http://www.cyclo-sportif.com/blog/index.cfm Your source for après-bike casual apparel en-us Thu, 09 Sep 2010 03:28:51-0700 Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:50:00-0700 BlogCFC http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss jcreem@hotmail.com jcreem@hotmail.com http://www.cyclo-sportif.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/12/10/Review-Schlamm-Crossline--Hooglege-Leg-Warmers Over the USGP weekend I was very lucky to meet up with Simon Burney and check out his new Schlamm clothing line. That's "shlaum" - it's Swiss for mud. Who is Simon Burney and why would he name his clothing such a derogatory term? Simon is a Brit who has been involved in professional cyclocross (as a racer and then manager at the National and Worlds level) for over twenty years. So he knows and loves cyclocross, and therefore he knows and loves mud. I saw a few pieces of his Schlamm Crossline - technical cycling wear specifically designed for the needs of cyclocross racers. It just so happened that he had some items he was willing to sell, so I picked up a pair of his Hooglede leg warmers. I've worn them on my work commute for a few days now - that's about 5 hours of use. Let me preface this by saying I have a small obsession with knee and leg warmers. I'm always searching for the perfect weight and the perfect fit. The latter is very frustrating - I would think that I have relatively typical cyclist's legs. 30" inseam, not so skinny in the quad and the hamstring, calves muscular but not huge. I'm told that my quad and femur are pretty proportional. Nothing special about any of that - I should be a straight small or possibly a medium. But every knee warmer is either too short (not enough thigh or calf coverage) or too long (with trendy long cuff socks I look like I'm wearing high-wader tights). And leg warmers - they always seem to look bunched up on my legs, no matter how snug I pull them. So, I put on a pair of the Schlamm warmers, size small. First, they feel so nice. Similar to the fleece Roubaix fabric used by a few other companies out there, and for good reason. Very soft. Even better, it was like they were painted on my legs. Virtually no bunching at all, perfect length for my legs. They were snug and didn't slide down at all while riding. The first day I rode it was barely 30 degrees in the morning, and my legs felt great. Later in the day it was closer to 50, and the weight felt good then, too. A lot of companies use Roubaix fleece and make nice leg warmers. The innovative aspect of these leg warmers is the full length zipper along the back. Yep. Full length. Why? Well, have you ever tried to keep your leg warmers on until the last possible minute before your race, and then frantically try to get them over your shoes and off before the start? No worries with a full zipper - they come right off. Or you can unzip them enough so that your shoe slips right through (and you don't have to hunt for two pieces of leg warmer). I did say "virtually" no bunching. The zipper does make the material near the back of your knee bunch up a little bit, but you can't notice it from the front. And if the zipper isn't aligned with the centerline of your leg, it can feel a little weird. Nothing chafes or impedes, though, and you forget about it pretty quickly. Lastly, the zipper is big, and so is the zipper pull. The pull bounces against your achilles a little, but it's a small sacrifice for a nice big pull that you can grab with gloves without fumbling or searching. I'll update this review when I've had a chance to try them in the rain. Thus far, they are great and have become a standard part of my riding wardrobe. Here's the link to Schlamm clothing: http://www.schlamm.uk.com/site/index.php You can buy direct from the site. It's rad stuff and I hope to be carrying some of it soon! Gear Review Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:50:00-0700 http://www.cyclo-sportif.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/12/10/Review-Schlamm-Crossline--Hooglege-Leg-Warmers