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First look: Chapeau 2016 spring/summer clothing range highlights

We check out the latest cycle clothing from Devon-based brand Chapeau

The sun is out so it’s time to break out the warm weather clothing, and right on cue, we’ve just been sent some of the latest spring and summer clobber from UK clothing brand Chapeau. 

The brand has come a long way since it first launched with a range of skincare products a few years ago. Since it dived into the clothing business in 2013, the Devon-based company, where it designs and extensively tests its products, has been making serious inroads into the crowded clothing market.

And we've been impressed with the Chapeau clothing we’ve tested in that time, blending as it does a nice balance of performance, features and value for money. Classic styling still underpins much of the range, but there are some bolder designs this year, pointing to a brand that is growing in confidence and finding its customer base.

Here’s a look at some of the highlights of the new range. 

Club bib shorts £99

chapeau-club-bibshorts-riding.jpg

Good bib shorts are the foundation of any cycling outfit, and coming in at just under a hundred notes are these Club shorts. They’re made from a Topazio fabric with wide elastic hems and silicone gripper tape, to stop the shorts riding up your legs. Zig-zag, not flatlock, stitching is used throughout, because Chapeau reckons allows this allows the fabric to stretch better. A multi-panel design enhances the fit, which the company describes as “snug” to “provide stability”. 

chapeau-club-bibshorts-leg-detail-2.jpg

Seated comfort is the biggest reason for buying padded bib shorts, and Chapeau uses a padded insert manufactured by one of the leaders in the industry, Elastic Interface. The Bastogne HP pad comes straight out of the company’s long distance range, and uses high-density inserts with various densities of perforated foam, with a smooth and flat surface (no steps or ridges) to provide the cushioning that the company says is good for 4-plus hour rides.

Tempo Jersey £49.99

chapeau-mens-tempo-jersey.jpg

Chapeau offers two jerseys priced at £50, the Tempo pictured here and the Cafe below. The Tempo has a performance cut with a fabric that is intended to provide good breathability on warmer days, and the lightweight construction is intended to provide good moisture management when you’re working up a sweat.

chapeau-mens-tempo-jersey-pocket.jpg

You get three rear pockets and there are some reflective details to provide a visibility boost on long summer evening rides.

Cafe Jersey  £49.99

Compared to the Tempo jersey, the Cafe jersey has a more relaxed fit and is the top to choose for casual cycling that might include a coffee or pub stop as it looks less like a cycling jersey than the others. 

chapeau-mens-cafe-jersey-ss.jpg

Here’s the design brief for this jersey:

“In the golden age of the Campionissimi cycling jerseys were beautiful things, heavyweight wool, casual tailoring and limited, if any, sponsor logos. Coppi, Bartali, and Anquetil looked like film stars with their sunglasses and Brylcreemed hair and the sun always seemed to shine.Sometimes we want to ride our bikes without worrying about being aero, going deep or – frankly – being seen in figure-hugging lycra. Our answer is the Café Jersey, technical enough to be practical and stylish enough to be proud of off the bike and in public,” says the company.

chapeau-mens-cafe-jersey-ss-logo.jpg

It gets the office approval, that's for sure. What do you think? Chapeau has created its own bamboo-based fabric as well. Bamboo offers good breathability, odour resistance, and good moisture management, so it should be ideal for the type of riding this jersey is intended for.

chapeau-mens-cafe-jersey-ss-navy-blue-back.jpg

You still get three pockets, plus a zipped pocket, hidden gripper tape, and reflective details, so it has the functionality if you venture out into the countryside for longer rides. If the stripes aren’t to your taste, other colours are available, including a traditional style with twin chest bands. 

Etape Jersey £69.99

Stepping up in price is the Etape, the company’s most expensive cycling jersey. It has a performance fit and cut, that means it’s designed to be a close-fitting jersey for optimum comfort and aerodynamics. With regard to sizing, the company says an XL fits like a traditional size large.

chapeau-mens-etape-jersey.jpg

The styling is very simple and classy, with a range of designs available to suit different tastes. It’s fully featured with three large pockets for all your food and tools, and space for extra layers you need on a typical spring ride.

chapeau-mens-etape-jersey-riding.jpg

There’s an extra zipped pocket which with its water-resistant lining is ideal for safely storing a mobile phone. As with all Chapeau clothing, the jersey is finished with subtle reflective details.

Track Mitts £34.99

chapeau gloves2.png

Time to ditch the thick winter gloves and unleash the mitts, and these Track Mitts, made from Pittards leather and sheepskin, look the part. The leather palm has a textured pattern to increase grip and the top of the hand has a mesh material to provide ventilation.

You can see the full Chapeau clothing range here. We’re going to test the products pictured above and we’ll be interested to see how it performs, so keep an eye on the site for those reviews soon. 

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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10 comments

Avatar
lambylamby | 7 years ago
1 like

I must add that I own an etape Jersey bought at a discount from last year, and I'm so impressed with the quality I put it above my billy big bollocks Cuore jersey in terms of comfort, they really are a lovely material. I think the level of cut and quality makes me feel this is right for the weekend warrior or pretty much everyone that realistically wants a good performance to price ratio. Since discovering Chapeau, they are the first cycling brand I have loyalty to, as a cap and socks have also lived up to the quality. Colours are quite wacky/cool too.

