plans for this year, this time round we will go into a little more detail about the clothing and product range and reveal some of our key innovations for the year as well as introducing our new products that will feature during the upcoming season.
This season’s product innovation is driven by two key aspects: reducing the ecological footprint of clothing and expanding the range of cycling apparel for women. This does not mean that we do not have other types of innovations planned. Every year, throughout the season, we collect feedback from our clients, from recreational riders through to Pro athletes, we have meetings with fabric and material partners, and are always tracking the global trends for the industry. Based on all this information, we build a development plan for the upcoming season.
All big changes begin with the small details
Last year, we introduced ‘Life-Cyclist’, our performance cycling apparel which uses fabric made from recycled consumer and industrial waste. With similar properties to conventional fabrics, but with a much lower environmental impact, thanks to using less fresh water and emitting less carbon dioxide during the manufacture of the fabrics, we found a way where being eco-friendly does not mean a compromise on performance.
The manufacture of conventional man-made fabric is very energy intensive. The environmental benefits of these recycled alternatives is achieved precisely by cutting down on energy consumption, which accounts for approximately 60% less than that required for the initial manufacture of the fabric.
This season, we will expand the use of these eco-friendly fabrics to our most popular products such as our Pro series bib-shorts and jerseys. Let’s take a closer look at these clothes and what they will offer.
Pro Bib-Shorts 4.0 – Slim-fit bib-shorts designed with the competitive cyclist in mind. Updates: More comfortable bib straps, less seams around the chamois insert and the use of eco-friendly fabrics.
Pro Jersey 2.0 – Pro level Slim-fit. Updates: Better-fitting collar, padded front zipper, extra zipped side pocket, pocket reinforcements and the use of eco-friendly fabrics.
While our product range has thus far been inclined towards the male rider, we are pleased to announce that we will be now producing more female specific apparel. This new range includes two different models of women’s bib-shorts, a basic women’s cycling jersey, a pro long-sleeved jersey and a gillet that includes pockets.
Basic Jersey 2.0 – Regular-fit jersey but with a slimmer female specific cut, designed for long rides over a variety of terrains. Updates include a female specific design, a front section that better suits the riding position and wider sleeves from size 2XL upwards.
Pro 1.1 Long Sleeve Jersey – a Slim-fit jersey that better hugs your body, designed to best suit the riding position. Upgrades include a female specific design, a cut that better suits the riding position, a softer and more breathable fabric and an extra rear pocket with a zipper.
In addition, the Pro-series long and short sleeved jerseys, Rainjacket (with rear pockets) and Riparo jacket will all get an extra rear pocket with a hidden zip, in addition to the current standard rear pockets. This extra pocket is designed to hold essentials like money, phone and/or keys while riding. This way, there is no risk that valuable items could fall out while grabbing your food or other stuff while riding.
Our work is not just limited to adding zip pockets, as cyclists are increasingly expecting more and more from the jerseys. The best jersey is the jersey that you don’t even notice while you are riding. This means choosing lighter and thinner fabrics, but while lighter and thinner fabrics might be a benefit, we need to keep in mind that the amount you put in your shirt pockets will not decrease. On the contrary, cycling tends to get longer with more and more loaded into the pockets. To cope with the heavy load, we have improved the strength of the pockets by attaching special reinforcements to the thinner sections of the jersey. This helps the delicate fabric to better distribute the weight of the pockets and strengthens the joint.
Let’s talk about what is important – Bib-Shorts
The most important aspect of cycling apparel has also been improved: bib-shorts. Both our basic and pro bib-shorts are receiving small but effective improvements to increase ride comfort.
On a technical level, the basic bib-short will get a chamois insert that is more similar to the pro series, which is softer with smoother edges, helping to improve the contact with the skin. We also reduced the number of seams in all our bib-shorts, which further increases ride comfort and reduces the risk of friction.
Our improvements will be rolled out progressively throughout the year, first hitting our new moomoo “essentials” collection and later moving to our custom order range.
It is not yet time for us to introduce our brand new pro bib-short model that pushes the capabilities of our flagship pro bib-short even further. The new model shares similarities to the previous pair of pro series, such as base fabric, flat-seam technology and padding.
However, the first major difference with most other bib-shorts on the market is the lack of silicone straps. These rubber bands that hold the trousers in place are already directly on the inside of the fabric, making the legs seam-free and improving aerodynamics, while as a bonus, they are aesthetically “cleaner”. This also provides a new level of ease of use, as the number of seams is minimized. The trousers come with new straps which, while supporting the chest more evenly, do not inhibit heavy breathing.
We will also be introducing these innovations to our ‘one piece’ speedsuits. The overall weight of the suit is lower than that of a regular jersey and bib-short and it also has less excess material and wrinkles – lowering wind resistance and giving you a benefit with less weight. Let’s look at some of the changes in more detail.
Basic Bib-Shorts 2.0 – Slimmer regular-fit and a wider brace for long rides. Updates: new chamois insert and less crotch area seams.
Pro Bib-Shorts 4.0 – Tight-fitting and muscle-supporting bib-shorts. Updates: More comfortable bib straps, less crotch area seams and the use of eco-friendly fabrics.
Elite Bib-Shorts – Slim-fit around the body, minimalist shorts that support the muscles Updates: no silicone edges and seams, new straps and eco-friendly fabrics.
Speedsuit 2.0 – A racing suit that is closely shaped around the body. Updates: new bib section without silicone edges and seams, allowing smoother transition between trousers and body section and partial use of eco-friendly fabrics.
Product upgrades are reflected in the model numbers
Product development has touched the vast majority of our clothing selection – we won’t be able to list all the news in this blog post alone. You can find our updates by referring to the product version number: if we make a major change to a product that has little in common with the old model, we will label it with a new version number.
For example, this year we are replacing Termo Jacket, which have remained unchanged for years, with one new product, Termo Jacket 2.0. It is constructed from scratch and is made from a completely new three-layer fabric.
Minor product changes are marked with a decimal point in the version number. For example, we will change the back pocket of the Riparo 2.0 jacket, losing the flap that covers the back pockets to make it easier to access, we will deepen the pockets, and add a mesh bottom. To avoid losing valuable things, we make a separate lock pocket for them. We also reduce excess material when in a riding position, adjust the collar and stylishly hide side vents. This long list of development work is summarized with the decimal point added to the version number, so the jacket will thus become Riparo 2.1.
It is therefore worth paying close attention to the version numbers. In the case of brand new models, it is recommended to find the best fit by trying it on, but in the case of upgraded clothes, your usual size number will fit.
Thermo Jacket 2.0 – Classic winter-fit winter bike jacket. Upgrades: new model, new three-layer waterproof and breathable fabric and enlarged back pockets.
Riparo 2.1 – Thermal jacket that fits snugly around your body and is designed for your riding position. Upgrades: Flap-less rear pockets and deeper back pockets with mesh bottoms, front covers and collar vents that better fit the riding position.
As a further commitment to being Eco-friendly, our new models will be available step-by-step. Once our existing model and fabrics are used and finished, we will begin to roll out the new upgraded versions. Rather than the wasteful practice of binning all the old stock and creating new ones. We hope this practice will reduce waste, semi-finished products while being more environmentally friendly.
Photography: Adam Illingworth