Amo la Ruta is a new UK-based cycling clothing brand built around a “community driven” membership model aimed at making high-quality kit more accessible. The brand was founded by Nicholas Cooper following a serious cycling incident, and members can expect discounts of around 40-50%.
The name comes from the Spanish phrase meaning ‘I love the route’. Cooper says, “We built this for the community who love to ride and don’t want to compromise on having great kit.”
Cooper is a lifelong cyclist whose racing career was cut short after a serious cycling incident in 2023 when he was hit by a drug driver. 18 months of rehab followed.
“The creation of Amo la Ruta was founded on the realisation that the foundational reason why I loved cycling and was still drawn back to the bike wasn’t performance, it was the places only the bike can take you”, says Cooper.
“I have always wanted to create this brand rooted in and always for the community.”
The brand’s approach centres on offering riders what it describes as “premium quality clothing at an affordable price”, enabled through its membership model – a system it says is intended to remove traditional retail mark-ups while maintaining high quality. Members also receive additional benefits such as early access to future collections, priority stock access, free shipping and returns, and a crash-replacement policy.
Amo la Ruta has just launched a winter collection produced using Italian fabrics with a focus on “comfort, durability and performance” , and all products are designed in the UK.
Some cycling brands offer membership or subscription-style models, though they remain relatively uncommon in the industry. For example, Rapha’s Members’ Club gives riders access to annual RCC kit, early access to new products, member-priced shipping, and exclusive archive sales. Muc‑Off offers the Ride Box, a subscription service delivering a personalised selection of bike-care products every three months.
Membership and pricing
Membership costs £79 for the year, which is paid upfront with your first purchase. The fee is then charged annually rather than monthly. Non-members can still buy from the range, but will pay standard pricing and won’t receive other member benefits such as free shipping and the crash-replacement policy.
The current winter clothing range includes items such as the Sombra long sleeve jersey, Eterno bib tights, winter gilet, base layer, gloves and socks. Members typically receive reductions of around 40-50% on full-price items – for example the Eterno bib tights are £140, down from £270, and the base layer costs £25 rather than £50.
For more information, head over to amolaruta.com.
What do you think of this membership approach to cycling clothing pricing? Let us know in the comments section below.
23 thoughts on “Cyclist whose racing career was cut short after being hit by drug driver launches clothing brand with “industry first” membership model”
I hope it works out for him
I hope it works out for him but how does it differ from RCC, except the discounts are larger?
HLaB wrote:
I don’t think RCC actually offers member discounts per se, does it, apart from on shipping? It’s more focused on early access to new releases and exclusive kit for members, whereas this appears to be all about very substantial discounts.
Thanks, I thought they did
Thanks, I thought they did offer something but maybe that was the forerunner RCCC when they were linked with Condor 🙂
Hi I just wanted to write a
Hi I just wanted to write a quick reply the RCC membership doesnt offer exclusive prices to its members. It does open up sale prices a day early to its members as well as some other discounts on coffee and bike hire for example but nothing directly to their clothing. I hope you are able to try our clothing soon I am extremely proud of it.
“I loved cycling and was
“I loved cycling and was still drawn back to the bike wasn’t performance, it was the places only the bike can take you” This is exactly why so many of us ride!
Wish them all the best with
Wish them all the best with this venture but it’s going to be a tough crowd when one of your first products costs more than the established competitors of Assos, Rapha and Le Col
Where can I get Rapha bibs
Where can I get Rapha bibs for £140 ? You can argue there’s the £79, in which case you can get Rapha Core Bibs for £150 (but not their non core stuff) but their model is that £79 will be spread over membership and dozens of purchases.
HLaB wrote:
Many places. The Rapha website for one, applying the current 25% discount. Numerous other retailers too – even without Black Friday sales, it’s easy to find Rapha below RRP.
Like philhubbard I wish Amo la Ruta all the best, but given their current product range consists of a single jersey (per gender), a single pair of bib tights (per gender), a single gilet (unisex) and a single base layer (unisex), the suggestion that the membership fee gets spread over “dozens of purchases” seems very optimistic.
Got any links to standard all
Got any links to standard all year round Rapha deals (not Black Friday) for their non core stuff? When I last looked you could only regular rapha bib longs for about £275. I ended up shopping elsewhere which is probably why Rapha is struggling (if I’m not the only one). Yes the annual membership spread is optimistic on their point but £219 is still cheaper than £275. I hope it works out for them.
Thank you for your reply I
Thank you for your reply I hope you are able to try Amo La Ruta soon
Hi thank you for the feedback
Hi thank you for the feedback. I am aware that brands run sales at different points through the year my goal was to give a great year long value propositon for you and the community. To add to this as a lot of people are using rapha as a refrence they do not have a crash replacment policy such as Amo La Ruta does which while isnt a direct monetry saving is adding to the long term value.
For Amo La Rutas first winter collection I wanted to prioritise quality over a large product range. I wanted to offer gender specific cuts for all items but after speaking with testers who tried early prototypes, the concensus was to focus on specific cuts for tights and jerseys while offering a unisex option for the gilet and base layer.
