Archive for category: Uncategorized

We have moved to silicone leg grippers (and indeed for all the grippers we use, for example on custom arm warmers). Silicone is great to use as it sticks better than rubberised elastic and also gives great stretchability so that it does not constrict.

For those who are not familiar with silicone, it is a band that runs along the gripper that will not slip on the skin, so preventing shorts from riding up. There are a lot of options available for silicone and one of the key factors is finding one that is durable when washed in washing machines (the cheaper ones will peel and crack). We went through an extensive test period with ours and we are confident it is the best available on the market in terms of comfort, funcationality and durability. We always welcome feedback, so if you have been wearing them, let us know what you think!

We work very hard to be the custom cycling and triathlon supplier with the shortest lead times in the industry, normally working off 4 weeks. In recent months we have had unprecedented demand for our kit however and our lead times have been stretched to 7 or 8 weeks – we completely understand that many clubs need their kit quicker than this, but we just cannot make the kit any faster!

We are now putting in place plans to substantially increase our production capacity so that next Easter/Summer we will be able to manage the peak demand better.

To compound the problem further, in Portugal everything closes down in August, including our factory, so this will add a further 2 to 3 weeks on lead times for kit order before the holidays.

We are meeting the delivery dates that we have given to clients at the time of order, so clients are not getting their kit late. We like to think our kit is worth waiting for, but we hope to be back to 4 week lead times come September.

We have just added a new microfibre fabric to our range and it is one of the best fabrics we have in our range. It is called Cuadro and we are using it for our new range of custom technical t-shirts; Cuadro is fantastically lightweight and silky smoorth, but through some ingenious microfibre engineering holds its shape really well and gives great wicking properties (wicking refers to the way a fabric carries moisture away from your skin to evaporate).

A technical t-shirts means that it is made from a fabric (microfibre) that will help you feel more comfortable when you start getting hot and sweaty and will also dry out super quick. Once you have done any level of sport you will never want to go back to good old fashioned cotton again! Our microfibre has a unique weave to it, which up close shows lots of tiny squares, which help to maintain the shape of the t-shirt when you are wearing it.

To print our custom technical t-shirts we use the same digital sublimation printing as we use for our custom cycling jerseys, which means there are no limits on the design & colours that you can print. It also means that rather than having the nasty scratchy printing that most t-shirts have, we actually dye the fabric, so the design will never fade or crack.

Microfibre has only one drawback – it is very expensive! That means that our custom microfibre technical t-shirts are going to cost more than getting a cotton t-shirts and doing old fashioned scrathy printing on them. In fact they are €22.15+VAT and depending on whether you are ordering other items, there may be a set up fee. This does mean you get a pro quality custom technical t-shirt with digital sublimation printing and absolutely no limits on your design, though – so it is worth every penny.

We have worked really hard to establish our brand in Ireland – we don’t really believe in advertising, just the value of word of mouth that comes from delivering pro quality at fair prices. The Tralee Chain Gang had this to say about us:

Hi Charlie,

This is a pic of some of our ‘gang’ that attended the Currow CC tour cycle on the 1st June. We’re nearly thirty strong at this point so we still need to organise a proper shot of all of us to send it onto you -tralee chain gang we might need a camera with a wide angle lens to get us all into view though!

Everyone loves the kit, so much to the point that we even picked up three new previously unattached cyclists on the day, who were immediately interested going for a full set! And then you tell them the prices and people can hardly believe what you’ve quoted them for custom kit.

It’s getting a great wearing now that the weather’s improved a bit, getting 100 miles and more worth of wear a week and it’s all holding up excellently.

Our final word on our kit is; we absolutely recommend Fernando Carvalho to any club large, small or just starting out and interested in investing in their own kit. The help recieved through each step of the designing, sizing and ordering process is second to none and you finish up with your very own pro-quality kit exactly as you want it. For people like us, it helped bring a group of people who have been training together for years into a club with a real presence on the roads. And in only a matter of months from first contacting you. We can’t thank you enough.

Finally, keep an eye out for the Chain Gang on the roads of Munster and at the up coming Ring of Kerry and Tour of Waterford cycles, the next big ones on the menu – we’re nearly unmissable now!

Darragh Crowley

The Chain Gang CC
Tralee,
Co. Kerry, Ireland

email; chaingangcycling@gmail.com
web; www.chaingangcyclingtralee.wordpress.com

We have just supplied 600 jerseys for the Help for Heroes charity ride – http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/ – they are doing a ride sponsored by Halfords to raise money for injured soldiers. We are pleased to say that we delivered the jerseys in 4 weeks (two days early in fact!).

We were also very proud to supply a jersey for the Help for Heroes mascot (known as ‘Hero’ to his friends).

We are always happy to produce custom cycling jerseys and other kit for charity rides and have already supplied clothing for many events.

Here is what Andover Tri had to say about the order we delivered in Spring 2008:

hi Charlie,

Just to let you know that the kit you sent arrived safe & sound on monday afternoon. We spent last night unpacking it and cross checking the orders….everything seems fine i’m pleased to report.

I’m really pleased with how the design came out. The kit looks bright & vibrant and reflects the design work we put in accurately.

With regard to the order process i cannot thank you enough. We spent the best part of three years talking about changing the club kit and getting nowhere and in the space of four months including a lengthy christmas break we have looked at samples, chosen a supplier, designed the kit, ordered it and had it all supplied.

The whole process has gone extremely smoothly from start to finish and we are now looking forward to training & competing as a club with an identity.

I cannot thank you enough for the time you have taken to make the ordering process go so smoothly. You’ve responded straight away to any questions asked, been helpful and informative, the prices are competitive and you’ve been a pleasure to do business with.

I hope the kit holds up as well as it looks over the coming seasons and i’m sure we’ll be making other orders in the future…..winter season will be on us in a few months & we’ll need tights / jackets etc to keep us all toastie i’m sure!

Thanks for everything,

Howell Reed,
Andover Triathlon Club