Ridge Supply has arrived in Australia in a blaze of fluorescent glory. We checked out one of their first season of kits to see if it’s as good as it looks.

Words - James Raison Images - Lana Adams

ABOUT RIDGE SUPPLY

We covered the unfortunate inception of the company in our Ridge Supply profile. The short version is that founder Matt Hawkins began designing kit after being hit by a car on a wide open road in the middle of the day. Matt’s resolved to start making bright cycling gear to prevent other people suffering the same accidents. Matt is a legend.

THE KIT

Ridge Supply’s Navy kit shows a good level of refinement for a company that has only just celebrated its first anniversary. It also looks brilliant. The contrasting colours really pop. Ridge Supply has such a unique style and I had a lot of people compliment the kit while I was wearing it.

The fluro yellow on dark blue is a winning colour combo.

The Navy jersey in particular has become a personal favourite because it blends together so many elements I like. The jersey is based on the Cutaway USA Short Sleeve Jersey and it's a very sweet piece of kit. It’s a slim cut that’s long enough for the the torso on my 180cm frame. The arms have good length, slender width, and hold firmly to your arms so they don't roll up. Around the waist is a rubber gripper, something that seems to be phased out other brands in the pursuit and replaced with elastic. I like a firm waist band though. Together with the narrow arms, this jersey stays in place nicely while you're riding and can handle carrying gear in the pockets without sagging.

The front and back panels are very light and breathe well in warm weather. Side panels are an even lighter “Italian Cloud Open Mesh” for extra cooling. You'll notice the thin materials while riding too. This kit breathes exceptionally well when the mercury rises. It balances being firm and fitted with airiness. That is a hard balance to get right. Some jerseys are so light they struggle to hold their shape, but not this one. It's a really great all-round jersey.

The Pro Navy Knicks are a solid performer, based on these Cutaway bib shorts (but without the compression). As with the arms, there’s a nice soft leg gripper at the bottom, Pro Carbon Air 4 chamois, and a standard white mesh at the top.

I did find light material of the knicks tended to loosen a little during rides. They’re great for breathability, but there can be some...err… ‘movement’ in places I prefer immobility. The mesh is serviceable but doesn’t quite match some of the offerings from other knicks in this price range. That aside, the chamois is plenty comfortable enough for hours in the saddle.

SOCKS

I decided to rock a pair of Skyline fade socks with the kit. All you need to know is that they are every bit as awesome as they look. I liked them so much I bought two pairs.

OVERALL

I was impressed with the first generation of Ridge Supply kit. The jersey is excellent, and it feels great to ride in. On the bottom, the Pro Navy Knicks are a good performer. A couple of small refinements and they will match the excellent quality of the jersey. If they can get that right then future generations of Ridge Supply will be really fantastic complete kits.

I had an intangibly good feeling while riding in this kit. The colour scheme and styling , the back-story of the brand, and the positive comments people gave me all made it feel awesome. Some kits just feel special to ride in. This is one of them.

BUY

Ridge Supply kits are available from our kit partner Cycle Closet.

Disclosure statement: Ridge Supply sent this kit for review. It is not a paid review and La Velocita does not get any proceeds of sales of kit from Ridge Supply kit, Cycle Closet or any of Ridge Supply's other retail outlets.

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