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rssc sports cycling kit
in the days when computers from apple followed the unwritten diktat that they could be any colour as long as it was beige, that fact bothered me not one whit. from a functional point of view, the colour of the external cladding seemed of little consequence; as long as photoshop did as it was told in timeous fashion, or indesign didn't stumble when rendering my latest sentences, the colour of the computer was of little concern. i will admit not only to having owned a blue imac but an orange clamshell ibook into the bargain, but to a certain extent, just like the beige that preceded it, there wasn't a great deal of choice in the matter.
admissions such as the above are not intended to paint me as conservative (with a small 'c'), rather than a fun-loving extrovert, but simply one allegedly able to separate form from function. after all, i do own a blue art decor colnago c40 and a molteni orange master x-light which surely says it all? but confirmation of my underlying boring-ness can probably be still identified when time comes to choose my cycling apparel. a black, blue or even red jersey matched with black bibshorts is frequently my uniform du jour, though i do possess a stone-white waterproof jacket; the other one's black.
the problems began when rssc sports offered to send a cycling kit for review, one that could be chosen from their extensive range of co-ordinated jerseys and bibshorts, a range which is unashamedly bright, sparkly, different and very definitely not the clothing you'd chose if the inner you is a shrinking violet. purely from personal observation of visiting cyclists, it's possible that i am in a couture minority amongst the velominati. midst the options available for choice were designs labelled alien creatures, haida native turtle, kokopelli and colourful abstract. for someone claiming to be at one with computer beige, this was scary stuff.
however, after lengthy deliberation, i opted for that which you see in the accompanying illustrations. listed as plaid, it's resemblance to a warm tartan, applied to both the jersey and bibs, seemed an apposite choice for a scottish velocipedinist. thankfully, in all my long years of reviewing cycling apparel, there seems to be little variation in the sizing of product sourced from all across the world: medium in jackets and jerseys, small in bibs and tights. on receipt of the goods, the sizing was darned near perfect. should you opt to follow in my tyre tracks, i'm somewhere around 70kg, 1.75m in height and with a 75cm waist.
as it transpired, very uncharacteristically for a hebridean cyclist, my first ride clad in plaid was undertaken in 21 degree heat, wearing a short-sleeve jersey with an appreciable (and very welcome) collar, a full-length zip, the requisite elasticated three rear pockets, though there may be some difficulty in acquiring matching arm warmers. those pockets comfortably accepted a (literally) pocket-sized electric tyre pump, a tyre-jack, a torque-wrench with various attachments and the necessary essentials case with coffee money. i don't ever recall wearing a short-sleeve jersey on which the sleeves moved about, and i'm happy to say that perpetuity continued. the gloop along the hemline ensured that, despite some negotiations on a 14% incline, the only thing that moved was me.
though i probably shouldn't say, the notion of wearing bibshorts which continued the plaid pattern about their person was not one i was particularly endeared to, but it's hardly a factor when cycling, and at least there are black portions to hide one's modesty. the leg grippers kept the shorts precisely where i left them, providing a relatively sharp tan-line above the knee for the first time this summer. my one gripe would be the padded insert, which is probably just a smidgeon on the thick side; there was no instance of chafing, but it did initially feel as i'd placed a cushion on my saddle. and it could be that, just like flann o'brien's third policeman, eventually the molecules of shorts and cyclist will interchange and glorious comfort will ensue. subsequent bike rides would indicate that might be a possibility, but essentially, a slightly thinner pad might be a suggestion.
i'd imagine that every cyclist in the world has become well-acquainted with the washing machine, unless you have the good fortune to be contracted to a tour de france team. it is perhaps one of the few genres of apparel which finds itself being swirled with gusto in soap-infested water after only a few hours of productive activity. and, as i mentioned in a recent monologue, less expensive offerings are often found not to resemble their original condition when pinned to the wash line. these are not they; though i have not owned these particular items long enough to know for certain, after the first few washes, all seems good and proper.
rssc sports also sent me a long-sleeve jersey and a pair of (unlined) bibtights, the review of which will have to wait until the weather changes for the worse. but, very much in the company's favour, the price of admission is embarrassingly low; jersey and bibshorts currently retail via the rssc sport website at £33. at the time of writing, there's a sale taking place, and several jerseys and bibs can be purchased for a mere £19 (including this jersey only, if you'd prefer your shorts all-black). it's very hard to argue with that.
sizes range from small all the way to 4xl, and i think you'd have to be very hard to please not to find something on the rssc website that takes your fancy.
thursday 23 july 2026
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