Reverse Gear Blog

Judi is jazzed about her little red tricycle - seen here in the original unisex wearable art jersey

Easy Street Recumbents is once again holding the Heart of Texas Catrike Rally in Austin Texas on April 8 – 10, 2011.

Registration is limited to 30 participants so sign-up early by contacting  jane @ easystreetrecumbents.com or by talking to Mike at the shop at 5555 N. Lamar Blvd – #C105 or by calling 512-453-0438.

One of the great prizes at the rally with be the new Jazzed about Triking jersey, based on the original art of Louisiana artist Vergie Banks. We are “jazzed about triking” ourselves and REVERSE GEAR is proud to sponsor events which bring together other tricyclists.

Reverse Gear is sponsoring the 2011 HPRA Florida Challenge at Brian Piccolo Park – 9501 Sheridan Street, Pembroke Pines, Florida  on February 26 and 27, 2011. The race weekend is one week after the Sebring 12/24 hour race and one week before the Catrike Rally.
This the first HPRA race of the 2011 season. There will be two full days of racing.
For anyone not racing on Saturday, Atlantic Bicycle  has organized a group ride. The ride will be approximately 20 miles at a moderate pace.
This event will offer prizes (including a REVERSE GEAR cycling jersey and a pair of recumbent cycling shorts), displays and the opportunity to meet other recumbent enthusiasts and see an excellent variety of human powered machines and their engines.

This winter REVERSE GEAR has been on the trails and highways in the south for our second year.

Our first visits were in Kansas to RANS and several bike shops.

The next destination was Texas for November and December. Unfortunately we suffered some health issues this winter, so we have not spent as much time on the recumbents as we had planned. However, our favorite cycling experiences in that state were in Dallas and in San Antonio (with the River City Bent Riders). We did make it as far south as Brownsville and as far west as El Paso.

As the weather got cooler, we headed west and spent January and February in Arizona.

We visited the following bike shops during winter 2010-2011:
City Cyclist, Fort Worth TX
Daniel Boone Cycles, Houston TX
Easy Street Recumbents, Austin TX
Hill Country Bicycle Works, Fredericksburg & Kerrville TX
Planetary Cycles, Houston TX
Plano Cycling, Plano TX
Richardson Bike Mart, Richardson TX
Ajo Bikes, Tucson AZ
Southwest Bikes, Peoria AZ
Sun Cyclery, Phoenix AZ

We are staying in AZ to avoid the snow for a few more weeks, and then heading back to Canada in March, with an expected arrival of early April.
We hope to see you on the road, Judi & Len

Rev Hans in Howard MI wearing his Reverse Gear jersey

Rev Johannes Myors of the Pedal Prayers Ministry has now stopped cycling until spring. He and his recumbent made it to Savanna IL on November 23rd where he will work for the next six months. This was after travelling 8,559.68 miles (13,695.49 KM) since he started his 2010 journey on March 15th. An impressive accomplishment and some of those miles were done wearing Reverse Gear. We are proud to have been a clothing sponsor for Rev Hans, pictured here on one of his rides.

In February, 2010 just before he started this journey, we received an email requesting us to be a sponsor of his ride.  Because “The Cycling Rev” rides a ‘bent, he had seen Reverse Gear in the list of sponsors on Bentrider Online. He had also heard about us from the editor of The Recumbent Blog. This is what he had to say…

Len and Judi,
I am hoping that you might be able to help me…

Since February of 1993, I’ve been cycling around the United States with my ministry called “Pedal Prayers”. Even though I am an ordained minister, I consider myself as a Missionary Servant Evangelist. I am more of a “hands-on evangelist” than a “speaking evangelist”.

I have made 16 coast-to-coast crossings of the United States and have been in every state except for Alaska and Hawaii. I also cycled through three provinces of your country (BC, Ontario, Quebec). As of August 31, 2009, I’ve ridden over 196,000 miles (296,000 KM) in 3,350 days of touring. Along with performing ministry, I have been helping out after natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes) and promoting social action.

I have worked alongside the American Red Cross, FEMA, and the Salvation Army giving comfort to those affected and also helping to rebuild people’s lives through Habitat for Humanity, UMCOR, and other religious organizations.

