We should cherish the little companies in cycling: the firms that do what they do for the love of getting from A to B on two wheels. Sure they want to make a little money, but that isn’t the sole reason they devote their energy, imagination and time. It’s the fact they enjoy producing things that make an already enjoyable pursuit even more fun.
RedWhite Apparel, a Singapore-based start-up that has just celebrated its first birthday, is a great example of this. The firm is the brainchild of two road cyclists who wanted to create the ultimate long-distance bib shorts. It’s fair to say they are keeping things simple by offering just two varieties: the mainstay “Bibs” and a limited edition polka-dot adorned “KoM.
Both are aimed at riders who spend long hours in the saddle and who want to start and end the day in the same comfort zone. RW achieve this thanks to an Italian-made extra-thick chamois pad which features open-cell foam to help breathability, gel inserts to give support and an anti-bacterial outer fabric for pong protection.
Holding the shorts in place around the thighs are oversized grippers made from vanishingly thin lycra covered in hundreds of silicone microdots (these really work). Italian firm MITI spa provide the rest of the materials: thick, supportive lycra around the base and a soft red mesh for the bib portion (also good). According to their website, the watchwords for putting everything together are “compression without constriction” (works nicely for a man of fuller proportions, like me) and there is flat stitching throughout.
If there is one thing I value, it’s comfort. Having worn these shorts for a few weeks on rides of varying distances, I’ve become a big fan. But I won’t deny I was somewhat sceptical when I first tried them on. The outsized pad feels distinctly odd: first of all it is much thicker than anything else I’ve ever tried and it seems to sit quite far forward in the garment.
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Those first impressions were soon dispelled after a few rides. The extra padding really works over long distances, but I now also wear the shorts for my 24km commute to and from the office. The Bibs are not cheap ($150/£95 including shipping), but you get a lot for your money.
It’s a mark of the company’s ethos that RedWhite will knock $80 off the full price of two pairs of shorts for young racers struggling to make ends meet as part of its Rider Support Programme.
According to RW’s rather splendid website: “We know how much time and commitment you put in as a racer trying to improve, whether it is to go pro, or to push yourself to your limits every weekend on your local crit circuit.
“You should be in the best bib shorts in order to fulfil your potential. We are here to help.”
A round of applause, please.
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Summary: This is cycling start-up with its heart very much in the right place and its priorities bang-on. RedWhite set out to produce the ultimate long-distance bib short which wouldn’t cost the earth. The extra-thick chamois insert takes a little getting used to, but works beautifully and seems to get better with every wash. It’s almost a perfect balance of comfort and performance. Like a souped-up leather armchair of a short.
4 / 5
$150 including shipping
Available here