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café du cycliste boubou collection zahira diamant s/s jersey

cafe du cycliste zahira diamant jersey

we, as cyclists, have benefited greatly from the upsurge of interest in cycling, both as a sport and a participative activity. i can recall the bad old days when one would scour the back pages of the comic for a jersey that might be acceptably worn in public, as long as the speed was kept at a level that precluded close inspection. almost without fail, these would be team replica garments, thin enough to see through even on a cloudy day and advertising a foreign product of which i knew little or mostly, nothing at all.

cafe du cycliste zahira diamant jersey

i would dearly like to claim that the jersey du jour was chosen on the basis of it representing a team with which i held affinities, but truthfully, in most cases it was simply whichever price was most amenable and in a size that (allegedly) fitted. the difficulty with making any choice at all was compounded by my status as a confirmed newbie; in short, i had no idea of what i was getting into. however, very much in my favour, even then i knew that a team polti jersey was likely to have me estranged at the back of the peloton.

if only there had actually been a peloton in those days.

cafe du cycliste zahira diamant jersey

but with the advent of the mamil, the theoretical existence of a bradley bubble accompanied by the continued success of team sky along with an apparent improvement in the number and fortunes of british domestic teams, there are more and more bums on saddles. and in order to pander to this 'new money' not only has the standard of the average cycle jersey improved dramatically, the majority of apparel providers seem every bit as keen to keep the ball roling (if you'll forgive the inappropriate metaphor)

gone are the days of team replica kit being the only party in town; nowadays, there is not only an incredibly wide choice from which to pick, but at price points to suit more or less every individual enamoured of carbon fibre. gone are the days, surely, of moaning that it is well-nigh impossible to find a jersey to suit? examined from a distant perspective, cycling must be one of the most favoured sports/activities when it comes to choice of garmentage.

cafe du cycliste zahira diamant jersey

however, it cannot be denied that this increased popularity has brought on a certain ubiquity of design. in similar manner to the recording industry, if one label has a successful boy band, all the others want one too. thus, with certain jersey purveyors enjoying apparent unbridled success, more than one or two others are keen to become status quo. of course, that's not a mindset that afflicts every corner of the market.

one such purveyor with an excellent track record for individuality is côte d'azur's café du cycliste, a trait they have demonstrably continued with the release of this brilliant (in both senses of the word) 'boubou collection' african inspired zahira diamant short-sleeve jersey. constructed from an ultra-lightweight polyester fabric, the breathable jersey weighs a minimal 130g, features a full-length zip as well as safety conscious reflective hoops on the sleeves. but what makes this particular jersey stand out from the crowd are the african inspired patterns applied to front, back and pockets.

cafe du cycliste zahira diamant jersey

of course, there have been brightly coloured stripey, hoopy, dart-infested jerseys around for many a long year, but this is entirely different for one very important reason: you'll actually want to be seen wearing it. not only are the colours particularly well-matched, the patterns themselves appear actually to have been designed by someone with an inkling of graphic ability. as it turns out, i'm to be not the only one who holds such a point of view; the original shipment of the diamant jersey sold out in seven days; café du cycliste have another three weeks to wait before the next batch arrives.

cafe du cycliste zahira diamant jersey

you might want to form an orderly queue.

the rear scalloped pockets are augmented by a zipped security edition, pockets that are happy to swallow the usual excessive amount of stuff carried by the intrepid velocipedinist. the collar is neither too tall nor too low and a quick check as to how easy it was to lower the zip while undergoing the throes of exertion returned a positive result. sunny days on the west coast of scotland are usually inflected with a biting wind, perhaps not the ideal conditions under which to review a jersey expressly designed for warmer climes. yet even when the perfectly tesselated jersey was matched with café du cycliste's integrated bibshorts and baselayer, the latter which sports no sleeves of any description, i was only chilled mentally, not physically.

there's no doubt this may not be the jersey for the timorous; standing out in either the peloton or the coffee stop is pretty much an obligatory stance, but to be quite honest, it is a jersey in which you will be proud to be seen.

only another three weeks to go till you can get yours.

café du cycliste's zahira diamant s/s jersey, part of their boubou collection is available in sizes xs to xxl at an online price of £114.

café du cycliste zahira diamant s/s jersey

friday 12 may 2017

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................