In Højbjerg just outside Aarhus lives a guy named Thomas who is passionate about cycling, especially cycling clothing. In just a few years, he has built the successful clothing brand ES16 and creates both his own collection available online, as well as custom clothing in exactly the design and quality you want. This year at AOC, we are lucky to have ES16 as our clothing sponsor. Søren from the blog would like to share a bit about why he thinks ES16 has been great to ride in and why we can recommend the brand to our readers.

Text: Søren Kuipers |Photo: Uggi Kaldan, R.P.Foto, Henning Pedersen

WHAT DO I KNOW ABOUT CYCLING CLOTHING?

Skeptics might say: not much, which is admittedly correct. The following user review is subjective, and I have no previous employment in the clothing industry or otherwise, but after riding about 8,000-11,000 km per year for nearly 10 years, I have certainly worn my share of cycling clothes. I have ridden in all kinds of brands of both low and high quality – both “entry-level” models and top models from all sorts of brands.

One might argue that no one writes badly about a sponsor, and that is true, but AoC would never agree to ride around in bad clothing, even if it was sponsored, we would rather buy it ourselves (and we actually have for many seasons) – but this year the opportunity arose to ride in quality gear, free of charge, yes please, we said, so how has it worked out?

CLOTHING FOR SERIOUS AMATEURS – WITH GREAT SERVICE ALL THE WAY!

As an amateur / smaller team, you’re not exactly an expert in clothing design and purchasing, so it’s really important to trust those you order from. Our experience with Thomas has been impeccable. It started with a meeting where we agreed on the quality of jersey, bib shorts, and vest we wanted, read more about that further down in the article. Then we made a design proposal, which Thomas refined. The process was quick and the clothing was ready for production in about a week. The delivery time was stated as 6 weeks at order, and that was exactly right, and after 3 weeks we got an update from Thomas that everything was going according to plan. That’s exactly the kind of service you want when you’re an amateur venturing into ordering your own set of clothing!

Thomas Dybdahl himself says: “We specialize in team clothing and can help you design and produce exactly the set of cycling clothes you dream of.” The target group is diverse, and Thomas talks about a broad user base. “We make cycling clothing for larger and smaller companies with both their own logo and individual design. And we also supply team clothing to many cycling clubs.” No one is too big or too small to place an order. One common trait among ES16’s customers is that they are generally serious about cycling – both the cycling itself and serious about looking good when on the bike.

THE FIRST RACE OF THE YEAR, IN A CYCLING JACKET FROM ES16

At the end of February, we went to the opening weekend in Belgium, where we rode Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Saturday and then Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Sunday – both the cyclo versions (amateur). When going to Belgium at the end of February, it’s hard to know what top layer to wear, but Thomas recommended we ride in the Es16 Elite Mission flow cycling jacket. It quickly proved to be an excellent choice. Two days with about 120 km of racing each day requires good gear. We were spared rain, but there was quite a bit of wind, subzero temperatures in the morning, and generally beautiful – but cold – spring weather.

Below is the editor of AoC sitting on Bosberg cheering a junior who had completely run out of energy on Omloop het Nieuwsblad’s last serious cobbled climb, it was overall an incredibly cool trip (again) to Belgium!

The cycling jacket performed as it should. The fit is really good, there is quite a bit of stretch in the fabric, which adapts very well to your movements. It keeps you warm – and dry (I have ridden many times in the rain in the jacket since) – even though it initially seems thin. It’s not a classic winter jacket, but more of a transitional jacket from winter to spring and from autumn to winter. Adjust your inner layers and you can use it from just below 0 degrees to 8-10+ degrees in my opinion.

At -4 degrees, as I tested it in the photo below in January 2022, it was a bit on the cold side, but what wouldn’t you do for the photographer hehe. It’s a really good jacket that I appreciate a lot, and I have used it a lot during the season. The only slightly annoying thing I’ve experienced is at the sleeve cuffs. I have used the jacket a lot with gloves almost every time, and at the cuff fabric near the hand, the jacket is a bit worn. On the other hand, I’m not the best at taking care of clothes in the wash, so if I followed the washing instructions better, it might be in better condition now.

SPEEDSUIT “RIDE AS HELL” – THE PROS RIDE IT, WHAT ABOUT YOU?

This spring I signed up for DGI Grand Prix time trials, held by Leif Lundstrøm in West Jutland. One afternoon in late April, I showed up at Thomas’s: “Time trial on the menu, Thomas, what should I wear?” Thomas maturely pushes his glasses up on his forehead and looks over. “You should ride in our new speedsuit with a couple of very small pockets on the back.”

As said, so done. I jump into the large version of the suit, and it hugs the body. It’s made of a very thin material, and many triathletes use it because of its elasticity and lightness, but speedsuits have gradually become quite common on the road in the WorldTour, and also here at home in the A-class.

That same evening I started in the suit, and I must say, it’s the lightest cycling clothing I’ve ever tried, the freedom of movement in a speedsuit is unmatched, but you can clearly feel it just hugs the body. If you’re vain and have a little belly, you should consider carefully, the suit leaves nothing to the imagination, apart from the thin black layer of fabric, you stand as God created you when you pull the suit on – for better or worse.

There is no doubt that wind resistance is significantly lower when you pull a speedsuit over your head, it’s both scientifically proven and you can feel it on the bike, especially when you hit 40 km/h.

