You and I are “experts” in cycling apparel in that we have invested Gladwell’s hours riding in shorts, bibs and jerseys, and it feels like we’ve spent Gladwell’s money buying it all. But... since money and user hours are my only investments my comments are as consumer/spectator of the cycling apparel I’ve seen and have been using these past 6 months, and how it differs from apparel 5 or 10 years ago.

The Influence of Gravel

We know what road cycling apparel is, but what is gravel apparel? (Let's omit that segment of gravel devoted to baggy shorts and t shirts.) It seems to me gravel cycling kits are road kits with three variances: one cosmetic and two functional. Gravel cycling clothing is all about earth tones and soft fabrics and that’s the cosmetic variance from road. Now let's discuss the functional differences.

Extra pockets, mostly. Above is a bib and jersey from a company I discovered within the last year, MAAP, out of Australia. Some of my favorite garments come from this brand and let’s start by discussing its Alt Road collection. Earth tones and pockets. You can see the zippered pocket in the short, and the jersey has extra zippered pockets as well.

Below is a bib and jersey from Eliel and the jersey is not gravel-inspired (I'll talk about that jersey later), but the bib is. It’s one of my favorite bibs to ride with nowadays because it does everything a bib needs to do, but there's a phone in the right pocket and that’s where I put mine when I ride with bibs that are pocket-equipped. I tell myself I’m not going to let that phone interrupt my ride, but it does, and it’s easier to get at if it's there than if it's in a jersey pocket. (Of course, De Soto's cycling bibs have had pockets for many years and this feature, and De Soto's pad discussed below, were way ahead of their time.)

Bigger Zippers

This is the other functional divergence in gravel wear. Zippers are getting bigger. Thankfully! I don't understand making jerseys with those tiny zippers, which are hard to attach, slide with more friction and difficulty and are always the eventual failure that retires an otherwise perfectly fine garment. Last month I got a new cycling jersey that remains unused because the zipper failed immediately upon putting the jersey on for the first time.

This is another – I suspect – import from gravel. Your apparel can be more industrial looking with gravel. You can put a bigger zipper in the jersey and it’s okay. Below are two larger zippers in jerseys I have, compared to a much more typical zipper that’s been in my cycling jerseys for years and continues to be used in the “race” or “performance” jerseys. (I wish the zippers in the performance jerseys actually performed.)

What I find with these larger zippers is: They are much more easy to start, that is, when you have to insert tab A into slot B; and when you’re riding and you want to zip up or down the larger zipper glides much more easily. I now specifically look for larger zippers when I invest in a cycling jersey, and if that’s in a gravel-oriented garment fine; I’ll still use that jersey for road riding. There is one more place you’ll find these larger zippers which I’ll get to below.

Longer Legs

I like long legs in my bibs and I don’t know about you but over the last couple of years the newer bib short styles seem to have longer legs. Part of this is that the bib’s legs are cut longer, and it’s typical now for a bib short’s leg to reach almost to the top of my kneecap. I like this. But, some of this longer-legged garment trend is a function of sizing, and let’s address this.

I’m a size Medium jersey. Except for when I’m an XL. Or an L. What’s happened to sizing? (It’s way worse in wetsuits these days, and that’s getting addressed here separately.) I really like Trek’s new cycling wear, and I really enjoy the stuff I’m riding from MAAP, an Aussie company. That’s a MAAP bib & jersey above. Everything I ride in MAAP jerseys I get in an XL fit, but that XL MAAP jersey fits more tightly than my Trek jerseys in size L. In some cases I’m riding an XL bib in order for that bib to fit everywhere else, and with it comes the longer leg. I think, in general, with wetsuits and cycling apparel, fit is more in a state of flux and uncertainty than ever in my lifetime, and that’s a problem when these products are most likely to be bought and sold online.

The Use of Elastic Bands

Yesterday I rode in my “elastic band kit.” It consists of a MAAP Training Bib and a Rapha Core jersey. (Different brands top and bottom, but they were a cosmetic match. Sue me.) I really like this ensemble, even though it’s from each brand’s budget collection. One tactic that makes it a little easier to hit those budget goals is the use of elastic bands. They’re not even grippers, just big, fat, wide elastic bands.

Above is an ensemble from Rapha's Core collection. In the case of the Rapha jersey, these bands finish the (short sleeve) arm, and the bottom of the jersey, at the waist. The bands were a little disconcerting at first, but once I got used to the idea I warmed up to it. Oh, and that Rapha jersey – $70 – had that larger zipper I like. (If I have to pay less to get my larger zipper, I’ll make the sacrifice!)

The MAAP Training Bib has an elastic band similar to what Rapha uses in the jersey (my Rapha bibs don't use elastic straps; only my Rapha Core collection jersey). The MAAP jersey’s elastic bands are pretty heavy duty in the Training bib, but, it's a "training" bib and is expected to last a long time. At least half of all the bibs I get nowadays, from all different manufacturers, including those in Trek's new collection, use elastic bands as the bib’s shoulder strap. Just a few years ago this mode of construction was not in any of my bibs.

You can see above more clearly, perhaps, the style of bib I’ve that’s more traditional (it's a Rapha, with the white suspender straps), and I suspect this is a more expensive bib to make, versus the style I tend to get nowadays with elastic strapping used as the bib’s suspenders (that's a MAAP Alt Road bib). Functionally? I find that I don’t care. If the bib fits and is comfortable, and it’s well made, either construction is fine with me.

