One thing’s for sure: the Display jersey and bib shorts from British company Morvelo look pretty loud – and distinct from most kit we’ve seen recently.
With the growth in women’s cycling comes more and more welcome choice when it comes to clothing and products. Gone are the days when the only dilemma you were likely to face was between the black jersey or the pink jersey. New fabrics, better fits and more inventive graphics and designs abound, so you can pick kit that reflects your style without sacrificing performance.
Related: Women’s cycling products: what matters, and why?
One brand that's been producing striking women’s kit for a number of years is UK-based Morvelo, a small firm focusing on quality kit that draws design inspiration from pop culture, music, art, fashion and film. Morvelo produces a range of coordinating jerseys, bib shorts and accessories, and its spring/summer range for 2015 incorporates geometric patterns, retro graphics and even tropical prints.
The kit may be Lycra, but it’s not solely aimed at road cyclists. Morvelo’s motto is ‘Ride Everything’ – and that extends to types of bike and disciplines of cycling. This translates into products that aren’t usually as athletically cut as many other brands.
BikeRadar received the Display Series kit to have a closer look at, and we did have one surprise when unpacking the kit – the colour. On the website, it looks like a combination of white, grey, magenta and bluey-grey. In the flesh, that bluey-grey is actually more of dark petrol green; we actually liked it better this way.
Morvelo Display Nth Series women’s jersey
Nth Series is Morvelo’s new performance range, featuring high-tech fabrics and details. The jersey has a panelled construction, made up of Dual Dri-Clim polyester fabric, and the sleeve cuffs are of the wide, laser cut variety.
The cut is flattering, feminine but not overly tight, and in fact we’d suggest if you sit towards lower end of a dress size and do want a close fit, you might want to go down a size. The Display Nth Series Jerseys are available from XS to XL.
The three pockets are of fairly average size for a jersey, but we do like the additional small zipped pocket for stowing valuables.
There do appear to be a few discrepancies between the listed kit specifications of the jersey on the Morvelo website, and the actual garment we have in our hands. We've contacted Morvelo for clarification, and we'll update this as soon as we have a response.
Morvelo Display women’s bib shorts
At £90 (US$140 / AU$178) the Women’s Display bib shorts are well-priced and well constructed. We were happy to see wide laser-cut hems on the legs, which means less chance of the ‘sausage-leg’ look you can sometimes get with elastic hems.
Morvelo has opted for the ‘between-boob’ option on the bib shoulder straps, which can be love/hate for some women. The straps themselves are constructed from a lightweight mesh, which looks to be nice and breathable for summer riding.
The Italian Dolomiti chamois is one of the thicker chamois pads we’ve encountered but sits comfortably, following the body contours.
Sadly, there isn’t an Nth Series performance option for women’s bibs at Morvelo, but it’s something we’d like to see in the future.
Morvelo Display socks
Like to coordinate top to toe? Or just like the pattern on the Display Nth series jersey but don’t want to commit to wearing it all over? Either way, Morvelo has produced socks in the same distinctive print. They’re also slightly compressive, with a ribbed band around the arch for support.
Morvelo ships worldwide – check www.morvelo.com for more info.
