The Difference Quality Makes — How Professional Cycling Kit Can Improve Your Ride
Anyone who spends a significant amount of their time on a bike probably knows the difference between a BMX and a beater, or a commuter and a mountain bike.
What a lot of cyclists may not realize is just how much difference there is between your regular riding clothes and a professional kit.
Top-quality competition-grade equipment isn’t nearly as expensive as you might think — and it can make a world of difference.
Performance
There’s a reason competitive cyclists all wear a similar style of clothing: it’s effective at improving their performance. This has been heavily researched and studied.
Whether you’re racing at top speed, or just cruising along, a high-quality kit will reduce your aerodynamic drag.
Not only will this make you go faster, but it will also make your pedaling easier.
Even if you’re not concerned about going fast, getting to your destination with less wasted effort is worth the upgrade.
It’s not just the improved aerodynamics that will make your ride easier.
How you feel while you’re cycling will greatly affect your performance. This leads us to…
Comfort
You might think that aerodynamics is what a cycling kit is all about, but comfort is equally, if not more important.
You probably know what it’s like to finish a ride covered in sweat, baking from the heat, with chafing in unpleasant places.
This is where good gear can help any cyclist, even the most recreational riders.
Cycling kits are form-fitting, so they won’t rub the wrong places while you’re traveling, and they’re made with fabrics that help to dissipate the heat so you sweat less.
They also have a collar and a zipper to help you regulate your warmth, because a small change in your cover can make a large difference in your temperature.
Features
There are a ton of little features that go into making a good cycling jersey. They may seem small on their own, but added together they can make your ride much more enjoyable.
This includes features for your safety, like added UV protection in the fabrics, and grippers so your jersey doesn’t ride up while you’re cycling.
Most gear also includes little conveniences like properly sealing pockets — sometimes even waterproof ones.
There’s also the Quick Dry technology, which is probably my favorite feature of all.
Having your moisture wicked away so you can arrive feeling dry and fresh is worth upgrading your gear all on its own.
Aesthetics
Let’s face it, seeing a cyclist whiz by in a form-fitting flashy outfit looks so cool.
You don’t need to settle for whatever is on the store racks, either — you can get a custom-designed kit with your colors, logos, and graphics.
No need to be a fashion designer either, since most providers of top-quality gear can help you get your dream design onto your kit in no time.
What To Look For
If you’re ready to upgrade your gear for a next-level cycling experience, the next step is to find a top-quality manufacturer.
Like I said before, the kit is probably a lot cheaper than you might think, so it’s worthwhile to go right to the top and get your equipment from the very best suppliers.
You can even get your kit from the providers that supply Olympic and World Champions.
A few things you might want to look for include quality guarantees, no minimum orders, and the option to design your gear, preferably with help from their team, if necessary.
The best suppliers will even offer guarantees against collisions, so if you crash wearing your new kit, they’ll replace it for you!
Whatever gear you choose, I hope to see you on the road!
