Edit 01, Quiet Miles
The colours I want to ride in when summer finally gives up.
Autumn is my favourite season to dress for, and I think it is when cycling clothes get interesting too. In summer you can get away with a jersey and bibs and barely think about it. By October you leave the house with a jacket stuffed into a pocket, take it off on the first climb, put it back on at the top and repeat that little ritual for the rest of the ride. I like the complication of it, especially when the extra layer feels like part of what you wanted to wear rather than an ugly necessity you brought along for the rain.
When I started putting this Edit together I noticed I had saved almost nothing bright. Everything was earth, chocolate, olive, sand, navy and those slightly dirty whites that look better next to autumn colours than brilliant white ever does. They are the colours I already want to wear off the bike, and maybe that is the point. I do not want cycling clothes to announce themselves from across the road. I want them to look good when the light gets flatter, the roads get wet and summer is clearly over.
Look 01 of 3, Earth / Navy / Off White
The brown started it, but the navy is what convinced me.
I had the earth jersey saved before I knew what I wanted to do with it. My first instinct was black bibs, but the navy is much better. It gives the brown more depth without turning the kit dark, and the off-white rain jacket lifts everything when it goes over the top.
Credits
Pas Normal Studios, Mechanism Jersey, Earth
This brown started the entire Edit. I kept coming back to it until there was a kit around it.
JerseyUS$215View →, Pas Normal Studios Mechanism Jersey, Earth, opens in a new tab
Pas Normal Studios, Mechanism Bibs, Dark Navy
The navy is almost black, but noticeably softer next to the earth jersey. That small difference makes the look.
Bib shortsUS$300View →, Pas Normal Studios Mechanism Bibs, Dark Navy, opens in a new tab
Pas Normal Studios, Mechanism Rain Jacket, Off White
Most rain jackets spoil a kit. This is one of the few I think makes the whole thing better when it goes on.
JacketUS$330View →, Pas Normal Studios Mechanism Rain Jacket, Off White, opens in a new tab
MAAP, Team Sock, White
I tried to think of a more interesting choice and realised the white socks were already right.
Look 02 of 3, Chocolate / Olive
More brown than I would normally dare, which is why it works.
There is a point where matching colours starts to look too considered, and I thought this kit might cross it. It does not. The browns are different enough to feel rich rather than uniform, and the olive jacket makes the whole thing feel even more autumnal.
Credits
MAAP, Pro Air Jersey 3.0, Choc
There are endless black and navy jerseys. I would remember this chocolate one, which is reason enough to include it.
JerseyUS$205View →, MAAP Pro Air Jersey 3.0, Choc, opens in a new tab
MAAP, Team Bib Evo Cargo, Dark Choc
I would normally avoid brown on brown, but these are dark enough to keep the kit from looking like a matching set.
Bib shortsUS$315View →, MAAP Team Bib Evo Cargo, Dark Choc, opens in a new tab
MAAP, Pro Rain Jacket, Olive
The olive feels natural next to the brown. I would happily leave this on long after the rain stopped.
JacketUS$115View →, MAAP Pro Rain Jacket, Olive, opens in a new tab
Pas Normal Studios, Race Socks, White
With this much dark brown and olive, a clean white sock is exactly the break I want.
SocksUS$24View →, Pas Normal Studios Race Socks, White, opens in a new tab
Look 03 of 3, Sand / Black
The print gets one chance to be interesting and everything else gets out of the way.
I am suspicious of printed cycling jerseys because so many look dated after two rides. This one stayed in my head. The landscape almost disappears into the sand, so I would not try to match any of it: black bibs, off-white socks, and let the jersey do the work.
Credits
Pas Normal Studios, Mechanism Jersey, International Sand
I would normally scroll past a printed jersey. I came back to this one and still liked it, which is a good enough test.
JerseyUS$215View →, Pas Normal Studios Mechanism Jersey, International Sand, opens in a new tab
Pas Normal Studios, Mechanism Bibs, Black
The jersey is doing enough already. Black bibs give it a background instead of turning this into colour matching.
Bib shortsUS$300View →, Pas Normal Studios Mechanism Bibs, Black, opens in a new tab
Pas Normal Studios, Lightweight Socks, Off White
Bright white felt too sharp against the sand. Off-white has the warmth I wanted without making itself important.
SocksUS$24View →, Pas Normal Studios Lightweight Socks, Off White, opens in a new tab