I’m on my seventh bicycle. The last three have been short-wheelbase recumbents.

I am starting out on my next trip, which would be my 20th mission trip since February 1993, some time between March 15th and March 20th. …
… I am hoping that your company might be willing to donate a couple of your products and join me in my journey as I share the LORD’s compassion to who ever I meet along the way.

Thank you very much.

In HIS Draft, Rev Hans, “The Cycling Rev”

We hope the Rev Johannes Myors had a successful year and that he looked “presentable” in his Reverse Gear  jerseys when he showed up on his recumbent cycle at some of the churches and ministries that he visisted. We also hope that he was comfortable as he pedaled his 2010 journey.
For more information about the Pedal Prayers Ministry – go to: http://www.pedalprayers.org

REVERSE GEAR has hit the trails and highways for a second year. This year we are heading west…
We escaped Canada before the snow came and arrived in Kansas at the end of October. We specifically went to visit the RANS factory there. We had met Randy Schlitter at Interbike 2009 and wanted to stop by since this was our first time in Kansas. While there we also visited a few recumbent bicycle shops to show them the REVERSE GEAR product line of recumbent jerseys and shorts:

• Capp’s Bike Shop in Topeka
• Big Poppi Bikes in Manhattan

After a week, the temperatures were dropping again so we headed further south to Texas.
We have created a plan for the next four months that includes visits to bike shops, rallies and cycle trails in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Oregon and Washington.

Our complete itinerary is on the “find us” page and will be updated regularly as we move on.
We hope to see you on the road, Judi & Len

Reverse Gear has created a new website Adaptive Sportwear - to make its extensive line of sports apparel available to anyone participating in adaptive sports, such as handcycling or wheelchair sports. 

Reverse Gear clothing, which was originally designed for people who ride recumbent cycles, is suitable for any activity done in a  sitting  position. The jerseys have straight bottoms so you are not sitting on a tail. Jerseys also have zippered pockets on the front or sides that keep your valuables safe while riding. Most pockets are large enough to carry food, cell-phones, small cameras, credit cards or money. (Judi carries all of these while riding, and sometimes a small tape recorder too.)

We continue to improve the fit and functionality of the Reverse Gear line as well to appeal to our diverse range of riders, including our wounded warriors. For example, the new Boab fits a little looser in the neckline and shoulders. We discovered from riding in our own gear and from customers’ feedback that in the sitting position your clothes slide up at the neck so we have improved on the fit. You will see more of these innovations in future designs as well.

We are excited about introducing the first Reverse Gear “Collector” jersey this month – starting with an original “little red tricycle” painting.

“Jazzed about triking” is the first in our new series of an artistic sublimated unisex line. This sublimated jersey was inspired by the art work of Vergie Banks of Lafayette LA. Her work can be seen at www.littleredtricycle.com  We first saw one of her designs on a Zydeco jersey that someone was wearing at the Catrike rally. We contacted the artist

Jazzed about my little red tricycle - an original painting by Vergie Banks, Lafayette, LA

and commissioned this first original work of art just for the recumbent jazz lovers out there. (The original art, shown here, is one of many available for purchase directly from Vergie.)

This is what one website says about her: “A Lafayette native and renowned artist, Vergie Banks doesn’t just revel in the culture of south Louisiana, she shares it with others and helps them appreciate the unique lifestyle enjoyed in this vibrant corner of the world. Looking at her work of Zyde-Cajun musicians jamming, of jazz flowing from brass instruments, or her trademark Creole girl pedaling a tricycle with gusto down a country lane, it’s easy to see the connection with the passionate, colorful Louisiana lifestyle that reflects the soul.”

We hope you will enjoy her passion in what we call “wearable art”. In the future, we will be seeking other artists to feature.

This latest jersey in the extensive RG product line will make a great Thanksgiving or Christmas present for that special him or her on your list. Be the first to get yours before they sell-out. You can pre-order now at:   www.reversegearinc.com and get free shipping on your pre-order.

Reverse Gear can also create custom jerseys similar to these for your team or shop.