The biggest positive surprise for me was the pad. Right when I got on the saddle, I noticed the thinness and minimal material in the pad. This is of course to dry quickly if you use it for triathlon. But how does it feel compared to a regular cycling pad? It feels damn good. I rode about 1.5 hours in total, and I have no discomfort at all, even though it felt like riding only on fabric.

THE AOC UNIFORM 2022

Both the Speed Suit and winter jacket are items Thomas / ES16 always have in their collection, and therefore can be ordered on ES16’s website now, if you feel like it. But we have also ordered a set of clothing in our own design, a classic and clean set consisting of jersey, bib shorts, and gilet. The editor of AoC has as always been responsible for the design, Thomas has refined it, and I am the one who has ridden the most kilometers in it. Below is an evaluation of the three parts individually.

ELITE SPINN (JERSEY)

This jersey is a solid and good jersey. It is made of a coarse mesh fabric on the body, which makes it very comfortable on warm days, and the sleeves come in a material that resembles the fabric on the bib shorts. A smoother and more elastic fabric that makes the jersey fit snugly around the arms – regardless of arm size.

The sleeves have laser-cut cuffs, which work really well on this jersey. And it comes in a model where there is a clear difference in length front and back relative to the riding position. It’s really nice that the fabric doesn’t billow up in front on the stomach or crawl too much up the back. A good jersey that many amateurs will appreciate.

After riding it for a season, I can conclude that the durability of this jersey is top-notch, I could easily ride in it for at least one more season, it hardly looks worn at all!

PRO TEAM (BIB SHORTS)

Without comparison, the best bib shorts I have ridden in. They just fit my backside perfectly, and they have done so right out of the box. The new team bibs are the fourth pair of this model I have owned. All fit like they were made for my Scandinavian rear, which is a couple of sizes wider than, for example, an Italian counterpart.

 

The pad is excellent; it’s soft, not too thick, very formable, and extremely durable – even after many washes. The leg grippers are a different durable elastic band, which I have really good experience with. They are tight-fitting but don’t squeeze too much. Other bibs I have ridden many rides of 1-2 hours without problems, I have experienced irritation when rides have lasted over 4 hours – especially in warm terrain: irritation like chafing edges, swollen pad, etc., but I have never experienced that with these bibs.

The materials are stretchy and fit insanely well, and if I had to choose only one pair of cycling shorts for a mountain ride, it would definitely be these, I’m a fan!

AOC’s clothing is seen here in 3rd position. Note especially the ergonomic fit at the shoulders on the jersey and the finish on the bib shorts.

WIND VEST ELITE MICROFIBER (GILET)

A classic wind vest that does what it’s supposed to do. It can handle a rain shower; it can block quite a bit of wind; it’s optimal on a chilly descent or to start/end a ride if you cycle close to sunrise or sunset.

It’s made of a super fine fabric, so it’s easy to carry in your back pocket. There is mesh on the back, which makes you breathe very easily, even when your body is really working. It has a relatively high collar, which can be a matter of taste – some find it a bit bulky with the fabric, but on cold descents I can assure you it’s very nice for both neck and throat not to get too cold.

If you choose this gilet in the same size as the jersey, my experience is that it is about 0.5-1 cm longer in the back than the jersey, which gives a clean look when no layers stick out under the vest. But that’s more a question of looks than functionality. The editor reports that if you have a bit of a belly, you should choose the gilet one size larger than the jersey…

WHY CHOOSE ES16?

First and foremost, you should choose ES16 because they make clothing of good quality, we have tested it here at AoC and can honestly say the clothing is great. Furthermore, Thomas provides the service you need as an ordinary cycling amateur, who in many cases may not be an expert at designing a nice cycling jersey or know how to get such an order started. With Thomas and ES16, you are in safe hands, ES16 has a 4.8 score on Trustpilot, almost perfect, so it’s not just our experience that it works well, customers agree.

Thomas says: “We make as few as 5 pieces per style, so you don’t need to be a big club or company to get your own special design”, he honestly says there is plenty of good cycling clothing out there, but there aren’t many other manufacturers who can manage with just 5 “items” per order. It’s important to emphasize that when Thomas talks about 5 pieces, it’s not 5 people – no, it’s simply 5 items in total. Let’s say you and your best friend want a trip to the Alps and think you want the same outfit. Then you order, for example, two jerseys, two bib shorts, and one (or two) gilet. Boom, that’s enough to make your own collection. Many would be tempted by that. “And we naturally produce for men, women, and children,” adds Thomas.

The collections are produced in factories in the Czech Republic and Italy, and when you choose ES16 as a partner, you get high-class cycling clothing that not only looks sharp but is also fantastic to wear. Thomas has many years of experience producing cycling clothing and wants to create a good overall experience.

“It’s an exciting process to create your own cycling clothing. With ES16 as a partner, you will safely get through all phases. Based on your ideas and wishes, we provide design proposals for you. When you approve the design, the clothing goes into production. Then you can look forward to your new gear being delivered with peace of mind. It takes between 4-8 weeks depending on the season.”

PRACTICAL INFO

Minimum order quantity for team clothing in your own design:

• Min. 5 pcs. e.g. 1 jersey, 2 bib shorts, and 2 jackets.
• Min. 10 pcs. per item for accessories
• Min. 100 pcs. socks in your own design.