Better, Updated Prints and Colors

Demand for updated looks forces fierce competition amongst girl brands; the Result is Great New looks for Every Woman

I admit that previously I’ve shied away from Terry and Shiela Moon prints, often finding the them one to several seasons out of date, in comparison to regular ready to wear fashion. But in these days of “Style.com on your iphone”, and “Tevo’d Project Runway”, gone is the lag in Style that Main St had with Fashion Ave., NYC; middle America is catching up and and has its own set of fashionistas, and they DO ride bikes. It goes without saying that they have the same style/color demands for their bike fashion as any other girl, “off-bike”. So where do we find good technical clothes, that look and feel so fierce, that you look forward to wearing it as much as your favorite dress? Yet because it is afterall, active wear, this clothing is special, in that it must have wicking capability while not “storing” smell, and the fabric and stitching must be soft next to the skin, even for us girls. In looking at these women built bike clothing companies, I’m just sure these ladies are listening to the masses.

For those who haven’t caught up yet, Blacks, greys, browns and whites, with splashes of bold, vivid Spring colors will be very popular next Spring. It would be very easy to translate this kind of palette into bike clothing, as it’s easy to make it pop, or stand out quickly, without being garish.

Two companies took full advantage of this, and you should know about them. You will not believe that that some of this clothing is bike clothing. I hope you are as delighted by these collections as I.

TERRY

Armed with her favorite Haute Couture prints and colors, forward thinking Olga of Terry Bicycles helped convince her designers to try something bolder, yet more mature; the result is a magnificent collection of prints, rivaled only by Shiela Moon, this year. Terry still has the same pink and vivid pink for their own kit, but they have stopped “mainlining” pink and we are happy to see the recovery process from this years-long addiction. The permanent pink palette has been replaced by by the Spring 2009 RTW palette, including interesting choices in brown and grey.
Favorites are the updated schraeder tank in black/grey, and the “tri like a girl” shimmel in cappuccino brown; both well constructed, sleeveless pieces. The Euro Tank will be available in the new “bike love” print.
Since last year’s tunic was a success, they’ve added in other colors and styles, including the “rotations” (a black with white design), and the “treads” print, pictured here from the Urban Trends Fashion Show. (This picture is used with permission from the blog “The Debut Effect” by Cassondra. Please visit her website for Interbike report).

Terry treads print over Capris

Terry tri shimmel in cappuccino

Eurohalter

SHIELA MOON

It looks like Shiela Moon has pushed Pedal Power into a bright new era, with bright bold new prints that are more risky and fun than EVER, but reminiscent of the POP ART of the 1960’s, with hints of “laugh-in” prints from the groovy stylings of old Peter Max.
Wasting no time with RTW colors, the solids far more on trend from the Haute Couture collections of Spring 2009. Dark brown, black, grey, and (yes the timely) ballet pink are the main staples for colors, with pop colors for accent.

At this time I must rave about her Fall/Spring commuter collection, with enough shorts Jackets, dresses, and Capris to create an entire “Stealth Commuter” wardrobe. That is, once you step off the bike, no one would ever know you took a bike to work. Her Britches are both cute, and very well made and comes in a herringbone wool blend that I just adore,. They are a classic enough style, so they’ll last through the trends of the next few seasons. I’m considering selling my car to try to live a greener life, and this is just the collection to make me feel good about that lifestyle choice. The added “lingerie” liner is a downright brilliant idea (I’ll try to find a pic).

Goldie mesh top with britches shorts

Barb & friend: Barb is wearing the Petticoat dress and jacket

Etxe Ondo Bera Knickers Spring 2008 New Favorite All-Around Knicker

The Bera Knickers have been around for a couple years, and have become a staple for the Etxe Ondo Collection. But the exciting news is that they’ve now upgraded the pad. They used to have a pad that was similar to many other good women’s chamois out on the market. The Bera Knickers have the same pad as the Oyama, so obviously they are now a dream to ride. I was delighted to see that Etxe Ondo have made a good thing better; they’ve improved their women’s chamois pad so much, that it’s now my new all-around favorite.

• They’ve put more density in the pad directly under the sit bones, where it’s needed most (and just a few other well needed places).
• They’ve curved the profile of the chamois pad, so that there isn’t a sudden “step” in the pad. This means that there’s less chance of getting chafed from the “edge on the pad.
• They’ve put in a channel in the middle of the chamois. This is the most important improvement as far as I’m concerned, as it removes pressure from the place where there are a lot nerve endings. It has made this chamois magnificent to ride.

The fabric is a soft light Lycra, making it their summer knickers, and my choice for the many milder winter days we have in southern California. Where the Oyama’s have an elegance to them, the Bera Knickers have a Sporty look to them. The way they cut the knees and leg openings is just remarkable. They’ve sloped the leg opening downward, to make it lay more comfortably on the calf. The end fabric has a criss-cross detailing at the knee to make the knicker leg contour the knee properly while in bike position. This is the most comfortable leg opening for a pair of knickers that I’ve ever tried. Quite inventive and cool looking too. This may seem like a small improvement, but for a gal like me who has unusually large calves, this leg opening is the difference between “constantly annoying” and “didn’t notice I was wearing them”. Since they’ve upgraded the pad in these, they are quickly become my favorite all-around knickers, including mountain biking.

SheBeest Pedal Pushers – All this and Style Points as Well

May 2007

I really love these. My test for a good chamois is to do 40 miles of flat road riding. This means that almost all of my time is connected to the saddle. SheBeest Pedal Pushers passed this test, with only one minor hot spot (remedied by a little chamois creme).
At first I thought that the leg elastic would be too tight for my large calves, but once on the bike, I realized that the elastic was just below my calf muscle, making for a very comfortable “on bike” fit. The length is very well done, and creates a beautiful, slimming line. (TALL GALS, or gals with long legs – please go one size up). I should also mention that these ride low in the front, but I find the cut both comfortable and good looking on and off the bike. At $85.00, I’d say these are an all around winner for the cooler months.

Update
June 2007

I just have to mention that are these my all-time favs for mountain biking; there’s no excess material, and the fabric has held upvery well with brushes with trail. By that I mean that my knees have come in contact with the trail, and the fabric did not tear; now that’s good fabric. It also feels surpisingly soft.
It also has the chamois that I wore most (the Shelastic Chamois) in AIDS LifeCycle 6. I did 90 miles, then 105 miles, then 90 miles in the Shelastic, and it performed superbly, with no hot spots. The chamois HANDS DOWN performed better than any other for long distances. (I love the SSS Shorts as well, which have the same chamois.)

Final Update
November 2007

I have two pair of SheBeest Pedal Pushers, and one pair of the SSS short. I would recommend either as an excellent middle price range short. The chamois has held up well through thousands of miles, both mountain and road, and the material has never ripped or torn, though I’ve given it plenty of chances. Unfortunately, the chamois on my pedal pushers has finally “permanently compressed”, indicating the end of the life of the chamois. These have lasted me a good long time, so I’d say that they are a tremendous value.