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More wool as Shutt VR launches new ranges and new website too

Shutt expands range of Sportwool jerseys and adds women's and junior ranges too

Shutt Velo Rapide have launched a new range of clothing aimed at all cyclists with clothes for women and younger riders, too and they've also launched a shiny new website to show it all off. Yesterday Simon Warren and Peter Bragg from Shutt popped along to road.cc to show us both.

The new range builds on a year of customer feedback – except for their local bike shop Shutt are an internet-only business and they've always welcomed and encouraged feedback from their customers. They now also have the Orbea-For Goodness Shakes mens and womens cycling teams riding and testing their kit too. As Simon explained to us, this, combined with short production runs and the fact their jerseys are put together locally – everything is done within a 50 mile radius of their base in Ilkley – means they can constantly refine what they are doing to give cyclists what they want. And of course the guys at Shutt are all cyclists themselves and they too have their own opinions on what makes a good jersey to add in to the mix.

The new women's range includes four jersey styles, bib shorts, tights and a gilet. Shutt already has many women customers and listening to what they want has led to a range of female-specific clothing designed for riding and comfort. The panels on the women's jersey have an anatomical cut that works with rather than against the shape of a woman's body to enhance comfort.

Shutt's new Junior range is a response to the fact that many of Shutt's existing customers were buying their smallest sized garments for their children – so the Junior range is modelled on their men's range, but in smaller sizes.

Other changes to the range include giving their jerseys names rather than numbers – definitely a good idea we reckon and the fact that they are now offering two lots of team kit, their own (more on that below) and as they are official supplier, Orbea-For Goodness Shakes team kit, also.

For those after the full Shutt experience the guys have introduced an expanded range of accessories including arm and leg warmers, socks and even water bottles. Taking things one stage further, they have also affiliated to British Cycling and Cycling Time Trials – they 've turned themselves in to a cycling club so that customers and members that want to can race under the Shutt VR banner in a Shutt VR Team Jersey… hmm, what a good idea.

Incredibly Shutt only started business a year ago today but in that time they've rapidly become many cyclists' favourite purveyors of Sportwool jerseys (a material mixing the best bits of wool and polyester).  They've been a particularly big hit with sportive riders, especially those that don't want to wear garish Lycra but who might baulk at Rapha prices.

Because current dyeing processes for merino/polyester-mix fabrics are only really successful with certain colours, everyone making merino/polyester mix jerseys is limited to the colour palettes they can use. Shutt push that palette to the maximum – indeed their striped panel jerseys feature most of the colours that work best  - there should be something amongst their standard jerseys to suit most tastes.  Although for those able to spend that little bit more, Shutt also offer a customising service  – another plus point of having your suppliers right on your doorstep  –  which means you can have a Shutt jersey that is uniquely yours.

Plans for the future do include Lycra but not of the multi-coloured garish variety and more types of cycling garment. They already make gilets so next rainstop jackets and further innovations and improvements to their woollen range. 

We will be testing some of Shutt's new products soon but in the meantime to find out more about their new ranges visit Shutt's new website at www.shuttvr.com.

road.cc's founder and first editor, nowadays to be found riding a spreadsheet. Tony's journey in cycling media started in 1997 as production editor and then deputy editor of Total Bike, acting editor of Total Mountain Bike and then seven years as editor of Cycling Plus. He launched his first cycling website - the Cycling Plus Forum at the turn of the century. In 2006 he left C+ to head up the launch team for Bike Radar which he edited until 2008, when he co-launched the multi-award winning road.cc - finally handing on the reins in 2021 to Jack Sexty. His favourite ride is his ‘commute’ - which he does most days inc weekends and he’s been cycle-commuting since 1994. His favourite bikes are titanium and have disc brakes, though he'd like to own a carbon bike one day.

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18 comments

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Adrian C | 13 years ago
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But still no plain black.

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BikerBob replied to Adrian C | 13 years ago
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Adrian C wrote:

But still no plain black.

....and that's what makes their range so refreshing!

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Miggers replied to Adrian C | 13 years ago
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Adrian C wrote:

But still no plain black.

Hi Adrian - We do a bespoke service, if you want plain black we'll make one for you... I assume its a jersey?

Drop me a request on the website with your size and I will get one made up for you...So long as its no different from the standard Team Jersey it would be the same price.

Cheers, Pete

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G-bitch | 13 years ago
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Short cut shorts? I missed that. Great idea.

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Miggers replied to G-bitch | 13 years ago
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G-bitch wrote:

Short cut shorts? I missed that. Great idea.

They're not that short really, one of our customers said they looked like Sean Yates shorts so the nickname stuck... They are quite popular we can't seem to make the quick enough in the sml and med! Pete

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ourmaninthenorth | 13 years ago
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I've been meaning to buy some Shutt kit for ages, and really must get round to it. I love the idea of their "short" cut shorts - ideal for the short of leg like me.

New site looks great, and the new designs are also fantastic (esp. the signature jersey).

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G-bitch | 13 years ago
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They do look fantastic, thanks Pete for the feedback. I'm off touring for three months over summer and am OK for kit at the minute but will treat myself to a jersey on return (the idea is it'll be a leaner version of me that is sure to be maintained!).

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James Warrener | 13 years ago
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Regardless of the materials in question, they look great  4

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nickwill | 13 years ago
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No odour problems with mine. I've worn it 4 or 5 times a week under a gilet for the last couple of weeks and it is fresh as a daisy. The fact that the wool part of the fabric is against the skin, might have something to do with it!