Reverse Gear Citrus Market jersey review

Two years ago, recumbent clothier Reverse Gear debuted their product line at the RBR Rally in central Pennsylvania. What was special about Reverse Gear was that all of their products were intended for recumbent cyclists, meaning that all the pockets were on the front and there were no pads in the pants.

Since that launch, there have been two factors that have kept me from buying Reverse Gear clothing: color and price.

The color selection was straight out of a bag of Skittles. One could practically taste the rainbow (and I can practically hear the trademark lawyers as I write this). This in itself was not a bad design decision as women, who might favor brighter colors, face far fewer cycling fashion choices than do men. For me, personally, they were too bright, too colorful. This is due in no small part to my predilection for dark, slimming colors. I am what one might call a fatty and try to de-emphasize my shapely figure through shadows. Not easy to do in a form fitting jersey, even harder if that jersey is bright.

Price was the other sticking point, and when you discuss price with Reverse Gear owners Judi Bachmann and Len Ashby, you can instantly see the look that says, “Here we go again.” Both Judi and Len are quick to discuss the small size of the niche market and the high quality of their goods, arguments that resonate with us as recumbent riders since we hear the same reasons behind the, on average, higher costs of our bikes and trikes. But the fact remained that many of their jerseys were in the $80 to $90 range and, for casual riders like myself, that’s a lot of money to put into a commodity item that can be had for $20 to $40 dollars.

Some Enchanted Evening

Fast forward to, coincidentally, the 2010 RBR Rally with Reverse Gear once again in attendance. This time, they got me, and they did it in a really sneaky way.

The Friday night before the rally serves as a get together to socialize and distribute ride info. In walked Len wearing a tan polo shirt. Nothing out of the ordinary. There were pockets on the front, but at first, I thought little of it. It wasn’t until I got closer that I saw the wicking fabric and noticed the Reverse Gear logo. They now had a product I actively desired: a jersey that didn’t instantly draw attention once you got off the bike.

This new jersey also addressed my color aversion. The Cafe Ole (not to be confused with au lait?) line of polo jerseys comes in shades of brown, or, in keeping with the mixed theme, in Cafe Latte and Espresso.

That was it. I had to have it. I asked Judi at the end of the evening if they’d be selling their polo jerseys the next morning. She said yes, told me for how much, and I secured some cash on the way home that night.

The next morning, the unexpected happened.

I went to buy myself a new, brown, nothing-to-see-here-folks jersey that would help me blend in with the crowd. I gave my size (XL in a club cut) and watched with shock as Judi pulled out a polo jersey from their Citrus Market line. The color: Tangerine. It was to be my jersey for this review. As it was being offered gratis, I didn’t feel like being a schmuck and asking to please have a nice brown one.

No, instead, I was to spend the day dressed as a traffic cone.

Just Wear It

So how does one test a jersey? It seemed the only way was simply to wear it. A lot. Let’s say for twelve hours in one day. I instantly put on the jersey and noted the time. I would not be removing the jersey until 9PM.

Initial impressions of the jersey were fantastic. It was light, airy, and felt natural. A typical jersey on me is very form fitting (unfortunately) and the necks are often too tight or get too much up into my beard, leading me to keep the front zipper pulled down an inch or two from the top of the collar. No such issue with the buttoned collar of the Citrus Market jersey. I was initially afraid that an XL would be too tight, but I found it to be roomier than even most club cut XL jerseys.

There’s a price to be paid with all that room, though. While I feel the openness worked to keep air flowing inside the jersey, it did reduce the efficiency of the wicking. Any areas where skin was directly in contact with the jersey wicked without issue, but areas that weren’t in contact left sweat sticking to me. This is the trade-off of the polo style jersey. It looks like a polo shirt, but it also acts like a polo shirt when it comes to pulling moisture off the body. Any part that isn’t in contact won’t wick. Having said that, those portions of the jersey that do connect work as well as expected. Moisture is wicked through to the surface of the jersey and evaporated away.

