Cycling clothing companies are a dime a dozen these days. So why should you care about yet another brand? While Alé is a new brand in some ways, the powerhouse company behind it certainly is not.
With three decades of experience designing and producing high-end clothing for brands like Giordana, Vermarc and many others, APG is like the Giant Bicycles of clothing. It produces the goods for many top-end brands and now it has its own Alé brand, which it is selling consumer-direct in some markets.
In the US at least, Alé is cheaper than very similar clothing from the aforementioned brands. While this is causing tension with some of its bigger customers, the end result for us riders is great clothing at a good price.
I've been riding two different Alé PRR kits for about eight months now, and find myself reaching for them often for longer weekend rides. Those three decades of experience show themselves mightily in the clothing, with lightweight, high-performance fabric cut and stitched into patterns that fit and move well on the bike.
The chamois isn't wildly shaped or labeled with graphics the way some designed for show are; a single, soft, antimicrobial layer faces your skin, and two half-moon pads are stitched underneath, right under the sit bones. Placement is spot-on.
Related: Proper chamois placement is key
Alé's PRR line has a few styles with the same cut and fabric but different visual design. The green is Krakatoa; the blue is Ponente
In the bib shorts, the compression is such to keep everything in place without feeling restrictive, and the stitching moves with the stretching fabric. This is in stark contrast to some cheaper shorts where the stitching and the fabric move with distinctly different stretchiness.
Speaking of the stitching, a thick reflective line runs up the back of the shorts and along the back and arm of the jersey, but this isn't noticeable during the day without looking very, very closely. At night, when under light, it really pops.
The svelte leg bands do their job without constriction.
The Alé PRR jersey fits and feels great, with lightweight but well-fitted and pliable materials. The relatively longer sleeves stay in place when in the riding position, with wide grippers that don't bind or squeeze.
At US$160 / £65, the Alé PRR bib shorts are an excellent deal (they are included in our best bib shorts list), and the jersey is a pretty good value for the money, too.
The PRR arm and leg bands keep everything in place without constriction
