The Privateer

Having your own custom made cycling kit is quite a special thing, and it’s lot easier to do than you may think. This is a story I wrote for a while back.

Late on Boxing Day afternoon the FedEx van pulled up and handed over the not so long awaited but highly anticipated box containing my all new Champion System custom kit, which I’d designed and ordered just over a month earlier.

Due to the pandemic Christmas and New Year were something of a homebound and subdued affair this year, and so the timing of this slightly belated Christmas present to myself couldn’t have come at a better time and it put a child like grin across my face.

As cyclists we all know the thrill of getting new gear, and when it’s customised that sensations is quadrupled. That buzz is only topped by arrival of a new bike, which is a whole lot more expensive and generally less individual too.

Not so long ago new custom kit generally meant either pre-ordering club or team kit, or buying regular stock shorts and jerseys. The minimum order quantities generally dictated that you would need a large group to be able to make that entry-level figure. 

Thankfully times things have moved on some, and it’s now possible to order custom kit online through your local Champion System distributor in very low quantities. This makes the whole idea of making your own custom branded (or un-branded) cycling kit attainable for all of us, 

I’d gone for a single short sleeved jersey, a long jersey, wind vest, shorts, 2 pairs of socks and 2 caps – hardly a major order, and yet still above the minimum order line.

The idea to go custom had been in my mind for some time, and I was aiming to get dressed and riding in my new kit by New Year’s Day, which I did. To say the least 2020 had been a tough year in so many ways, and like most people out there I was looking and hoping for a fresh start in 2021 I’d had a project vaguely in mind – Great Rides. For a good number of long since past years I travelled around the world taking on some of the world’s greatest bike rides, often in the company of legendary cycling figures and pro racers.

Sounds like the dream job? Well, nothing is ever quite as it seems, but with the benefit of hindsight it wasn’t too far off that mark, and I’d give my right arm to step back to those personal glory days. This is where the custom Great Rides idea came in.

The idea of Great Rides is very broad and open ended, such is the situation dictated by our current limitations. Either way, it had been kicking around in my mind for years, and that only intensified more during the last year, and it was time to at least put some form of project base building intent into practice.

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to go more than a few kilometres from home since I took my last flight in March 2020. Confoundingly the future of travel and of what will be possible and when is still something of a mystery to us all, and so I’ve had to work with what I have to hand.

There’s no hopping on planes and heading off to take great rides around the world for the moment, and I just didn’t want to leave that idea slowly simmering on the back burner until the gas ran out. Initially I added a Great Rides section to my main website (www.thesoftsaddle.com), where I have been posting classic stories from the past, slowly building something. I’ve also taken to making short Instagram TV videos from local road and gravel rides, and do have bigger local based multi-media ride projects in mind to fill out this time warp until the world opens up again, a time when I can perhaps add some more direction and intent to the project.

Ordering up the custom kit may seen like a small thing in the grand scheme of things, but for me it has given a little more identity to the still vague and open ended idea. More importantly it also acts as a shove in the right direction, that being one of diversification and the spreading of eggs between the baskets.

It was surprisingly simple and straightforward when it came to the kit design and make up. I had a couple of basic design ideas in mind, one subtle and retro, although as always the slightly bolder side tugged away at me, and I ended up coming up with the design you see here.

I scribbled out some extremely rough designs and then went to the interactive design section of the Champion System site. At this stage there is a small deposit to be paid, as the in-house designers will then be assigned to put your ideas into motion. Next up I played around with the online options until I managed to get close to what I was looking for. After submitting the design and the designer came back with the proofs. Being somewhat finicky I juggled them around a little until I got exactly what I wanted. Soon after a final proof of all of the different clothing items I’d ordered was sent over – which was spot on, and so the order was placed.

Cyclists have gotten a whole lot skinnier these days, although maybe it’s one of those policemen getting younger scenarios. This skinny-up trend is something that time has bucked for me, even if I am always trying to remedy the that situation. With this in mind I made sure that I checked very precisely on sizing rather than ordering from an idealistic memory menu of old, something I’m very prone to. Luckily there is the “club cut” option available, which is far more forgiving for those of us who don’t have their ribs poking out any more (there are also children’s and woman’s cuts/fits).

There are sizing charts on the Champion System websites, and if in any doubt just ask about sizing, as if you’re ordering a short run of kit you do not want to get the sizing wrong.

From speedsuits and winter jackets to socks and caps, it’s all there and in different fabric weights and cuts on the website, meaning that you can exactly what you want rather than settling for a box standard option.

Champion System will take care of the whole process, from design through manufacturing and on to delivery. All of the clothing is made by the company themselves, which ensures that there is stringent quality monitoring and uniformity with every order – you know exactly what you will get. Even though few of us are pro’s or stars the kit is truly top draw, and is as issued to some of the fastest bike racers in the world.

You do not need to be a “brand” to order your own custom kit – like me you could simply be an individual who wants to be exactly that. No matter if it’s just a single set of clothing or a full run for a club or event, the process is straightforward, and the more you order the more affordable things become.

You don’t need to be a million dollar earning pro racer to look and feel like one, or spend that to do so.

Above is a recent picture on me in my original Softsaddle kit, which is around 10 years old now, and which I’ve managed to shrink back into. It’s design, like most things I come up with is a retro slapjack/homage to a past era. the black represents the Coventry Olympic CC, who I rode for for a few years in the 80’s (and who had the best kit ever), while the chequered bands are for Peugeot, who were a major team at the time and also club sponsors. The red white and blue, if I remember right is just adding in a bit of the Brit without doing the Union Jack thing