On the day of my test, the temperatures were in the 90s and muggy. Weather reports had forecast thunderstorms in the area, so humidity was high. It would be a severe understatement to say that I had plenty of opportunity to sweat in the Reverse Gear jersey. It performed admirably throughout the day, never leaving me feeling swamped for too long. It also did a decent job of odor control until late in the day. It wasn’t until hour eight that I noticed the faintest hint of that not so fresh smell. By hour twelve, I knew better than to stand too close to others.

Observations

During that twelve hours, I took note of a few design elements of the Citrus Market aside from its collar.

First are the front pockets. They have some subtle elements that are really smart. Key among those are the top edge zippers. Judi stressed to me that the zippers must be closed if anything is kept in the pockets because the recumbent position can still result in items being pushed out the top, but my experience is that it depends on how loaded the pockets are. With a single item in each pocket, the loads slide to the far side of each pocket once you lie back into a recumbent seat, and the zippers do not open the full width of each pocket. That means that a portion (nearly 30%) of the pocket has an inherent “top” to them by nature of not being fully zippered. If laid back all the way, items slip into that 30% on the outside edges and stay there.

Second is the stitching on the inside of the jersey. There were no points within that caused any rubbing during my rides. Even the zippers are designed in a way to keep them from irritating you while cycling. The zippers are on their own front layer of fabric, attached then to the lower torso of the jersey.

Third, and this is true of all Reverse Gear jerseys, there was no jersey tail to manage during rides. I didn’t need to tug the back of the jersey down when I sat up. In fact, I didn’t need to tug the front of the jersey down while I was riding, either. I tend to suffer jersey creep on recumbent rides in which the fabric starts slowly inching up my fat rolls. Not so with the polo jersey.

Following the morning ride, I continued wearing the polo jersey during a podcast recording, through dinner, and on into dusk. Throughout those common uses, it never felt uncomfortable or too tight. That’s just what I wanted: a jersey I could wear without feeling like I was wearing a jersey.

At the end of my 12 hours, I pulled it off and, well, put on a real polo shirt. I’m daring like that. I like to mix it up.

One Last Test

Feeling as though I didn’t get enough sweat on the jersey, I washed my Reverse Gear Citrus Market Tangerine polo jersey, let it line dry, and then took it to the gym for one of my workouts. Hey, fatties can work out too. My trainer, used to my dark wardrobe selection, was a little surprised by my sudden splash of color, but we got past that quickly and into perspiring for the sake of knowledge.

Thirty minutes later, we finished the session, I left the building, and walked into a nearby store still wearing the jersey. I would have never tried this with my “Empire Strikes Back” jersey. It also helped that I felt drier than usual after my workout, providing me with enough confidence to immediately seek a consumer haven when I wouldn’t normally desire to do so while attired in swamped cotton.

Conclusion

Such is the beauty of the Citrus Market and Cafe Ole polo jerseys. They are a great combination of comfort, ventilation, and usability. They are also a unique item. There are other polo cycling jerseys out there, but none that provide recumbent friendly front pockets along with a cut and styling that blend so naturally in mixed company.

Regardless of the color, I do love this jersey. For a weekend rider such as myself, the versatility is top notch. Chances are good that I’m going to add a nice brown one to my wardrobe and save the Tangerine for times when I’m triking at beach resorts. No, that’s not often.

Additional Info

Specs:

• Polo collar
• Buttoned neck
• Two pockets
• It’s a shirtPros:

Pros:  

• Wearable wherever
• Loose fit encourages air circulation
• Comfortable for a range of activities

Cons: 

• Price – it’s a good value, but it’s hard to get over that hurdle

MSRP: $89.95
Link: Reverse Gear Inc
Disclosure: Reverse Gear provided Recumbent Journal a jersey for the purpose of this review

Reverse Gear Comments:

Travis, thanks for reviewing our newest jersey – even though it wasn’t your preferred color.
Actually the idea for Cafe Ole came from the fact that many people told us they didn’t ride in cycle jerseys – but we still wanted them to have the same functionality of handy pockets on the front and the same great wicking capabilities of the Quick-Dry fabric that are in our other RG jerseys. And you described the benefits of both very well.