The “Training” Collections

This may another one of those trends that’s been ongoing for years and everyone has noticed it but me. (Sorry if that’s the case.) But I just noticed it over the past year the “Training” collection and I guess what this means is that the garment is a little more industrial, for frequent use, is less likely to wear out, and – whoopee! – has larger zippers. And… it’s usually priced better than the “pro racing” collections. Me? I’ll take the training collections all day long. I’m either not that worthy or not that precious to need the pro stuff.

Here is MAAP’s training collection. But “training” is not always tied to value pricing. Rapha has a “training” jersey in its value-priced Core collection, and a training jersey in its pro team collection.

Pads Have Gotten Bigger

Pads started getting more plush maybe 10 or 12 years ago. De Soto’s endurance pad, which you'll fin in its 400 Mile Bib Short (which debuted more than 15 years ago) was an acquired taste for a lot of users. But that style of thick, plush pad is now the norm in bike shorts. It seems to me over the past 5 or 6 years pads get even more plush. Now every bib I put on feels like a diaper and I’m okay with that, mostly because saddles have gone in the other direction. Following a trend I certainly do not like, road saddles (with some exceptions) have gotten less and less comfortable over the past 15 years. That seems counterproductive to me. The pads in my bibs have had to take up the slack.

Thermal Jersey

One of the surprises of this past 6 months of apparel testing is a new cycling jersey from Trek. This is not designed as a thermal garment, per se, but the Trek Circuit LTD Cycling Jersey uniquely works in specific weather conditions that I often face. It’s not a cold weather garment, but when it’s cold enough to make you wonder if you need a wind vest, this is the jersey. It’s warmer yet if you’ve got a base layer under. It seems like every other short sleeve cycling jersey I own assumes – by the fabric used – that it’s going to be Africa hot for my bike ride. I now have at least one jersey that's more or less summer apparel perfect for no-quite-summer days.

Trek’s apparel line is new, and it’s nice. I have several pieces. No complaints. But this jersey stands out.

Base Layers

I always like to ride with a base layer, regardless of temp. Some base layers are really thin, and aren’t designed to do too much. They’re perfect for typical summer days. I snapped a pic below of my wife Tanya Williams as she was kitting up for a ride. That’s a Santini base layer she’s got on, which she really likes. My wife has become a Santini devotee.

But if there is one, standout, garment among everything you see here that has been a pleasant surprise and has really affected my riding, It’s not a bib or a jersey but a base layer. It’s the MAAP thermal base layer, it’s a short sleeve garment, and it works in a wide variety of temperatures, from cold up to 80s F. It’s pictured below. Of course the colder it gets the more layers you need but – for example – when I used to need a base layer, a short sleeve jersey, and a vest or jacket, the MAAP Thermal Base Layer and that Trek jersey above is perfect. This gives me more of a performance feel on a day when the temp is in the 50s F. But I can ride with this particular base layer under a lightweight jersey up to 85° and still be comfortable.

That base layer is my typical top – only that base layer, under my bib, no jersey – when I’m riding stationary. It costs $85 (U.S.) so it’s a pretty big investment to buy multiples of these, but I use this garment pretty well constantly. It’s got a great pattern, all the pieces are joined with flat-stitch seams. Rapha makes a merino wool T base layer and I may try this, just to compare. As you might guess, I’m actually pickier about the base layer in cycling than I am about the jersey that goes over it.

Because it’s thermal, I buy it as a T, not a tank. Fall thru Spring you’ll ride with arm warmers, then this base layer, then a jersey, and maybe a vest. If you don’t buy it as a T your shoulders will get cold. I machine wash it and hang it to dry. As with all MAAP apparel, I have to go up a size. I’m 6’2” and 170lb and I buy this in a size XL.

Jerseys Are Tighter

Well, jerseys or smaller or I’m bigger. I find that bibs fit as they used to, but jerseys just seem tiny these days. And, quite form fitting. A number of companies make one jersey style that has all the requisite features, pockets and the like, but it’s what I’d use if I wanted the value of a skinsuit (without wearing one). Here is Rapha’s Pro Team Aero jersey.

Above is Eliel’s version of that jersey style, and you’ll note the spare collar and the form fit. But these aero jerseys are pretty minimalist in every way, including the zippers and as you now know I’ve chosen to revolt against tiny zippers. Here is Eliel's page of all its mens cycling jerseys and I think you can see the trend. Performance fit, longer sleeves and a pretty low collar is the rule in road cycling. I chose to link to Eliel's page for this because this is a trend-setting brand, and because they actually use real people to show off their products for sale you can see how these garments fit.

That’s about it, for now. No, we don’t get an “affiliate commission” if you click the links above. Click or don’t. This isn’t a pay-to-play Buyer’s Guide – the brands mentioned here will know I’ve written about their products at the same time you do.

There’s a lot I’m not writing about. I’m a big user of arm and knee warmers, vests, ear warmers, and none of this got any love here. Perhaps I’ll write a follow-up as I learn more. Thanks to Dr. Alex Harrison, who’s training here at The Compound just now, and who I hijacked as my model for most of these shots.