[CR]Now Woolistic

(Example: Framebuilders:Doug Fattic)

Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2006 15:16:38 -0800 (PST)
From: "David Patrick" <patrick-ajdb@sbcglobal.net>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
In-Reply-To: <a06230930c18fb148e16f@[192.168.1.33]>
Subject: [CR]Now Woolistic

I have always loved the Woolistic jerseys from Alex Clarke, but I must admit that I'm very disappointed to hear that production has been shifted from Italy to China. I don't know, there's just some unquantifiable positive factor about having a vintage-style jersey that is actually made in Italy vs a jersey that is made in China by cheap labor. I don't assume there's been a price drop in the Woolistic goods to reflect the lower cost of production in China, has there? I know the Chinese are fully capable of turning out quality work, but I guess I'd just like to see these retro-style jerseys continue to be made in Italy.

Dave Patrick Chelsea, Michigan USA

Jan Heine <heine94@earthlink.net> wrote: At 12:21 PM -0500 11/26/06, oroboyz@aol.com wrote:
>You know, I may alienate a few folks with this opinion (sorry) but I
>am not crazy about the look and (my perception) the quality of those
>"Portland" jerseys. I looked closely at them at Interbike and they
>are "OK", but gee whiz, I take the image of the CR sort of
>seriously, yada yada, and I just don't want to go there....
>I do admit a personal prejudice of Italian over China although I
>know everything is changing, yada yada again!)

Get the real stuff. Alex Clarke's jerseys are the most comfortable, durable, scratch-free wool jerseys I have ever seen, and that includes all the Swobo, Santini and others made in recent decades. Since our club started offering his jerseys as an option, we haven't been able to get the minimum orders for plastic jerseys, because almost everybody prefers wool. And these are modern cyclists who don't care much about tradition.

The jerseys may be expensive and hard to get, but they are worth every penny and worth the wait. I am still wearing my first ones after 5 years - and I wear them daily.

The only wool that appears to be almost as nice is the one used for Ibex tights.

Disclaimer 1: Because I wear our club jersey when I ride, I won't buy a CR jersey, nor any other jersey.

Disclaimer 2: No business or personal relationship with Alex Clarke. -- Jan Heine Editor Bicycle Quarterly 140 Lakeside Ave #C Seattle WA 98122 http://www.bikequarterly.com