The Solo story

Solo cycle clothing was born from my dissatisfaction with the style of contemporary cycle clothing. While I had a deep respect and admiration for modern pro-cyclists, I didn’t particularly admire the ‘moving billboard’ look of modern team kit. What I did love was the clothing worn by the pro-riders of the 1950's - 1970's. These were simple and powerful designs which demonstrated that less is more. Talking with my friends and cycling acquaintances made me realise there were other cyclists who felt the same.

So I searched for clothing that had the same flair and emotion I saw in the vintage jerseys. I found replica kits and original wool or wool/acrylic jerseys. The replica team kits seemed to lose so much in the translation, while the original wool jerseys looked great but weren’t very practical for daily riding.

At the time I had a graphic design business that was doing well, but there was this nagging feeling that there must be more to life than designing brand identities for other people. I took the plunge and decided to combine my 25 years experience in the design industry with my love of cycling and create something special: a range of cycle clothing inspired by the great riders, grand tours, equipment and cycling culture of that golden era. The clothing had to be functional and well constructed but more importantly, it had to make you feel great. The decision was made and one year later, in August 2005, Solo Cycle Clothing (that’s what the ‘cc’ stands for) was born. Five years on and the company has expanded but our mission remains the same: to produce the most beautiful cycle clothing in the world.

Solo clothing has now been purchased by cyclists in over 50 countries and we’re steadily increasing the network of retailers selling Solo worldwide. We’ve made a lot of new friends in the last five years – one of the most gratifying aspects of the business – and we value the feedback we get from our customers and cycling friends. Knowing that people all over the world are enjoying riding their bikes while wearing Solo is immensely satisfying to us.

A big thanks to all of you who have purchased Solo clothing. We’re looking forward to the next five years – and beyond.

Paul Mason – founder, Solo Cycle Clothing.