This post is much later than originally planned, but I think the timing is improved by the fact that my friends at Shutt VR are having their winter sale, they’re about to attend the London Bike Show perhaps giving you a chance to see the kit in the flesh, and I’ve been spending time riding in some of the kit mentioned below.
I attended the Shutt winter range photo shoot in late November (yes, this is a very late post) and the weather on the day put paid to an original plan that included bike riding for all as well as photos. The upside for me was a lot more time chatting and looking at some of the clothing on display as we sheltered out of the rain where possible.
Shutt’s new winter range continues to include a pleasing amount of the Sportwool fabrics they’re possibly best know for including a really nice red colour available as a completely red jersey or with a white stripe across the chest in the sportive jersey. As you may have seen in one of my previous posts, there is also the option to have a long sleeved Sportwool jersey in Shutt’s fantastic team colours. Sportwool and Merino have taken cycling by storm over the last few years and for good reason. Merino feels great, keeps you warm (even if it’s wet) and doesn’t smell once you sweat in it. It’s also a great match for UK weather as if you’re a bit harder than me, you can wear it down to nearly 5 degrees with a base layer and probably to well over 15 degrees on a warm day making it extremely versatile (my temperature ratings not Shutts to be clear). http://www.shuttvr.com/shop/category/31/
Another product area that Shutt have been putting effort into is their soft shells, available at two price points, the Active Softshell (http://www.shuttvr.com/shop/productdetail/Active-Softshell-Jacket/) at a surprisingly affordable price for a softshell and the top of the range Performance jacket (http://www.shuttvr.com/shop/productdetail/Performance-Jacket/ ), which is race cut and uses carefully selected Eschler fabrics that are waterproof, windproof, breathable and insulating. The Performance jacket looked like a lovely piece of kit and whilst it’s a dark colour it had a good amount of reflective piping and white sections on the sides. Thanks to the top of the range fabric and cut, the Performance jacket will be at it’s best in the winter in cool and cold conditions. The Active Softshell also works off the bike as it’s styling is a bit more relaxed in both the fit and the design cues.
Shutt’s winter caps were also the subject of much discussion on the day and whilst they’re not my personal cup of tea, they were beautifully made and the fabric had a great weight to it for winter riding. They’ve also sold like hot cakes I believe, so plenty of people are very keen on them indeed. http://www.shuttvr.com/shop/category/33/
The last products I wanted to mention are the Club Bib shorts, which are a big seller for Shutt. They must be flying out the door at the present as they are on a cracking deal of two pairs for £59 including postage (http://www.shuttvr.com/shop/productdetail/Club-Bib-Shorts-Bundle/) . I had a good look at some while I was there and was impressed enough to order two pairs to take advantage of the offer. I’ve been riding one of the pairs for almost every ride I’ve done since December and I’m really very taken with them. The lycra has a look and feel that belies the comparatively low price and I’ve been really pleased with the pad too. The sizing is by height and I think follow the sizing suggestions. I went for Medium as always even though the sizing suggested I was tall enough for a large. In fairness the medium is a bit stretchy length wise but it still a touch tight. Whilst I have a few brands of shorts in my cycling wardrobe, the ones I ride in by far are the Shutt ones and so far the Club Bib Shorts have been great.
Shutt are still a small company and while they’re not trying to take over the world, they’re continuing to garner a growing following and customer base. If you’re going to be at the upcoming London Bike Show, Shutt will be exhibiting, so do feel free to stop by and hello and check out the range in person.
Obviously Shutt’s website is: http://www.shuttvr.com/
The London Bike Show is going to be between January 17th to the 20th and you can find more info here: http://www.thelondonbikeshow.co.uk/
Thanks for reading
