Luckily there are a few companies which save the gentleman (and lady) cyclist from this most terrible of fates.

Rapha, as most of you have noticed, is my favourite clothing brand bar none right now, and not only just for cycling. However, I have taken the plunge and tried something different.

Shutt velo rapide is the brand in question, and I’m pleasantly surprised.

Founded in 2009 during a ride in the Yorkshire Dales by avid cyclists Alex Raistrick and Simon Warren, Shutt Velo Rapide’s mission is simple; to create their own brand of well designed, high quality cycling garments in Sportwool that do not cost a fortune.

Shutt Velo Rapide sources all its materials from British manufacturers to create the very best in British-made cycling clothing.

I’ve gone for the Signature Training top, which caught my eye for the understated black, but with the lovely bright colours too.

So, a few quick thoughts:

• made with my favourite Merino wool (not as luxurious as the Rapha material)
• the colours look superb
• great fit (large is a relaxed fit for me, and I am going to be mostly wearing it off the bike)
• zipper is a bit weak at the bottom
• attention to detail is excellent (reflective strip and colourful stripe at the back)
• they left me a small Mule bar in a pocket

So, overall a very big thumbs up. Good price, made in Yorkshire and looks great. And comparing against Rapha? The Shutt velo rapide products are cheaper, but not quite as well made / put together.

Would I buy from them again? Yes, without question.

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Super attention to detail, originally uploaded by JonnyMoss.

With the countdown ticking to the iPad arrival on the 28th, the important subject of protection has been dealt with a minimum of fuss.

A beautiful hard graft iPad sleeve arrived yesterday from Austria.

Lovingly wrapped, personal touches and with the care and attention to detail missing from 95% of brands, it is going to be a the perfect partner with Apple’s new wonder device.

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I’ve been aware of Outlier for a while now. Velodramatic’s latest post, led me to have a look at their gear again and I’ve ordered some Workwear pants.

I’m not a fan of wearing suit trousers anymore for client meetings. They just don’t feel right any more. Just not me. Having said that, the only other option until now has been the faithful Gap chinos, which, I think, could well be over 10 years old. And look it. Not only are they too big, but frayed and yes, even for a non-fashion guru, dated.

So, fingers crossed, the Outlier trousers will arrive soon (from NYC no less) and, more critically, fit the leaner Moss frame!

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Enigma XCr, originally uploaded by R A P H A.

Enigma and Rapha.

2 companies / brands that have featured heavily in the Moss purchasing regime in 2009. (I’m going to be writing about both of these in the future, looking at why they work for me, what they do so well, and a few things they could consider doing in the future).

You can read about why this very special frame here. It is a collaboration with my fave bike company and my current fave clothing company, all geared towards doing 10 days of very tough riding in the alps.

Life is way too short for shi*t gear.
(Thanks Mr Kelly!).

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They’ve just launched a new blog which you can find here >>> click and they have a competition going on right now, where you can just leave a comment and you may win one of their super-sweet sleeves! So, what are you waiting for, have a look now!

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Innocent Smoothies is one of those brands. I wish I could remember when I actually had that first Innocent smoothie moment, but even now, they are my smoothie brand of choice. Why?

• I know what I’m getting
• Ethical
• Taste great
• A feel good factor
• A cool, fun factor

Quite a few things that all add up to the greater good of their brand – they really do care about what they are doing. Both from a business / customer relationship POV, but also from the ethical, planet POV. No question, there brand resonates with me, and many, many others.

I urge you to spend a few minutes and look through this presentation from them which tells you about their history, their ethos and way of life. Innocently brilliant. (Hat tip to my “name buddy” over at Word of Moss who pointed me towards the presentation)

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The problem: we’re using more and more webapps for ourselves, but critically with clients too. (I use Basecamp with most of mine). The online apps are all branded differently and you lose the continuity with your brand.

The solution: using an Open Brand protocol, (similar to OpenId), you could “brand” your web apps, and this would happen automatically maintaining the consistency.

This really makes a load of sense to me, so head on over and let them know what you think.

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Climate Cars, originally uploaded by JonnyMoss.

Climate Cars has struck me as a great company for 3 reasons. Number one – great concept of environmentally friendly, well-branded cars, focusing on great service and value. Number two – nicely designed website giving you all the information you could possibly want and online account registration. Thirdly, they are making great us eof technology with GPS tracking, GPS-enabled fares so mileage is accurately calculated.

It is nice to see, that something as “mundane” as a taxi service, can be well branded, bringing innovative service and design to their offering.

I am sure there are similar offerings in London, but this is the one that I have seen first (actually from a tweet from Melalicious). If anyone else know of companies who are doing something similar, perhaps in different cities, please let me know in the comments.

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Goole – rebranded, originally uploaded by JonnyMoss.

It needs it. Thanks to Mr Cleary for this – top work sir!

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www.helpineedhelp.com/, originally uploaded by JonnyMoss.

http://www.helpineedhelp.com/

What a great brand, great products and a nice (very) clean website. Do have a look at their T shirt maker – just placed an order
I love the colours for this brand and the packaging on the pills and bandages is some of the best I’ve seen this year.

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