Howies Gear

They have been guilty of schizophrenic sizing, poor shrinkage record and sometimes awful colours but I think the quality has picked up in the last few seasons but my main beef is the women's range. I mean one of the things they say they base their collections on is:

"Would a rider wear it?"

Explain the "Snow White Katherine" flared jeans to me then. The only person who would ever ride in those had the last name Knievel. Why are the catalogues full of dudes riding bikes and having fun whilst the girls just mooch about looking winsome: I'm not saying I don't enjoy it but girls who ride bikes are sexy too.

yes, this is true. the sizing used to be a main annoyance for me, but it's getting better. their merino is still the best reason i can find to pop into the store. everything else is lovely, but not something i'd wear to go out and ride or go for a wander or anything. too, um, well, its just very twee.

saying that, i still wear one of their lightweight jackets for riding, because it's bright blue, so it marks you out, and its actually fairly good at being breathable. its just never warm enough.