V-Announcements: VLVV Product Line and Long-Awaited V-Casquettes
Whenever I drive somewhere in my car, I find myself wondering what the road would feel like from a bike. Driving in a car feels like cheating, especially on a windy day; roads are gobbled up at constant speeds irrespective of the conditions. On a bicycle, you learn what it costs to move up a gradient or ride into a gale.
I slip down into the basement a few times a day to admire my bikes. It is not unusual for me to pull one down from the wall and sit on it and imagine I might be riding it. If I change a component, I’ll bring the bike upstairs for a few days so I can gaze at it and evaluate how amazing it looks. I changed the bar tape from white to black on my #1 once, just to try my hand at what it would feel like to ride with black bar tape. When I changed it back to white a few days later, I felt a visceral sense of relief.
This is more than just being a Cyclist; this is the life of a Cycling Disciple – La Vie Velominatus. It isn’t our sport or hobby; this is our way of life. Everything we do revolves around the bike, whether we happen to be riding or not.
We have long had a Rules-Centric V-Kit available, and today I am delighted to announce a new product line centered not around The Rules, but around La Vie Velominatus. The design concept is simple: a clean design with a nod to the most iconic kit design ever, La Vie Claire. A full V-Kit line including a Witte (white) and Zwarte (black) jersey, a Witte Long-Sleeve jersey and gilet, Zwarte bibshorts, Zwarte Women’s bibs and shorts, and a new V-Shirt.
In parallel to this, I am over the moon to announce that we finally have V-Casquettes coming; one to match each style of kit. They are handmade in Italy by Apis, the premier cap manufacturer in the world and who make the caps for Omega-Pharma Quickstep among others.
The V-Kit Pre-Order window is open as of today and will be closing on January 1 at which time the order will be sent to manufacturing. (Orders may be modified or cancelled any time before January 1 at which time everything will be finalized for manufacturing.) The expected ship date is mid to late February. Please note that orders are shipped in the order they are received.
The Casquettes will be arriving at Velominati Headquarters in the next two weeks or so, depending on whether the troubles in Europe are impacting shipping schedules. Orders will be shipped as quickly as possible once they arrive, but we are not able to guarantee that Casquette orders will be arriving in time for Christmas (although we will do our best). The VLVV V-Shirt is available to ship as of now.
All products are available at The Gear. Please let us know if you have questions or if you are having trouble placing an order.
VLVV.
I cant imagine 2016 without one or both of the caps- well done.
Love!
Looking good guys. Best I get working the price out after WPC @gianni
Well… there goes my budget for presents for the family.
Merry Merckxmas to me, merry Merckxmas to me…
@frank the description of the new Witte V-VLVV jersey indicates it is a “Women’s” Witte. Does this mean that as a man I shall be able to wear it and crush fools like the Divine Ms. V or Queen Lizzie? Or is the Witte version of the VLVV a female specific cut?
’cause I really like the witte.
@DeKerr
It’s a typo. The jersey’s are unisex; the difference between the Women’s short and the men’s bib is a lady-specific chamois and a slightly shorter length in the leg.
V-caps? Finally, the long nightmare is over!
With my discipleship here, I have developed a fondness for orange. This is a dramatic and notable life change as I was raised in the SEC where all things orange were to be hated and I had a rather strong Pavlovian reaction. To those of you not from America, I’m talking about football teams from the Universities of Florida, Tennessee, Clemson, Auburn, etc. Fine institutions I’m sure, but we are tribal after all.
Right now I’m trying to figure out how to squeak an order past the VMH. Luckily, I’m the finance department of our household…
@frank
There just better not be any damn pink color on it, guys like me don’t wear no pink stuff.
Both caps are the business, of course I ordered one of each.
Remember: never hide a nice cap by sticking a damn helmet over it.
Frank, is it possible to say, add a section to the “the Gear” area so that threads/discussions like this can be added along with photos of said kit once it has begun to be worn- so we can look to ourselves with a Drill Sergeants like eye for attention to detail and proper fit and function. Applaud when deserved and give “encouragement” when necessary.
For example; “Dean, that cap looked awesome, the sunnys on top were picture perfect, the rest of the kit though looked like you ate instead of trained all winter, your bibs looked like a bag of fists…WTF pal?”
Ride safe guys-
Well, that’s done it now, the black Vive La Vie kit.
There’s already too much fortnight at the end of my money, but for this, we shall find a way.
Well played @frank
Very nice. Very nice.
@Chipomarc
I’ll be getting the V-Casquette and wearing a helmet.
I kinda like my brain (what little there is of it ) to remain inside my skull.
I agree that aesthetically the cap sans helmet is the way to go.
Just not practical for me.
Well that cleared out my tax refund – which fortunately went further than a Casquette (darned auto spell check tries to change that to Cassette!)
