Outlier Pivotal Bomber jacket: chuck something at it

Outlier, New York's answer to Rapha, have done a very decent job of reinventing the bomber jacket here, and at the same time given it the kind of bombproof treatment demanded of clothing in capital cities.

The Pivotal Bomber Jacket is at home either on or off the bike thanks to its pivotal sleeve contstruction, uses breathable Schoeller 4Season fabric and is wind, water, stain, muck grease and ketchup resistant.

You'll be asking yourself how you ever got by without one.

Outlier 60/30 chino: coming on in strides

Outlier seem to have nailed it with their new chinos, made from their 60/30 cloth (hence the name) which blends cotton with micro-denier nylon and elastane so they don't go ripping all over the place when you're having a pedal.

"You get all the comfort and good looks of a classic cotton khaki twill, but with the durability of a hiking parka and the four way stretch freedom of a bike short," says Outlier, adding that they built them up using a waistband-free, military style construction with added key loops, a stash pocket and hidden front button.

Available in tan and marine blue here. I just want the dog.

Outlier Liberated Wool Peacoat: button gloom

Peacoats are one of those garments which are fine in principle. The trouble is that in practicality they are useless. It's the double breast fastening - seems quite smart but then just try to get all those buttons done up when you're in a hurry, or undone. And there's that inside button that you can never quite reach to fasten, but if you don't the inner flapp slips down and you look like a wino.

So I gave peacoats up a long time ago. Left them to the sailors.

And then Outlier released this, its Liberated Wool Peacoat, which is manufactured with 2.5 layer technology for weather and windproofness and has an engineered fit for on-the-bike comfort. The wool also stretches.

The most technical peacoat I've seen in a long time and fair play to Outlier for coming up with it. They are, by all accounts, quite proud of their invention.

But the fact is, this is still a peacoat, with all that button fussin'. Which is going to be even more of a chore when you need to ride somewhere in a hurry. I'll make do with a zip, cheers.

Outlier tops: How to stay cool in New York

You can just imagine what the heat must be like in New York right now, which must present the city's legion cyclists with a bit of a dilemma in turns of looking cool and actually staying cool while they're negotiating the mean streets.

But help is at hand in the form of Outlier. It's New York's answer to Rapha and provides well-cut cycling gear without making you look like a lemon, and that's physically as well as metaphorically.

The latest offerings offer some respite from the NY heat - a merino vest for the ladies and some slick shorts and tees for the chaps. Perfect for allowing that breeze to get to the bits they ought to.

But Outlier haven't scrimped on the technicality - the merino is 17.5 microns, which means it wicks the moisture away almost before you get the chance to sweat it out, and the shorts will take anything you can throw at them, including a refreching dip in some sewage after breaking into a boat.

Outlier Pivot Sleeve shirt: Ride in style

New York's Outlier is doing a fine job of sharpening up cyclists these days. None of your day-glo spandex here. It's all Loro Piano suiting material and fine Oxford shirt fabrics.

It's what they do with these fabrics that makes the difference. They make caps out of the suiting material, and the shirts are remodeled for the cyclist in all of us with a sharper fit and, you guessed it, pivot sleeves.

That should have you pedaling around safe in the knowledge that your shirt isn't going to be riding halfway up your back.


Available here

Outlier tropical wool cap: Nice for your head

It's always handy to have something on your head when you're out on the bike, and  if a bit of sartorial flair is what you're after you could do worse than this Outlier tropical wool cap.

This is made from some tropical wool suit material Outlier dug up in a Brooklyn basement. That should give you something to talk about down the pub.

Get it here