Roadie's Ramblings

Cycling apparel has it’s own set of vocabulary.  Within the industry we throw around phrases like, ‘zipper garage’ or ‘raglan sleeve’ like it’s going out of style.  The problem is that we use these words and phrases with customers — and they think we’re speaking a different language.  To bring meaning and clarification to what we’re trying to say, here’s a list of cycling apparel buzz words that you might hear:

Leg gripper: band of elastic or compressive fabric at the hem of shorts to keep them in one place when cycling

Moisture wicking: fabric made to pull sweat away from your skin and push to the surface of the fabric

Moisture transfer: another name for ‘moisture wicking’ (see above)

Hidden zipper: type of zipper that is set back from the surface of the fabric and cannot be seen when zipped

Raglan sleeves: sleeves made with a single panel of fabric that starts at the collar; not at the shoulder

Cam-lock zipper: zipper head that locks in place (and cannot be pulled down) when flipped down and can be pulled open, or unzipped, when flipped up

Comfort waist: waist band made with non-binding compressive Lycra and without the usage of elastic

Pro fit: a fit designed to be tight with no bulk or loose material (aka euro fit)

Panels: refers to the number of pieces of material used in a pair of shorts to give a more exact fit (examples: 8-panel, 6-panel, 10-panel, 12-panel)

Silicone injected gripper: any hem that has silicone laid on top of it; silicone ‘grabs’ better than elastic

1/4 length zipper: zipper that spans 1/4 the length of the cycling jersey

3/4 length zipper: zipper that spans 3/4 the length of the cycling jersey

Zipper garage: piece of fabric attached to the top of the zipper that can be pulled over the zipper head to cover it up when zipped

Zipper rub: irritation on the neck caused by the zipper head

Anatomic fit: fit designed to match the anatomy of the human body

Windproof: referring to fabric; textile technology that does not allow wind to penetrate through its core

Base layer: article of clothing meant to be worn next to your skin

Highly breathable: referring to fabric; allows air to enter and escape through the pores of the material

Chamois: the padding placed in cycling shorts — also referred to as ‘seat insert’ or ‘pad’

Race-inspired: referring to clothing fit; tight fitting, made to wrap the contours of the body

Zipper Garage: Covering the Zipper Head

Cam-lock Zipper: Flipped up

I’m sure there’s more cycling apparel slang that I use on a daily basis, but it’s hard for to separate what’s slang and what’s not when you’re in the industry. Let me know if I missed something and I’ll add it to the list.