Review: The Pedla - RideCamo
There is something to be said about small brands doing good things. There is even more to be said about small brands with great customer service. I'd like to tell you a jersey from a small brand that you need to know about.
If you've been following cycling on Instagram in the past year you've probably noticed a trend... down under. There is a surge of Australian brands focused on cycling and doing really cool stuff with kit design. Riding along the high road of this trend is The Pedla. If you've checked out their stuff you'll see why they are not just popular, but well regarded. Just this week they were featured in a great profile article by Cycling Tips. Check it out by clicking here.
This is their fourth season and it's really rad stuff. So when the new season went online I jumped at the chance to snag one. I had been thinking about getting a camo jersey but just hadn't found one I liked until now. Here's a quick run down. Of course I will follow up after I've put a bunch of sweat and tears into it.
the print
While everyone was jumping on the floral bandwagon, The Pedla went another direction. Camo! Not the brown desert camo, green bush camo, or even the digital camo that's probably coming to mind. The Pedla have gone with a woodlands camo in a light winter grey or a dark grey/black. My first pick was the light winter grey. While I can try to fumble and describe this into the theater of the mind, it's best you check out the pics here. The print is done right. What more can I say. Across the chest and back there is a 3M Scotchlite high vis stripe. The colour is a redish orange. Neither one nor the other but others are going to see it. Nice touch.
the fit
As described on their website, the cut of the jersey is a pro race fit which they called 'Full Gas Aero'. This means it's going to fit a bit snug and is shorter in the front than a traditional cut and even less so for a club fit. The back has some well appreciate extra length to stop it from riding up. What I really like about the fit is the extra sleeve length. It's an extra 4.5cm long for a more modern look. Since our summer is their winter, the RideCamo jersey is from their winter line to which the long sleeves would provide some extra coverage to the low temps.
The Pedla RideCamo zipper detail
the design
The jersey has everything you'd expect and none of the features you don't. The front has a full YYK zip with a snap down pull to keep it out of the way. Great little detail. There are three well sized reinforced rear pockets that are at just the right height. Easy to get in and out of. All the hems are well covered in silicone gripper to keep things in place as you'd expect. The material used is light and offers a UV protection of SPF 50+. It should breath well on the bike and I'll let you know if it doesn't.
customer service
Here is where it gets interesting. Unfortunately, the postal service can be trying at times. The jersey was supposed to arrive in just under two weeks... but it didn't. Something happened along the way and it kind of disappeared into the aether for a while. Fearing it was lost after about 4 weeks, a back and forth started with the two owners Justin and Marcin. Let me say they were great. Even with the time difference between North America and Australia it was easy to stay in touch. Every message was responded to over night and communication was clear and direct with a sense of concern to rectify the situation. So in the end and after a bit of time backed by generous offers from the owners to remedy the disappeared jersey, the first one arrived. You'd be surprised how many brands undervalue customer service. It's worth more than the product and The Pedla gets that. If you're thinking about ordering from them, rest assured you're in good hands.
overall
I'm really particular about kit and it's fair to say I'm really stoked about this jersey. Dealing with the two owners has been a pleasure. I will proudly wear this until it's got holes in it.
The Pedla currently have their second run of stock online, if you want one you better hurry. Just like the first batch, it won't last long.
