Becky Lamphier is the Product Manager at Club Ride Apparel. Starting in year two of the company evolution, she has recently moved full time to Sun Valley and loves it! Becky brings her long history in technical, outdoor & lifestyle apparel design and development as well as a newborn passion for cycling. Club Ride allows her to work on her biggest passion -- developing apparel for women -- something a lot of brands struggle with. She acknowledges the difficulty and talks about the three upcoming female lines for Club Ride.
Club Ride approaches our women’s collection with the same features and requirements as the men’s line because women ride just like men! We all want more comfort and a better fit. Women’s body types are not standard especially in the cycling world, so we work harder on our women’s fits. In general, the fabrics are soft and comfortable; the colors are brighter and a little more decorated and interesting than the men’s. We want the pieces to cross over between work and play. There are three collections: Open Road, which is slimmer and more fitted; Sub 5, more classic and urban; and the more colorful and functional Sun Valley line.
Our approach is a little different than men’s. We emphasize feel and touch, with an focus on softer, more natural fibers. Color and prints vary for different tastes and we always like to add some brighter colors. Fit is the primary importance. We work with women’s focus groups and local riders for input and accuracy in the direction and style development. This allows us to see what things fit and the range of bodies the pieces are suited for. We work hard to listen. As we evolve, we’ll satisfy more and more ladies.
With the Sun Valley women’s collection, we focus on fit, fabric and function. This is our most active rider. Fit is of highest priority. These are gals that have a large range of body types, so we have a more relaxed fit to accommodate everything from big, strong thighs to lean ones! We also offer styles in varied lengths to allow some choices for as many body types and style preference as we can.
Open Road is our newest category. It’s made with many of the same fabrics and features as the other collections, but it’s meant for road cyclists. It’s perfect for the low-key, 20-mile ride with your friends, or just for when you don’t want to be all Lycra-ed out on a ride. Fit’s tough for women; we’re really fussy about it. We strive to create something that will fit everyone. We accommodate girl’s needs for how they want to dress. Some girls like short shorts, whereas some like longer -- so we will continue to create styles to satisfy the needs of riders.
When designing the Sub 5 collection for women, urban riders were our targets. We’re looking at the working riders, those who ride to work and sit at a desk for the rest of the day. They want to be cute and contemporary, but they also want it to fit. Sub 5 offers function, comfort and fun. When designing, we keep in mind the women who ride to work and sit in the skirt, shorts or jersey all day long.
With all of this information, you may have some new outfit decisions to make very soon!