YES!!!!!!!!!
Seriously? Women get shorts? Not bibs?
@bea
Thanks for the feedback! The overwhelming feedback I get is that the ladyfolk don’t like having to disrobe when going to the loo; but I will add a bib for the women and we’ll see if there’s any interest. It should be up a little later today. Cheers!
@Barracuda
@frank
@Barracuda
Nobody ever likes my rules : (
Remember back in the day when getting your bell rung wasn’t such a big deal – want’s happened to modern society?
Oh oh, there seems to be another thread in my last post, not sure what happened there?
@frank
Women’s bibs are now online and available.
@Dean C
Dean, this has been on the list of things to get working for some time; we lost this ability when we switched to a full-fledged online store some time back. I’ll let you know if this comes to fruition.
@Chipomarc
That’s the spirit! Someone should be standing up for concussions.
New kit is great and caps are fantastic. Order placed!
I wish money was no object and I could order one or two of everything on the list. It’s all avvesome.
@RobSandy
you and me both, brother. but I will be ordering a cap, I have been waiting for a few years for this to happen.
@chuckp
I’m not gonna lie: you should be excommunicated for that. That’s an emoji wrapped in a emoticon wrapped in a sunset.
@frank
What’s been seen, cannot be unseen !
@Barracuda
@frank A little brand/copyright infringement here? http://www.rulefive.cc/
You only see pictures like that on some weirdo yoga website
@Chipomarc
I`m referring to the hands / heart picture when I said that
@G’rilla
just a little, unless there is another Rule V they are referencing.
So good…..will be ordering soon, to spread the word here in the UK…..any socks thou…would look so cool!..
Regards, always obey the rules Simon
p.s #rule96? wear black/white/grey and always orange.
@Simon Bishop
Frank, any black caps!!!!!
Caps ordered as soon as they appeared. I’m very pleased that you have kept the original kit design too, good move.
@G’rilla
Thankfully my work’s IT dept knows what’s up.
@Simon Bishop
Listed with the black kit on The Gear page?
@Mikael Liddy
Visited site a few times. No issues. Your bank IT is being over cautious! It’s the banks we should still be worried about isn’t it?
Okay, so, I could be precise and measure some stuff and convert over to the bigger #s and figure out what would work… OR, I could be lazy and ask, so how do V kit sizes compare with Castelli stuff? Giordana? Pearl Izumi? Speshy? Hincapie? Capo? Mavic? My experience is American sizes I need med but European stuff I’m closer to large. Pearl Izumi has the M/L size (have to order direct as rarely at shops) that is about perfect though lean to med if M/L not available. Castelli would do well for M/L sizes there but with them I lean towards L most of the year. Mavic is exception to european sizes in that their large stuff might as well be XL. Giordana is perfect as med. Hincapie and Speshy? med. The new white jersey if very, very nice. I like it a lot. Cheers.
BTW: Steelers are looking good right now vs the Bluebirds of Seattle.
@wilburrox
How’d that work out for you in the end? GO HAWKS!
@frank
Rats! Cheers
@wilburrox
If you owned the castelli V-kit, I can tell you the relative difference for me. I went down a size in bibs and stayed the same in jersey but the kallisto jersey is not as tight as the castelli. So I’m happy with the jersey fit, that castelli V-jersey was a snug mofo. Or I’m a fatter fuck.
@Gianni
Please also take note that our Castelli kit was the racing line, not the stuff you can get off the shelf which is cut more roomy than their racing line.
I’d say the V-Kit is in general a little looser than the old Castelli but in a very good way. The Castelli had to be sized down to account for the stretchy fabric that would sag if you put feather in one of the pockets. The Kallisto to me is more true.
I also went down a size in bibs, but the bibs are designed to be very tight for muscle support which enhances endurance. (Maybe.)
Thanks to everyone for their kind words on the design, and thanks for the orders we’ve already received. Your support is very very much appreciated!
@frank
Waaaw! That’s service!
I pretend to be ‘one of the guys’ and actually have no idea what women wear. But I definitely prefer bibs over shorts, even with the (very) occasional undressing in the wild (and strangely enough almost always in winter).
Nice kit!
@bea
Actually, thinking about it, it’s hard to find decent bibs for women, so I guess most women wear shorts. On the other hand, it’s also hard to find nice, non-pink shirts with good-size pockets…
@bea
My fiancée definitely prefers bibs. With a decent sports bra – or even a baselayer – the disrobing is not as much of a problem, and in any case it’s less of a problem than finding a discrete place for the actual bladder-relieving activity that follows. However, after being very impressed with dhb’s top-of-the-line ASV bibs, we ordered a pair of their halterneck bibs to try.
Hi guys, just a little question here. What will you do if someone in your area decided to start a group (and possibly a clothing-line) called “Velominati – Trackbike Propoganda”? :D