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G-bitch | 13 years ago
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Some reassuring comments there - apologies if I came over as a little bit harsh, especially given that they don't make a secret of it - I suppose the reasoning for me is that the biggest sell for anything merino is the stink factor. This is a problem when touring, or just when sick of having to do 60 degree washes or use nasty bio powders (allergy problems) just to stop a jersey smelling like a rugby players jock strap. So... what's the stink experience with the lower wool content jerseys like then? I don't mind washing every time I wear it (unlike 100% merino which is more like every 5-10 times), but just don't want the inevitable cafe stop realisation that I honk to high heaven..
Promise I'll buy a Shutt jersey if that's a positive  4

*Edit - the trades description thing was purely tongue in cheek!

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Miggers replied to G-bitch | 13 years ago
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G-bitch wrote:

Some reassuring comments there - apologies if I came over as a little bit harsh, especially given that they don't make a secret of it - I suppose the reasoning for me is that the biggest sell for anything merino is the stink factor. This is a problem when touring, or just when sick of having to do 60 degree washes or use nasty bio powders (allergy problems) just to stop a jersey smelling like a rugby players jock strap. So... what's the stink experience with the lower wool content jerseys like then? I don't mind washing every time I wear it (unlike 100% merino which is more like every 5-10 times), but just don't want the inevitable cafe stop realisation that I honk to high heaven..
Promise I'll buy a Shutt jersey if that's a positive  4

*Edit - the trades description thing was purely tongue in cheek!

G-bitch - We've had a guy wear one of our jerseys on a week long trip around Vietnam and Cambodia, the Tour Jersey infact. It is our lowest Merino content and he and his colleagues did comment on its lack of pong compared to other synthetic jerseys after a couple of days use...

I also noticed that we'd used the old drywool compositions on the new site which are incorrect as we switched to Sportwool™ back in Feb. Hopefully the new corrected figures will be more pleasing to you. My fault for not proofing fully before web guys pushed the button..

We/I don't take it personally... Thanks, Pete from ShuttVR

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nickwill | 13 years ago
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Shutt VR clothing is a breath of fresh air. The designs are clean, simple and well cut. They fit brilliantly and the jerseys are comfortable in a wide range of conditions.
They make no claim to be producing totally merino wool jerseys. They use a branded fabric called 'Sportwool' which uses the best properties of both merino wool and synthetic materials. I wouldn't dream of buying a full merino jersey with its saggy pockets and weight when wet. These stay dry next to the skin, keep you cool in warm weather and comfortable in cooler weather. The pockets are properly designed so they don't sag when filled.
For me the fact that they are designed and manufactured in Britain is a major plus. I've had a couple of queries prior to buying items from Shutt VR, and a quick telephone call has given me all the information I needed. Great service and highly recommended kit.

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dave atkinson | 13 years ago
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It's important to remember too that sportwool and drywool aren't just a big ol' mix of fibres. the wool is on the inside next to the skin and the polyester on the outside with the two woven together in different ways depending on the fabric construction. The different percentages of wool reflect the fact that the fabrics are designed to do different jobs, it's not just a case of 'more wool is a better fabric'

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Tony Farrelly | 13 years ago
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yeah, there's a link STATO it's just above your post on the last line of the story - works okay on my browser. Thanks for the extra one anyway though

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G-bitch | 13 years ago
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It's got to be a bit of a trade descriptions issue describing any of their non-black jersey as sportswool - have a look at the % blends for colours, half of them are as low as 10%!

Still seems that the only options for sportswool jerseys with a decent percentage of merino is rapha, columba and that American/Canadian company smartwool(?).

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Tony Farrelly replied to G-bitch | 13 years ago
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G-bitch wrote:

It's got to be a bit of a trade descriptions issue describing any of their non-black jersey as sportswool - have a look at the % blends for colours, half of them are as low as 10%!

Still seems that the only options for sportswool jerseys with a decent percentage of merino is rapha, columba and that American/Canadian company smartwool(?).

It's all Sportwool - that's a trademark for a start, same as Dri-Wool (which is the same thing) as I understand it the merino content is determined partly by the colour and partly by the type of Sportwool it is: fine ribbed Sportwool has a higher merino content than eyelet sportwool, on the other hand, as Peter from Shutt pointed out to me, that doesn't mean it is a lesser material. Eyelet Sportwool is better at wicking, and faster drying, it is useful for summer weight jerseys, and for those who find even merino too itchy to wear, but you can't print on it.

Shutt tell me they use it in their coloured panel and in the trim on some of their jerseys - the Club Jersey is a case in point.

The other determinant of merino content is colour black or white merino fabric has a higher content - what Shutt plan to do as they grow is buy in more white and have it dyed to the colours they want.

Shutt do publish info on the merino content of all their jerseys so I don't think they can be accused of pulling the wool over anyone's eyes… I'll get my coat.

Of course there is a separate argument to be had about whether Sportwool should be called Sportwool at all when it's mainly polyester anyway  1

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Fixie Girl replied to G-bitch | 13 years ago
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G-bitch wrote:

It's got to be a bit of a trade descriptions issue describing any of their non-black jersey as sportswool - have a look at the % blends for colours, half of them are as low as 10%!

Still seems that the only options for sportswool jerseys with a decent percentage of merino is rapha, columba and that American/Canadian company smartwool(?).

It is a trademark not a hallmark!

I love these guys, they have been making real kit for women for nearly a year. Not introducing it cos they can issue some PR. Its a flattering fit, is half the price of other makes for the same quality and its made in britain. What's not to like?

FG

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STATO | 13 years ago
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no link? www.shuttvr.com

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