I have self funded this project and declined outside investment the range will be expanding to our spring summer collection as well as doubling the winter collection next year as I already have products being tested 🙂
There’s nothing outstanding
There’s nothing outstanding either. No neat touches or something that’s not already been thought of.
For me, for winter, cargo pockets are a must from now on. Windproof panels on the knees and thighs too plus loads of reflective highlights.
After buying more and more Galibier kit that just works, is cheap and lasts forever, it’s what I judge all over kit by.
Hi thank you for your
Hi thank you for your feedback. I just wanted to share some replies
While the article focused on our membership offering and not the products specifically i wanted to share a couple of the unqiue features. On our Sombra Jersey there is an outerwear stash pocket across the back 3 pockets which is a customer favourite so far. This is to store a gilet or jacket in without taking up a whole rear pocket while riding increasing versatility and eliminating the question of should i take this gilet/jacket or not. To add to this our cuffs are doubled over for extract warmth around the wrists where heat is lost easiest instead of a straight cut signle layered design.
On our bib tights I didnt include cargo pockets this collection as testers prefered the tights without however this is something I am rectifying and adding for next year. As well as this I took off the reflective highlights before manufactoring as the material wasnt good enough. All the Amo La Ruta logos are silicone as oppose to the regular heat press logo the advantage to this is the silicone logo will strech with the fabric and never crack or peel/fall off keeping the standards as high as possible. The factory where these bib tights were made we could not nail the reflective silicone in time for production and i didnt want tights to be ruined by the previous reflective highlights.
I wont go through every product just wanted to highlight some of the design considerations 🙂
140 with 50% off off isnt
140 with 50% off off isnt premium its ultra premium .This will fail ,it never ceases to amaze me these people thinking this is fir the mainstream of cycling .
Thank you for your feedback
Thank you for your feedback and i understand that £140 isnt everyones idea of affordable, my goal with Amo La Ruta isn’t to be the cheapest option but to offer super high quality garments at a more accessible price than they normally are.
I know we’re not for the entire mainstream, but I’m not sure any brand in the world who truly is and thats okay. I’m building something for the riders who get out a few times a week, who don’t want to comprimise on their clothing but want a smarter more sustainable way to purchase it.
Thank you again for your feedback and hope you can try some Amo La Ruta kit soon 🙂
I wish them luck but I think
I wish them luck but I think it will be difficult for them, there are not many cyclists who will be prepared to spend a lot of money on something which isn’t known, fully reviewed and part of a very limited range. I know they have to start somewhere but think they should have produced a greater range to start off with. I personally will stick with Assos, in the past almost 30 years I have only thrown away two pairs of bib tights which I wore through with use, I have a winter top which I bought over 25 years ago which is still like new. How many more brands will last that long?
Thank you for your comments
Thank you for your comments and words of encouragement. Unfortunately product reviews had been written by the time I wanted to seed our clothign to publications and I did not start with a broader range as I wanted to focus on quality rather than quantity. I have self funded this project and rejected outside investment to not rush and diminish the quality of our starting range. The winter range will more or less double next winter as I am already testing new garments to come into the collection. I recognise the great quality of assos and hope that in time Amo La Rutas longeviety will be equal to a name such as Assos. I hope that you will try some of our range and see the quality first hand 🙂
I would love to as I usually
I would love to as I usually prefer to support small British companies when buying anything, be it cycling or non cycling related. I have stuck with Assos simply because of all the clothing I have bought over the years, Castelli, Rapha, Impsport, Exte Ondo, Gore, Pearl Izumi, it is Assos which stands the test of time and delivers every time. The most disappointing purchases I have made have been Castelli. I loved the design and fit but the quality was woeful, every castelli item I bought literally fell to bits, the weakest part being the stitching which just unravelled.
I would be very interested in trying your clothing but will wait to see the initial reviews before buying. I will keep an eye on your website.
Good luck to them but why the
Good luck to them but why the dull colours?
I wear bright kit when I’m on the roads.
If the pro teams do it to be seen better why would I wear dull dark colours?
Sincere question for all the
Sincere question for all the naysayers: when was the last time anyone from Rapha responded to a single comment on a single website? Exactly. Personally, that N Cooper is taking the time to reply speaks volumes about this/her/their level of commitment to to their product. I am living in the US (forgive me- I didn’t vote for him,), and I will be joining the AlR club forthwith if their shipping allows.
‘Personally, that N Cooper is
‘Personally, that N Cooper is taking the time to reply speaks volumes about this/her/their level of commitment to to their product. ‘
It’s his. Nicholas Cooper.
I know it’s virtually
I know it’s virtually impossible to avoid Chinese made goods but with cycle clothing i wouldn’t mind knowing where it’s actually produced.This isn’t to say that all Chinese stuff is tat !
I love the business model of
I love the business model of membership with all year discounts and style (classic and long lasting). The capsule collection is good and has some nice touches (side pockets on the gilet for gloves and mesh cargo on the jersey). Do agree with the comment regarding thigh pocket on the bibs. Only product I can fault is the socks (not merino and full winter). Good luck and whilst I have enough winter kit, will definitely look at the summer kit.