Aesthetically cycling kits take many guises. Check out any club run and you’ll likely see opposing designs rubbing shoulders in the pack. At the extremes, there's two opposing forms: the sparse monochrome look that’s equal parts mime artist and ninja warrior, moving through a spectrum towards the the garish Rorschach Test designs that hark back to Italian cycling teams of the 1980s when there was no such thing as too many logos and too much fluro. Where the new Racing Check pattern from Q36.5 sits we’re not exactly sure.
Certainly it’s bold. With a series of checks adorning both the gilet, jersey and the bibs, it’s unlike any current design we can think of and rather resembles one of those optical illusions where the aim is to stare at the long enough until you start to see a recognisable form.
However, the inspiration comes not from a puzzle but rather the interior of a Porsche; the fabric, known as Pasha, was used by the German luxury car brand in the 1970s. Q36.5 says it developed the material “entirely in-house” and rather than printed it is instead woven and piece-dyed to create the two-tone checkerboard effect.
The first garments to adopt the distinctive, and likely polarizing pattern, are two pieces from Q36.5’s Dottore Hybrid family: the Bib Tights and the Que Long Sleeve Jersey. Both are designed for winter climes and feature the kind of proprietary technical fabrics that the Italian brand has garnered a serious reputation for developing.
The bib tights are designed to work across temperatures from +5°C to +15°C. To achieve this Q36,5 says they are both lightweight yet highly protective, with a lack of frontal-facing seams to improve comfort. Unlike the regular versions, the Check pattern incorporates polyester alongside the nylon, which is said to improve moisture management as well as “delivering a performance advantage through the unique interaction of the two fibers.”
The result is not just a bold visual statement, but a design that underscores Q36.5’s mission to engineer pleasure into every ride – much like stepping into a finely crafted sports car. On the body the patterned fabric wouldn’t look a miss on a Marvel super hero.
Now in its third iteration, the Dottore Hybrid Que Long Sleeve, is another piece of kit designed to span temperatures and conditions. It’s part jersey, part jacket and uses three fabrics to help it perform across the spectrum: pinstripe material on the back for ventilation, UF Hybrid fabric on the chest and outer arms for wind control, and soft insulating fleece on the inner arms and stomach.
Again, with the addition of the new pattern, the jersey becomes more distinctive than the original. Wear it with the plain bib tights to provide some contrast or pair it with the check bibs to resemble, well, a chess board on wheels.
Sensibly Q36.5 isn't just offering the new design in the black and grey color but also a rather fetching, and far more visible, orange.