The idea for Citrus market then came from our “commitmment to visibility” – hence the bright citrus colors: tangerine, lemon, pink grapefruit and lime. So yes unfortunately the intention is that “they will see you coming for miles”. You got it – we wanted them to see that you were wearing an RG jersey – even if you think you looked like a traffic cone ;0)

As for your comment that the fit was looser and therefore not always as efficient at wicking – right again. If you want the full wicking capability, you will find the RG Boab club-cut jersey more effective. But again, many people told us the standard slim-fit was too figure-revealing – so the Cafe Ole / Citrus Market styles were designed to be straighter and looser and more casual looking.

As a recumbent-specific cycle clothing manufacturer, we are trying to satisfy MANY different preferences, but all with the unique zippered pockets placed where recumbent cyclists will find them both comfortable and very practical. And as you mentioned, the costs are on the high end of sports clothing because we are producing small quantities of a high quality North American – made jersey with unique featues for a niche market. Every zipper sewn-in costs $5.

Thanx again for testing the RG jersey and we do think you look good in “tangerine” ;o)

We have compiled seven good reasons why REVERSE GEAR ^TM is different from other “active wear” and specifically suited for your recumbent-riding experience … 

1.       If your bike is more comfortable, your clothing should be too!

You ride a ‘bent because the seat is more comfortable. However, the angle of your body changes in this position.  This is why your jersey should be different too. REVERSE GEAR ^TM jerseys have no tails to sit on (eliminating that strangled feeling). We have also cut the neck and shoulders differently so they sit better on your body while ‘sitting back’ and enjoying the ride. 

2.       You don’t ride on a saddle, so you don’t need a thick chamois to protect you

You do however need some special padding in your recumbent shorts.  Our unique ‘bent-liner ^TM covers the seams and extends down the legs too. It not only keeps the shorts from riding up the back but also prevents chafing. The special thin, soft, absorbent fabric used in the ‘bent-liner ^TM keeps you drier in sensitive areas. Comfort is everything on a long – or a short – ride!

3.       Don’t lose things while riding

When you ride, you need to keep your valuables (e.g. keys, money, cell phones, food) close and accessible. If you go to a shop or café, you need to take them with you. Secure – in REVERSE GEAR ^TM zippered pockets, they are right where you need them and can reach them easily. When you leave your cycle, they go with you. And if the pockets are zipped, they cannot fall out. More than 50% of surveyed recumbent riders have lost something from a pocket. Don’t let it happen to you!

4.       Be cool and look good!

All of our recumbent clothing is made from technical sports fabrics.  Some designs use body-mapping with mesh or special non-absorbent technical fabrics. When you work up a sweat these fabrics will either wick it away or allow it to evaporate more easily.  This leaves you more comfortable for hours. Both our standard cycling jerseys and our more relaxed casual line will look better – while you are riding and when you stop for coffee or tea!

5.       Zippers don’t scratch

If you turn a garment inside out you will see that the zippers on the pockets are not visible. This means that you won’t be irritated by them while you are riding. We personally like to go on long rides and want REVERSE GEAR ^TM to be comfortable for the whole day. We don’t ask you to surrender comfort for function.

6.       A variety of styles and sizes for everyone

When we attended cycle rallies and races, we discovered that recumbent riders come in all sizes and shapes.  So we have created a variety of styles, cuts and fits from classic body-hugging jerseys to loose fitting casual tops. We even designed fashionable tops that you can wear to the market or café or just for a walk (see Café Olé and Citrus Market). And some styles come in sleeveless, short-sleeve and long-sleeve. But we did not sacrifice function in any of them. Zippered pockets are featured on all of our tops. Some are on the front (easy to reach) and others are on the side (less visible).  So pick your style / size from XS to XXXL.

7.       Weather resistant features

The recumbent position exposes your legs to the elements differently. Our longs are designed with that in mind. The fronts have panels of special weather-resistant fabrics to keep your legs drier and also warmer in rain and/or wind. But because the recumbent position takes you closer to the road, the back has similar technical qualities to keep your bottom warmer when there is cooler weather or road splash.

 Tell us your reasons for buying REVERSE GEAR ^TM …