What are some of the smaller boutique Cycling Kit manufactures that make custom kits in the US?
NOT Love the Pain.
I repeat, NOT LOVE THE PAIN.
Our Club used epix, I absolutely love the kit www.epixgear.com They just moved production back to the US and improved turnaround times too.
I really like voler’s stuff.
I have stuff from Vie13 that i like. It’s a US based company, but i would guess they are made elsewhere.
Eliel says that they are made in California, but i have my doubts.
Both of them seem well made with good QC. Materials and stitching are very good. Good chamois in both. Personally i think they feel and fit nearly as good as the castelli, rapha, and Cuore stuff that i have.
Thanks, I have been curious on the Eliel products as well.
Borah Teamwear is in the USA and does custom work.
Full manufacturing … start to finish. In Wisconsin.
Eliel and Wattie Ink are made in the same factory in San Diego. The cuts are the exact same. I have like 8 Wattie cycling kits now, and I like them a lot. Disclaimer, I’m on the Wattie Ink Hit Squad…but given the price of them even with a discount, if they were shit I wouldn’t buy them.
DeSoto?
I’ve been trying to get a Wattie kit this season, but they seem to be sold out of everything in Small. Any idea if/when they will get back to manufacturing?
Eliel and Wattie Ink are made in the same factory in San Diego.
Good to know. The reason i questioned it was because of the huge delays to some kits i ordered from Eliel prior to covid. The dates kept getting pushed further and further back by Eliel as covid became a bigger and bigger issue…and mysteriously the date changes happened to coincide with shipping container delays from another order (different product and company) that was coming from China. It was really just a theory, and not based on evidence other than that coincidence.
Pedal Industries is another great option. Excellent quality and they do custom/team stuff too. I’m not affiliated in any way, other than I have bought a bunch of jerseys and bibs. Oh, and socks and gloves too.
I think they are sewn in California but the fabrics are sourced from overseas. That may be part of the delay I am guessing.
DeSoto?
Yes, they sew their stuff in SoCal.
NOT Love the Pain.
I repeat, NOT LOVE THE PAIN.
Seriously, don’t buy from the company. If you haven’t, do a quick search on the forum and you’ll find tons of threads (and one mega thread) with people’s horrible experiences
I really like voler’s stuff.
I’d like to second Voler. They’re kit is reasonably priced, comfortable and lasts a long time
Not sure about pre-covid. But during COVID the factory went offline for over a month because it was considered non-essential. Like with DeSoto, they pivoted and began manufacturing masks which then classed them as essential. I know that they’re now working 6 days a week to catch up, but when you consider number of days lost you’d have to work 40 weeks of Saturdays or so to catch up.
Also, most US cycling companies source Italian fabric.
Right, I want sure what OP meant by “made†in the USA.
But, Own Way Apparel is US-based and highest quality Tri apparel I have ever worn and I’ve tried at least all the major brands.
Big fan of Eliel and would certainly recommend them. I purchased several of their kits at full retail prior to joining their Factory Team in 2020 (and again in '21).
As for their delays early on during Covid, they completely shut down manufacturing initially and then re-opened with limited staff to produce masks. That said, they’ve been back to full production for a couple of months now and catching back up on the custom backlog. They’ve even been getting some re-stocking of in-line basic and releasing new collections (Baja and Get Camo’d).
I’d second both Voler and Borah.
I echo Borah. I’ve done four custom orders with them and they’ve been nothing but fantastic.