Australia may be best known for its unique animals and the Great Barrier Reef, but North American cyclists may be surprised to learn that it’s home to a multitude of small scale, fashion-driven bike apparel brands as well.
Maybe it’s the constant sunshine, temperate climate, and striking scenery, but Australian cyclists seem hellbent on wearing kits that stand out both on the road and while sipping an espresso.
Next time you find yourself bemoaning another day in your standby team kit, think about a refresh with a new kit from Pedal Mafia, Road And Dirt Apparel, Cream Cycling, STëLF Cycling, and Black Sheep Cycling. Follow the jump to see our favorites…
Smith, the company that invented the modern goggle era turns 50 this year and to celebrate they’ve given themselves a whole new logo.
As a declaration to our future progress, we are proud to announce the new visual identity of SMITH. Following a refined brand platform that modernizes our beliefs, values, and who we stand for, SMITH will re-launch our entire product range in January 2015 with a new logo and brand presentation. With clean, modern and refined letterforms, the updated logo hearkens back to our original identity and speaks to the fundamental tenets of our brand: performance, movement, and essential design.
Smith Optics is heading out on a celebration of 50 years of eyewear with a new year-long web series featuring their ambassadors. The project is titled Great Days, and looks like it will be including some amazing footage of Smith cycling athletes in action. Stay tuned. [Link: Smith Optics]
Our friends often don’t believe us (because they think we ride all day long) but we do occasionally work. And when we do there is nothing like a good pair of sneakers posing as boots to get us through. And Chrome Industries (makers of bulletproof messenger bag etc. . . ) have the perfect boot in the 415. Now they have a limited edition version.
We made our limited edition Red Leather 415 Work Boot to provide the stability and protection of a work boot with the mobility and feel of a sneaker. We noticed that work has changed but everyone is still wearing boots made for standing on the factory floor. We wanted a boot that didn’t require a long break-in period. One you could bike, skate, walk, and ride a motorcycle in. Red Leather 415s are made using weatherproof, oiled, full grain leather. Durable, and built for urban trades.
The Red 415s are available online for $130.00. Click the link and check them out.
Sexy 80s & 90s eyewear is making a strong comeback. Don’t think it’s not. We know. We walked the Agenda Show aisles. Smith Optics did it better than anyone back in the day, and now they’re bringing it back exactly as it was done before with their new Smith Archive Collection.
As much as we hate to admit it, the mornings are getting colder and colder every day. While visitors to Southern California often remark about how we don’t “get the seasons” here, let us tell you we do feel them. That’s why occasionally we have to wear more than our race kits. GrindTV has a great overview of some of the things we all could use when the air begins to chill and the roads get icy.
. . . thanks to advancements in fabric and clothing design, temperature changes don’t automatically mean it’s time to pull out the indoor trainer. Consider adding these seven items to your kit drawer and you’ll be cool weather cycling long after the leaves fall.
Thanks to living in Sunny Southern California we don’t need any of this new Rapha autumn and winter gear, not that we could afford it anyway. But is sure is fun to watch other cyclists suffer the weather, isn’t it?
We see no real purpose for the city bike. But even hardened as we are, we do admit to enjoying the smooth urban lines of the Pure Fix CyclesBourbon. Like they say:
Our Bourbon is one smooth glass of class. Designed to effortlessly take you from Point A to Point B(ar), it’s ready to quench your thirst for riding, and give you a nice little buzzy feeling at the same time.
If we weren’t so dedicated to the segment, we might even take one of these little cruisers for a sip.
Our favorite riding glasses, the Spy Cutter have been upgraded and we couldn’t be more stoked. Few sunglasses that we’ve worn recently have given us the coverage, protection, and lack of hassle that the Cutters have over the past year. And, it appears that Spy President and CEO Michael Marckx is even more excited about it.
“We’re breaking away now. With its squared-off silhouette and sweptback edges, the Cutter is a performance sunglass unlike anything else out there: a uniquely SPY style in direct contrast to the robotic look that’s been foisted upon the cycling world for decades,” says Marckx. “We set out to design a sunglass that would perform as the ultimate cycling piece and yet have the style and artistic sensibilities of a fashion frame, without sacrificing any of SPY’s patented technologies. We not only achieved our goal but raised the bar, literally, by adding the Fast Track lens system and our innovative Happy Lens in one beautiful, but hard working piece of art.”
Yeah, all that, but we just like the way the Cutters keep our sweat off the lenses and are so light we don’t even know they’re on. For the official word from Spy, follow the jump, or click here to buy a pair. [click to continue…]
Need something to fiddle with on your iPad? And really, who doesn’t? Michael Embacher’sCyclopedia (which came out in 2011) has been updated to include much, much more cycle porn and may be exactly what you’re looking for, according to a post on Core77.
This new CYCLEPEDIA offers an expanded tour round many more of Michael Embacher’s unique personal collection of two-wheeled rarities. As before every bicycle is beautifully displayed via the app’s 360º spins, but now the zoom magnifications are in even higher resolution allowing you to compare and appreciate each machine’s fine detail, innovation and design more closely than ever. The new CYCLEPEDIA also brings you Sir Paul Smith’s personal collection of rare cycling Jerseys, plus unique movie clips in which Sir Paul entertainingly explains his lifelong passion for bicycles.
