Giro debuts New Road clothing [BikeRadar]

Giro previewed an intriguing new line of cycling clothing on Thursday at the Golden Saddle Cyclery in downtown Los Angeles. Dubbed 'New Road,’ the retro-inspired collection is neither street wear nor performance kit but somewhere in between. Whether or not that market actually exists remains to be seen, but we will find out once New Road becomes available in the spring.

New Road’s styling is undeniably from days gone by with heather-finish Merino wool fabrics, subdued colors, and trim (but not tight) tailoring featured heavily throughout the roughly dozen-piece range, which includes a mix of long-sleeved and short-sleeved tops, shorts, short liners and outerwear. There's even a collared polo that would look at home on a long commute or stopping into a café along the way. There is also a pair of SPD-compatible lace-up shoes.

Lace-up SPD shoes are part of the line

While the aesthetic is casual, Giro designed the pieces with real riding in mind. Road riders seem to be the primary audience, although mountain bikers might find some appeal, too. The outer shorts are built with multiple bike-friendly pockets, the tops feature cleverly hidden vents atop the shoulders, the windproof shirt closes with a zipper and buttons to retain the desired styling but still keep the cold breeze out, offset zippers on the outerwear keep the cold metal pulls way from your chin, and the short liners are built with a proven Cytech stretch chamois.

Giro's New Road clothing looks casual, but it's designed for riding

There isn't a smidgeon of cotton to be found, either, and some of the pieces are built with subtly stretchy fabrics for freer motion.

How the pieces look to work together is interesting, too. For example, several of the tops omit rear pockets. Instead, there's a zippered rear opening that allows access to the pockets that are built into the back of the bib liners, which also have front flies to facilitate nature breaks (both features remind us somewhat of the approach that Dirtbaggiestakes with its mountain bike shorts).

We won't have pricing or specific details on the individual pieces until closer to launch date but if nothing else, Giro deserves some kudos for taking a risk on an unconventional approach to cycling clothing. Impressively, all but a few of the pieces we saw at the preview event sported "Made in the USA" tags, too.

Original article at BikeRadar