Spring Clothing Round-Up: Reggie Wear – by Grannygear
When I heard the name Reggie associated with cycling clothing, I thought, “Reggie who?”. But no, the owner’s name is not Reggie, nor is it some pro racer or a past cycling record holder. Think baseball. Turns out that the founder has fond memories of Mr. Jackson and just likes the name. Thinks it is cool.
Well alrighty then.
And I think that gives an insight into the bit of merry-ness that pervades Reggie as a brand. Reggie = fun…let’s ride bikes and let’s have fun, and let’s do all that in fine clothing.
From the website:
“And why “REGGIE”? Because Reggie Jackson is the coolest name from my childhood – Mr. October, baseball hall of famer, car nut, good guy. I have used REGGIE as my pseudonym for all my crazy pastimes because it’s such a fun name. Just saying REGGIE is guaranteed to make you smile.
I love to ride my bike. It’s fun and awesome. REGGIE is about keeping it that way.“
Then there is the rivet thing. Yes, there is a tiny rivet installed on each jersey or short that seems to have no purpose. And yet…..
“I’ve never owned a saddle made with rivets. But that doesn’t matter because the symbol of the rivet goes beyond a seat. If it’s unfamiliar to you, old racing saddles used rivets to hold the hard leather to the frame of the seat with one positioned right at the tip. When you were pegged at full effort and nudging ahead on the seat, you were riding “on the rivet”.
When I started racing in the mid 80s, I spent a lot of time riding with guys my dad’s age. They were typically factory workers or tradesmen and they were hard, tough men on the bike. They raced every weekend of the season and they won regularly. They lived to ride. They were classic bicycle racers from that vintage era of wool shorts, toe clips, steel bikes, sew-ups, drilled out Campy, and no excuses. As a 14-year-old, they scared the crap out of me.
You would describe them as “old school”. They all grew up racing on Brooks saddles and understood “on the rivet” firsthand. Although they had converted to modern saddles, the term was explained, demonstrated, and instilled in me repeatedly.
For me, the “rivet” represents two elements that make cycling awesome: Riders pushing themselves and the heritage of the sport.
Wherever we can, we want these elements represented in REGGIE. Whenever a rider pulls on a REGGIE jersey, pair of shorts, or gaminet, they’ll have a shiny little Rg Rivet reminding them of why we love to ride.“
So I have two jerseys, one gilet, and one bib short (plus some slick socks) to sample. All of it comes packaged in nice wrappers with a seal on it and the garments were enclosed in a wash sack. Very classy. I have been in them enough over late winter into spring to get a pretty good feel for the performance, so let’s crack on, shall we?
Reggie Jerseys: You want Fast or Faster?
There are two cuts in Reggie uppers…Fast and Faster, which is a great way of saying Club and Race or Slim and Slimmer or whatever, but in a funner way. Yes, I said funner. The images show the difference in the two, both in a LG size. At 6’2” and 185lbs, I can wear either, but the Faster is really too snug for me, not for comfort, but just in practicality. I have more pride than that allows. The Fast cut is still properly roadie close and is a bit better fit than other LG sizes have been from other brands.
Made by JACKROO, the fabric is airy and meshy and exceptionally comfortable and silky, feeling great against bare skin. There is a ‘sticky’ band at the hem to keep the jersey from riding up and I love the zipped security pocket. The sleeves have a nice, long, flat ‘finish’ to them that does not bind. Here and there are some reflective bits and bobbins and Reggie does seem to like bright colors in bold patterns. I simply do not ride dull colors on the road and even my gravel rides include a lot of public byways connecting dirt roads. Just say no to black jerseys and jackets.
Wearing the Orange Crush jersey ( $123.00) has been very good, especially as the weather has heated up. I gave the Faster Cut (Also $123.00) one to someone a bit smaller than I so as not to encourage body shaming.
The Classy White Bibs ($146.00) treated me very well. The chamois never pained, the shoulder straps are broad, comfy, and made of mesh that is very airy and stretchy. The legs have long leg gripper sections that stay put but disperse that duty over a broad, flat, area so they never bind.
The longest time in them was a 7 hour day, including a lunch stop and breaks, etc. Very good, they were, although not quite as good as the Castellis I also have on review.
I have no complaints but I do have one observation in regards to sizing. I am a Medium in the Reggie sizing chart and that is likely what I should have gone with. I have been burned by too much Euro sizing lately so I have been going one size up by default, even though I can wear a Medium size short (32” waist). What I notice is a bit more ‘room’ in the front panel at the crotch which allows for less compression there than I would like to see. It is subtle, but annoying and I think that a Medium could have addressed that. Or, it might not have. Hard to say.
Also, notice the price. The other bibs in this review series are 50 to 100 bucks more.
A gilet is such a core piece of gear in anyone’s gear bag that I cannot imagine not having one. The cycling vest, when paired with arm warmers and knee warmers, makes for a trinity of usefulness, allowing one to adjust for temperature swings across a long day.
The Lightning Vest ($116.00) is, for me, the crown jewel of the Reggie samples. In fact, I loved it every time I wore it. Bright colors, a tall collar that does not annoy, a meshy back, the wind panel front, and two pockets make for a truly useful vest. Oh yeah…it has a dual zipper so you can unzip from the bottom up to access jersey pockets and the zipper is stout, not wispy and fragile. I went with the Fast, not Faster, cut, so I do get a slight bit of flapping at the shoulders when hard into the wind and if that bothers you, size down. I just wanted room to have a base and thermal jersey underneath.
The only negative thing I can think of, is that it is not the most packable gilet I have used, taking up a jersey pocket more than some ethereal vests do. I also think it protects more in the process, and is worth the trade off unless you are really trying to travel light.
Finally I just love the colors. I am a sucker for bright pink, orange, or hi-vis yellow. With this vest I get it all and some “Johnny Cash” black to keep it all in control. Riding in brightly colored tall cotton, I am.
Reggie appeals to my non-serious side with their fun approach to cycling, not taking things too seriously or with a truck load of pretense. Yet, they seem to deliver the goods, allowing me to have a good riding experience in fine clothing. It’s a nice mash-up.
Note- Riding Gravel was sent the clothing used in the Spring Clothing Round-Up by Castelli, Assos, and Reggie for no charge to test and review. We were not paid, nor bribed for this review and we will strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout.
