Clothing suppliers and fabrics details
Reartu (www.Reartu.biz) of Italy have been our clothing suppliers since approximately 2005. They offer a range of club kit at competitive prices which will be suitable for most club members. The quality level is not as high as top end brands such as Assos, but neither is the price. The comfort of their standard shorts was criticised by our top riders when racing hard over long distances (Reartu did offer a superior but more expensive pad which has been successfully tested). We have two bulk orders each year from Reartu and hold a limited stock of their clothing.
More discerning (and richer) members may wish to order from Impsport (http://www.impsport.com) with whom we have set up a direct online ordering service. On the home page in the lower right of the screen there is a box labelled "View Club Category". Enter the ERC password(obtainable from the clothing coordinator). This will take you to 4 pages of kit choices. Select items as you would in any online shop. The clothing is only shown in outline rather than in club colours. They offer delivery time of approximately 3 to 4 weeks.
Reartu fabrics
Coolmax® is the name for a range of fabrics engineered to keep users dry and comfortable. The fabrics are made from polyester fibres with an increased surface area. This special four-channel or six-channel fibre forms a transport system that pulls moisture away from the skin to the outer layer of the fabric. The manufacturer claims that, "It then dries that moisture faster than other fabrics to thermoregulate the body by evaporatative cooling. COOLMAX® fabric delivers wicking performance to help move moisture away from skin, the best way to alleviate the sticky, tired and irritable feeling associated with continuous sweating."
Coolmax is used in the summer jerseys, shorts and bottoms. The fabric contains some degree of stretch.
Roubaix is a close fitting, thermal stretch fabric, with a soft brushed lining. Roubaix is extremely warm, and its high wicking properties help to maintain a comfortable microclimate close to the body. This reduces both chilling and overheating.
This fabric is used in long sleeved training tops, arm warmers, cool weather shorts/ ¾ length and long training bottoms.
Windtex is a light, stretch, heat regulating membrane which repels wind and water and maintains unaltered the microclimate between the skin and the fabric. The manufacturers (Vagotex) are, "Very proud of its light weight and in particular of its elasticity." http://www.vagotex.it/eng/products/windtex.html. The membrane is laminated with other fabrics to create an end-user product.
The heavy winter thermal top and the rain proof elements of lightweight gilets and rain-tops use these fabrics.
