@Cyclops

Awesome article Brett, I wish I were as creative as the writer and the designers of the subject matter. I mean really, how simple and sublime to have the track stripe in the design. Now nobody can replicate that little tidbit of complete awesomeness without it seeming contrived.

Spot on… even without knowing what the stripes represented, they made a visual statement, like nothing I’d seen before; then when I found out about them, even more so.

Errr… Except Chris Hoy:   http://Www.hoybikes.com great article as ever, and I agree… Super design of those Ravito guys

Ravito is short for Ravitaillement which means the feeding zone in a race. Hence La musette was their first product in the brand.

Brett, I’m in Christchurch. How do I get away on the Keepers Tour maybe 14 or 15 without my VMH knowing?

And reading your description of riding onto the velodrome at Roubaix made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and I wasn’t even there! Talk about riding with the ghosts of champions… Well done.

@brett Ha ha. It’s a musette which dispenses many gifts and is also useful for taking a couple of ales to party. I really like the design of the kit – bold sophisticated use of colour and great typeset. Any idea what the Ravito stands for?

It means “awesome kit” I think…

Bretto, you look like a real pro in front of the team car. You could be Boonen’s bidon boy.

Ha, not with that too big a helmet! Everything in that photo is borrowed… bike, clothes, shoes, I think I had my own socks on, but otherwise, full beggar…

Can you get the Bellweather bibs? I’ve been using these for about 6 months now, and compared to my Castellis (which I love the look of), they are blacker, cheaper and as good if not better.

@anotherdownunder

@Ron I have a few pieces of Solo kit, but none of their knicks. I tend to wear plain black Assos.

The Solo gilet and winter LS jersey have both been very good and lasted well.

Thanks for the feedback. I too actually wear plain black Assos Uno FI’s. I picked up some decent Voler bibs on sale last year to use for cross, in case I go down, so that I don’t tear my nicer road bibs. Well, turns out, though I’m loath to admit it, I think the $55 Voler Elite FS bibs (normally over $100 but on sale) are nicer for me than the Assos. My Assos have the blue pad, which might be too bulky unless doing really long rides. The Volers have a thinner red pad that works just fine for me.

In the market for some new, solid black, solid performing bibs. Know this is a tough one, as everyone has a different need/preference in this area.

I use my Ravito musette bag for toiletries when I travel. Looks cool and works well. Especially the extra little inner pocket where I keep a pack of razors.

Nice idea… @rigid often shows up at the pub with his R mussette, but never reveals what’s inside it. Like his wallet. He did use it to bring us all cakes for the Festum Prophetae ride I think it was though.

Awesome article Brett, I wish I were as creative as the writer and the designers of the subject matter. I mean really, how simple and sublime to have the track stripe in the design. Now nobody can replicate that little tidbit of complete awesomeness without it seeming contrived.

Spot on… even without knowing what the stripes represented, they made a visual statement, like nothing I’d seen before; then when I found out about them, even more so.

Has anyone tried anything from Solo CC? Their jerseys are very nice & I’m also wondering about the “lugged” bibs. I’ve dug up mostly positive reviews but one person mention the red chamois staind his white saddle. Maybe a one-time problem? Or maybe they’ve correct the problem, as this review was made in 2011.

Bibs look nice, plain and simple.

I’ve got the Solo lugged bibs, the Heuvel jersey, two caps and the wool socks.

I like the bibs quite a bit, though they don’t feature as many panels as most bibs seem to these days and the inseam is on the shorter side.  The pad isn’t one I’ve seen in any other short before, but its quite nice.  Not too thick, but with enough firm padding to support longer rides.  The lycra has a good weight to it.  If you want a classic look short, they’re worth a try.  I will say that the white upper bib portion got pretty dingy quite quickly though.  I’ve got a black saddle so I can’t comment on whether it stains, but perhaps that’s what bled in the wash to make the mesh look less that bright white.

OK, cheers; I was just curious. I’ve had a look at the website, and must say the jerseys look très classy. Also nice to see that some of the site photo’s were taken at the actual Vélodrome.

Tempted…

@Ron I have a few pieces of Solo kit, but none of their knicks. I tend to wear plain black Assos.

The Solo gilet and winter LS jersey have both been very good and lasted well.

Thanks for the feedback. I too actually wear plain black Assos Uno FI’s. I picked up some decent Voler bibs on sale last year to use for cross, in case I go down, so that I don’t tear my nicer road bibs. Well, turns out, though I’m loath to admit it, I think the $55 Voler Elite FS bibs (normally over $100 but on sale) are nicer for me than the Assos. My Assos have the blue pad, which might be too bulky unless doing really long rides. The Volers have a thinner red pad that works just fine for me.

In the market for some new, solid black, solid performing bibs. Know this is a tough one, as everyone has a different need/preference in this area.

This isn’t really a review of the gear but more about their philosophy and style. But, the quality is very good… the jersey is a tad heavier weight than most, slightly fleeced almost, but still ok to wear on warm days, really good on cooler ones. The bibs are great, nice weight lycra similar to our Kallisto V-bibs, and the chamois is not too thick, seamless and does its job nicely. It’s good stuff and looks great, and like Kallisto they are a small outfit with a cool sense of history and passion…

I recently bought new bibs and an (orange) ‘Classic’ jersey – both Castelli – and tried them out on a 100+ km ride last Thursday. Very nice fit – if a tad snug, so not doing a good job of hiding that I still am too fat to climb.

The Solo gilet and winter LS jersey have both been very good and lasted well.

Going to have to sell one of my two children or maybe my wife as the “R” kit is on the radar now.

Stop it, i like it !

Bretto, you look like a real pro in front of the team car. You could be Boonen’s bidon boy.

Bibs look nice, plain and simple.

My cycle wardrobe needs some expanding.

Small translation point. “les forçats de la route” is usually rendered in the phrase many people will have heard as “the convicts of the road”.

More evocative than warriors I think, and particularly appealing to those of us with Australian ancestry.

Winter is not here yet boys, and there is still a lot of racing to go…can we get back to the articles about summer roads please or maybe a historic one… (apologies to those in southern hemisphere who are obviously looking forward to their summer!)

Nice kit! I’m in the market for new bibs + jersey. I like basic kit to pair with busy bike paint jobs. Very hard to find plain black bibs at the top end. Most have too much labeling. And, I like a lot of the smaller, independent/start up kit that is a bit flashier, but looking at their models and “about us” statements makes me think I’d need more piercings and tattoos to wear their stuff.

Seems like there is a gap between totally plain or too busy.