I recently received some cycling kit from West Wales: Carmarthenshire, and more specifically Carmarthen. Carmarthen and the surrounding area are famous for many things: an abundance of rugby players; a castle; John Cale who, with Lou Reed, formed legendary rock band The Velvet Underground; comedian Rhod Gilbert and 90s neo-prog psychedelic folk rock ensemble Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. Dylan Thomas spent the last few years of his life in The Boathouse at Laugharne where he penned possibly his greatest work, 'Do Not Go Gentle', before his untimely death in 1953.
Also residing in Carmarthen are that countryside loving, cycling mad outdoorsy crew, howies. Established in 1995, howies quickly gained a strong identity for their use of natural fabrics as opposed to petrochemical-derived modern materials, together with an eco-friendly ethos before it became cool to be green. In 2008, howies was cited as the 6th most 'recession-proof' company in the UK by The Times. I am glad to see this was a correct assessment and howies is still going strong, now 20 years old.
Alex from howies, who enjoys 'tinkering with the website, pretty nifty with Photoshop, is a beast of a cyclist and also claims to be a belt buckle aficionado' sent me a Team LS Cycle Jersey in 'Turkish Sea Blue' with what looks to be the Italian colours hooped around the torso. However on further inspection the colours actually represent 'Y Ddraig Goch' (The Welsh Dragon) and the colours of Wales. I also received some classic Men's Bib Shorts in black.
Those erudite bods at howies have designed the cycling kit using seamless circular knit technology. This helps with the fit and reduces the amount of seams that can potentially cause friction and chaffing. The machines can also slightly differ the weave and precisely tailor them for different areas of the body to again help with the fit. Clever.
The look and feel of the jersey and shorts reminds me of a vintage wool cycling design from the 50s and 60s - which, as far as I am concerned, is a very good look. I ordered a L/XL jersey, and when I opened it it looked like it may be a touch tight. But that ingenious circular knit is tricksy, I would go so far as to say Tardis-like. There is a lot of room in there, and once you zip it up, it shrink wraps around you giving an excellent figure-hugging fit. Vac-packed cycling apparel if you will.
Alongside a race cut, the jersey also boasts integrated breathable panels, two rear cargo pockets, rear reflective zip storage pocket, flat lock stitching and a reflective neck tab. If I have any complaints about the jersey it is that it only has two rear pockets which are actually overly large and do not hold your essentials as tightly as a standard three pocket design. However that is just my personal preference. Apart from that I have no complaints or grievances and am very pleased with my howies jersey. I would definitely recommend it to any Cymru clan members or people of other principalities, or fans of dragons in general.
On to the shorts. These bibs, like the jersey, are simple in design but boast many hi-tech features and again the circular knit technology enables them to fit like a glove. Reduced seams and breathable panels are joined with a double layered 'TMF Professional' cycle pad which has varying density foam for added comfort. The finishing touch is a subtle branding on the left hem in the same resplendent Turkish Sea Blue. This means that the shorts match the howies cycling jersey, but the detail is subtle enough that you could team these bibs with any jersey, making it a versatile purchase.
What about the price tag? Both pieces of kit come in at £59, and I think that is great value for money for what you get. There is a plethora of luxury cycling clothing on offer to the discerning velocipede enthusiast, and as I have mentioned in previous reviews it is easy to go straight to the big brand names. Howies have actually been trading much longer than any of the current high-flying popular brands, and apart from a brief foray into London village have stuck to their guns: stayed small and continued to produce outstanding kit for the past 20 years.
I love howies and what they represent. I know they have their detractors, people who think that the designs are perhaps a bit plain and boring. Philistines! If you need to explain why howies stuff is cool to these people then they probably aren't worth talking to in the first place. It would be like having to explain why Led Zeppelin are the greatest rock'n'roll band ever, why Steve McQueen is the coolest man to ever have existed, or why Colnago have never made an ugly bike. The answer to all of these things is that it is just so....and, in the same way, howies apparel is unquestionably 'proper'. End of.
Team LS Jersey and Men's Bib Short, £59.99 each from www.howies.co.uk
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