Avatar
fenix | 7 years ago
1 like

I chose my phone knowing it's going to spend hours in a jersey. So it's not huge and it's waterproof. That way all jerseys will suit.

Avatar
bendertherobot | 7 years ago
1 like

https://goo.gl/photos/kuAnKd5fsQrVqHde8

there you go. LG G3 which is between iPhone 6 and Plus. Hope you can see in the open photo that there's probably just about, and I mean just about, room for the plus with the space that's left.

Avatar
tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
0 likes

Zipped pocket large enough to take a phablet like a 6+?

 

Common issue I find with jerseys, they just aren't taking into account the trends in mobile phones. I don't have a single jersey that has a zipped pocket that can take my phone. Even my pricier Castelli and Rapha jerseys aren't well enough thought out.

Avatar
bendertherobot replied to tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
1 like

unconstituted wrote:

Zipped pocket large enough to take a phablet like a 6+?

 

Common issue I find with jerseys, they just aren't taking into account the trends in mobile phones. I don't have a single jersey that has a zipped pocket that can take my phone. Even my pricier Castelli and Rapha jerseys aren't well enough thought out.

 

Which jersey? I'll check for you.

Avatar
tritecommentbot replied to bendertherobot | 7 years ago
0 likes

bendertherobot wrote:

unconstituted wrote:

Zipped pocket large enough to take a phablet like a 6+?

 

Common issue I find with jerseys, they just aren't taking into account the trends in mobile phones. I don't have a single jersey that has a zipped pocket that can take my phone. Even my pricier Castelli and Rapha jerseys aren't well enough thought out.

 

Which jersey? I'll check for you.

 

Oh cheers, was looking at the last one, Etape jersey, has a waterproof pocket.

Avatar
bendertherobot replied to tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
1 like

unconstituted wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

unconstituted wrote:

Zipped pocket large enough to take a phablet like a 6+?

 

Common issue I find with jerseys, they just aren't taking into account the trends in mobile phones. I don't have a single jersey that has a zipped pocket that can take my phone. Even my pricier Castelli and Rapha jerseys aren't well enough thought out.

 

Which jersey? I'll check for you.

 

Oh cheers, was looking at the last one, Etape jersey, has a waterproof pocket.

 

I don't have the etape sadly. But, in the photos above the Tempo swallows the G3 in the outer pocket. The middle pocket is stepped slightly higher so it should well be the case that the pocket of the etap is the same size and should take at least an iphone 6 if not a plus.

Avatar
tritecommentbot replied to bendertherobot | 7 years ago
1 like

bendertherobot wrote:

unconstituted wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

unconstituted wrote:

Zipped pocket large enough to take a phablet like a 6+?

 

Common issue I find with jerseys, they just aren't taking into account the trends in mobile phones. I don't have a single jersey that has a zipped pocket that can take my phone. Even my pricier Castelli and Rapha jerseys aren't well enough thought out.

 

Which jersey? I'll check for you.

 

Oh cheers, was looking at the last one, Etape jersey, has a waterproof pocket.

 

I don't have the etape sadly. But, in the photos above the Tempo swallows the G3 in the outer pocket. The middle pocket is stepped slightly higher so it should well be the case that the pocket of the etap is the same size and should take at least an iphone 6 if not a plus.

 

Appreciate it, didn't mean to put you through the trouble there! That zipped pocket on the Tempo really is the business. I've been complaining about small zipped pockets for ages now. Cheers  1

Avatar
bendertherobot replied to tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
1 like

unconstituted wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

unconstituted wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

unconstituted wrote:

Zipped pocket large enough to take a phablet like a 6+?

 

Common issue I find with jerseys, they just aren't taking into account the trends in mobile phones. I don't have a single jersey that has a zipped pocket that can take my phone. Even my pricier Castelli and Rapha jerseys aren't well enough thought out.

 

Which jersey? I'll check for you.

 

Oh cheers, was looking at the last one, Etape jersey, has a waterproof pocket.

 

I don't have the etape sadly. But, in the photos above the Tempo swallows the G3 in the outer pocket. The middle pocket is stepped slightly higher so it should well be the case that the pocket of the etap is the same size and should take at least an iphone 6 if not a plus.

 

Appreciate it, didn't mean to put you through the trouble there! That zipped pocket on the Tempo really is the business. I've been complaining about small zipped pockets for ages now. Cheers  1

 

It was no issue! Popped upstairs, took some photos! Will be interesting to see what road.cc say. I was very positive about them in my review. The lucky buggers got the blue one though (as well as the white one) and I love that blue (cafe) one.

 

Avatar
mike the bike replied to tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
2 likes

unconstituted wrote:

Zipped pocket large enough to take a phablet like a 6+?

Common issue I find with jerseys, they just aren't taking into account the trends in mobile phones. I don't have a single jersey that has a zipped pocket that can take my phone. Even my pricier Castelli and Rapha jerseys aren't well enough thought out.

 

Could this be God's way of telling you to leave it at home?

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