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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• see more from retro and vintage cycle clothing from Solo

Kiwi-brand Solo is the new kid on the fashionista block. This retro, French cycling club-inspired jersey is made from dense weave polyester that takes well to bold screen-printing and wicks well too.

There's an elasticated waist with silicon gripper, three pockets and a small zippered one. The knitted poly-cotton/ Lycra arm and neck bands are a really nice, authentic touch. We tested a Medium, and the cut has a tailored, traditional look to it with short, European sleeves. There are several other prints available in the Classique Range.

"Stylish retro top with a nod to the French clubs of yesteryear" 8/10





by Brian Palmer at the washing machine post

solo cycle clothing hails from the unlikely quarter of new zealand, even more unusual because they specialise in retro style jerseys. they sent me their st neith clement sur lié jersey, which purports to be that of a french cycle club. actually it doesn't exist, but i had to ask, and several people on the london-paris ride had to ask me. it is very convincing. the sleeves and collar are in a contrasting textured material in red and orange, lending more of a retro look and feel.

in keeping with my not very large frame, i took a medium size in this too (gist was also a medium) but the fit was a tad closer which i did rather like. similarly to the gist, there were four rear pockets, including one zipped. while this was smaller than the gist equivalent, the three other pockets were more generously proportioned and less prone to 'baggying' when carrying ludicrous amounts of energy bars etc. the material is moisture wicking sport x dry fabric with a grippy section around the bottom to stop it riding up in use (the gist jersey has the same feature)

i can't really say one jersey was better than the other, since both fulfilled their chosen role in life with aplomb, but i'm not sure that white is the ideal colour for someone (me) who tends to get messy very easily. the retro look is definitely in these days, and solo have covered this admirably, while gist have gone for the contemporary look, and done so more successfully than many of their competitors. you pays your money- you takes your choice: you won't go wrong with either. (solo don't do shorts). if st neith is not your cup of tea, solo classique jerseys also offer the dutch flavoured 'veerhaven', italian 'leone', american 'fremont' and the belgian styeld 'hercule'.

read the article over at the washing machine post >

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