thewashingmachinepost




..........................................................................................................................................................................................................

santini team z s/s jersey and bibshorts

santini team z jersey and shorts

rule 17 dictates that team kit is for members of the team. to a greater or lesser extent, that rule is open to interpretation. or at least, mis-interpretation. for at no point does velominati specify that they refer to the team to which the jersey and shorts originally belong. visually that is. the rule does go onto make mention that wearing of pro team kit for which you are not being paid to wear is surely something of a questionable travesty, but i note that there is no mention if that continues to apply when said team no longer exists. at that point, it rather obviously becomes retro in nature; and everybody's into retro these days. right?

it is on this premise that the fine chaps at prendas ciclismo have based their business model and very successfully so. over the years i can recall possibly two previous incarnations of roger zannier's vetements z sponsored team jerseys, but nary has there been a pair of replica bibshorts. matched upon the same person, this now constitutes replica team kit. and to add an inflection of authenticity, up until 1989, santini were indeed the official team clothing supplier.

santini team z jersey and shorts

in 1989, scotland's robert millar, riding the tour of britain in vetements z colours, surprisingly took off on a climb during one of the early stages, subsequently winning the day and ultimately the entire tour. when interviewed at the end of his winning gambit, he told his interlocutor that he had been given some good news about the team for the following year, news that had provided the impetus for his race-winning move.

"The '89 News was the signing of Greg (Lemond). I knew it was on the cards, but it was confirmed at the ToB by the management. I think I was offered a raise as well. I seem to remember I was on a one year contract when I moved to Z."

santini team z jersey and shorts

robert rather easily assumed the mantle of grimpeur, his disappearance on that tour of britain ascent being a particularly good example. admittedly, he'd already paid testament to this ability by winning the king of the mountains in the 1984 tour. but you knew that already.

much as the desire to emulate mr millar during the course of my review was uppermost in my mind, particularly given that i wear a cutlivated ponytail, it was never really a viable option; islay doesn't have much in the way of hills, let alone mountains. however, what it does have are dozens of kilometres that bear an unnerving resemblance to sections of paris-roubaix pavé. robert rarely participated in such a bumpy competition.

santini team z jersey and shorts

"I never rode Paris Roubaix as a pro. I did it when at ACBB. IÊ was sent to Tour of Flanders by Peugeot in 1980 or '81. Ferdi Van den Haute crashed into me on the Kwaremont and a selection was made. So in my own little way I influenced the outcome even if it was only by blocking the road."

all, however, was not lost, for yet another team z rider, gilbert duclos lassalle, excelled on the cobbles, finally taking home his own cobble for the mantelpiece in 1992 when he finished a matter of 20 seconds ahead of hennie kuiper. then he repeated the exercise the following year. if you accept that a certain mindset is required to test retro team kit to its full extent, then in this case, a swift bout of the duclos lassalles seemed the most appropriate option.

santini team z jersey and shorts

it is of great and continued disappointment that it is possible to ride the highways and byeways of the most southerly of the inner hebrides wearing a team z casquette, short sleeve jersey and bibshorts without anyone so much as casting an askew glance. even on arrival at debbie's, local bastion of velocipedinal knowledge and enthusiasm, not once did anyone make any passing reference to robert, greg or gilbert. and believe me, i offered plenty of hints and opportunity. you really do have to wonder what the world is coming to.

though santini have offered quality cycle clothing for more than fifty years (i have a pin badge that testifies to this), it is a name that is all too often omitted from discussions revolving around cycling attire. that is obviously our error, for in truth this team z kit is every bit the equal of anything currently on the market. the fit of the jersey is exemplary, and contemporary detail has not forgotten a zipped outer pocket applied to the centre example of the regular three. they wouldn't have had those in the late 1980s, when riders had no mobile phones. if i ever had need of using a capital letter, it would begin the word 'quality' in this specific instance. a professional full-length zip is no less than expected.

santini team z jersey and shorts

the bibshorts are/were a revelation. not only was the leg length on these size small bibs judged to perfection. the faux chamois pad is amongst the most comfortable my posterior has had the pleasure of sitting on while the mesh straps completed the ideal fit without channeling marks across my shoulders. if criticism is to be made, it would be pointed at the height of the front section, a confluence of panels that made it a tad awkward to take a natural break without appearing to be suffering from a contortional fit. perhaps that's the way they rolled in the late eighties and we've gone soft in the interim.

santini team z jersey and shorts

to return briefly to those cobbled emulations, i made perfect use of each and every cattle grid on offer, and churned my wheels over poorly surfaced and potholed farm roads (avoiding a couple of tractors in the process; it was silage season at the time). though such trials and tribulations could conceivably bear scarce relevance to reviewing retro cycle clothing, by the time i did reach debbie's i would seriously beg to differ.

this matching set of team z clothing does more than simply bolster santini's reputation as a clothier worthy of our continued respect; it underlines the importance of mick and andy at prendas as an important cog in modern day cycling life (as well as possibly holders of the record for quickest delivery in living memory from dorset to islay. as if to underline the reputation of both, the jersey costs only £55 and the shorts a mere £59.95. at the time of writing, the team z cap was out of stock, but adds only £7.50 to the total bill.

a veritable bargain.

the santini team z short sleeve jersey is available in sizes ranging from xs to 7xl. the vetements z bibshorts are in sizes xs to 4xl

prendas ciclismo

tuesday 21 july 2015

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