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Royal Racing attire
James - 10th April 2006
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What you ride in apparently defines who you are, the guys keeping it real in jeans and a hoody, and the racers in their race kit. What a crock of sh1t!
The reason I dont ride in jeans (most of the time) is cos its damn uncomfortable spinning away with wet jeans on.
So lets go for some performance kit, with the latest in lycra skinsuit technology. Minimal wind resistance, nothing to get caught (almost) and you'll be the envy of everyone. Erm, yeah.
Royal Racing are a UK born and bred company, albeit with 661 now having purchased a large shareholding, run out of Birmingham. They make quality kit, i've been shown around the HQ and theres nothing but designs and stencils everywhere, different types of material all over the place. Theres a lot of work go into making sure the little details are tailored for, and this shows.
As well as making race kit, they also make stems, headlocks and other little things, but clothing is the main moneyspinner. Here we have the 2004 SP04 shorts, and the 2005 SP44 long sleeve jersey. The 04 shorts are much like the 05 shorts, except with different graphics.
Theres only so many things you can say about a jersey. Its lightweight, pretty tough, washes extremely well (goes from crud brown to brilliant white easy) the cuffs are elasticated, which can be useful but with my big forearms I find they dig in a bit sometimes.
The straps on my CamelBak have scuffed a bit of the material, where i've been sliding the bag around on my back, but hardly noticeable.
The only thing would be that i'd prefer to have a short sleeve jersey for the warmer days (yes they do exist, despite what the weatherman tells us) and it'd also be a little less restrictive. Keeping cool in the jersey is easy, both sides under the arms are made of a mesh, so they allow plenty of air flow, and the colours are as bright as the day I bought it.
The shorts however are where it all happens. Made of a million different materials they're very tech thats for sure. Attention to detail isnt the word. Along the outside of the legs they're well vented, the bits that would usually get muddy are made of a very tough, but easily washable material.
Theres a padded bit at the back for when you land on your arse, and extremely tough fabric between your legs, for when you practise your 'sliding dismounts' to keep them looking good, and not scuffing where you sit down.
The waist band is 'gripped' and combined with the two waist adjusters either side, you can get a really snug fit, they have an Airtex lining to keep you nice and cool, and to wick moisture away.
I've had countless crashes, scuffed trees, slid on my arse all for the benefit of this test (yeah, right...) and the shorts are pictured after a years hard riding. They're nice and baggy for the 'keeping it real' look, but you can still ride in the rain..
Since i've had these, everytime i'm on my bikes i'm wearing the shorts, they're brilliant for DH, XC or anything that takes your fancy, and wearing the jersey most of the time, but you can get away without it wearing armour and a jacket.
Slightly pricey at roughly £75 RRP for the shorts, and £40 for the jersey, but you're buying extremely high quality, British designed shorts. I can vouch for the design, i've seen Nick Bayliss' (Royal head honcho and designer) sewing machine!! I havent mentioned a certain Yorkshireman either, i'm sure you know.
Why wait a year to review them? Because theres been a lot of 'one try' reviews, and I wanted to make sure they were the real deal. Nothing so far has beaten them! Royal Racing.
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