Solo cycle clothing was formed by two friends who loved the styles worn by the pro-riders of the 1950's - 1970's. Simple, powerful designs which demonstrated that less is more. They searched worldwide for clothing that had the flair and emotion of that age. Nothing existed. It was then that they realised that there must be other cyclists who felt the same. So the two friends decided to put their cycling and design backgrounds to good use and create something special: cycle clothing that made you want to ride - rain or shine. Taking their inspiration from the great riders, grand tours, equipment and cycling culture of that golden era, Solo's mission is to produce the most beautiful cycling jerseys in the world - jerseys made for like-minded souls.

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by Brian Palmer at the washing machine post

it's an homogenous world in which we live: lots of stuff looks like lots of other stuff, and that includes bicycles. granted, adhering to the uci's notion of what is and is not allowed in the field of frame design, means that the double triangle is hard to beat, but almost everything is carbon these days and a lot of it looks as if it came out of the same mould. this homogeneity spreads far and wide; have you ever taken a look at the motor cars that drive past every day? were it not for the variety in grille badges, you may be hard pushed to identify one from another. it starts to bring a touch of unfortunate reality to the answer 'it was a blue one officer'. and while i can appreciate that there is not a lot to play with in flat panel television design, at least the bit we look at, were it not for the chromed logo in the middle and a sticker with more acronyms than you could shake a stick at, we could all be buying the same hd blackness for the corner of the living room.

there's a justifiable reason for thinking it's been all done before, and therefore at each step it becomes harder to reinvent the wheel, but every now and again, someone comes along with a flash of inspiration, the ability to think outside the box (what a dreadful turn of phrase), and presents us with something that we have seen before, but not quite. that this can be applied to a pair of cycle shorts is quite an achievement.

cycle shorts, other than the 'normal' ones with a waist band (does anyone actually wear those?) usually sport a pair of bibs to keep them up, the most endearing property of which is the ability to make some of us look svelte and without extraneous pounds. well, sometimes. but paul mason at solo responded to my years old question as to when solo would add a pair of shorts to their already exemplary and stylish range, by displaying a fine, if rare, sense of propriety.
'what i don't want to do is make something ordinary Ð i.e. a standard pair of bibshorts with a solo logo slapped on them'

admirable sentiments entirely, but that was almost exactly two years ago. well, darn me if the man from down under hasn't managed that and then some. inspired by the lugged steel frame of paul's colnago, solo lugged shorts combine a fabulous degree of retro with bang up to the minute technology and build quality. styled slightly shorter in the leg than has become the norm of late (not quite into sean yates territory, however), the matt black lycra is joined to the white mesh bib with pronounced lugs.
there is, of course, no real advantage to the lugs, at least not in the sense in which they are employed in bicycle frame construction. however, an interesting design aspect is an increase in the area of breathability relative to a regular pair of bibshorts, while apparently displaying no negative qualities in the integrity of the pair as a whole. the red and grey italian aero sotto chamois is seamless and oh so very comfortable, while the legs are encouraged to stay put in the heat of battle by solo monogrammed gloopy stuff on the inside of the hem.

the antipodean summer is currently at its height, so releasing a pair of shorts in november may not seem so surprising in auckland, but i don't mind admitting that i have had to choose my days carefully in the northern hemisphere to pedal off into the wide grey yonder. in fact, all journeys clad in these fine, red badged shorts have had to be considerably less than solo; a pair of knee warmers on at least two occasions and under a pair of winter tights on one for sure. however, either scenario is something that would apertain to any pair of shorts up here in near mid-winter, and in no way lessens their ability. in fact, it may hint at a finely judged degree of versatility.

over several extended rides, in weather that blended a wind chill factor both sides of that magic zero, the solo lugged shorts were so comfortable, only concerted presence of mind and the task in hand reminded me they were there: very brooks saddle friendly. and if the number of pockets secreted about a modern cycle jersey are not quite enough, there's a simple cargo pocket for just one more small energy bar or loose change. do you realise how embarrassing it is to be unable to afford that soya cappuccino after you've drunk it?

it's a slightly sad realisation that the only outward indication that the choice of cycle shorts is exemplary in that all too important retro fashion, is the red tab on the left leg (could it not be fashioned in a lug pattern too?) and the rubberised solo logo on the right. wearing a classique or equipe jersey (you surely wouldn't want to wear with anyone else's tops?) the lugged region is all but obscured. but in the finest tradition of that little tanned patch on the back of each hand, at least you'll know. and the tab logo on the bib is one of the finest i've ever seen. that should be on a t-shirt.

and there's a delightful smugness inherent in that.

read the article over at the washing machine post >

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