Who wouldn’t love to have an 8 day week and be able to ride every one of them? Count me in! The artist behind the Cycology brand is Sarina and she was inspired by the iconic sounds of the Beatles in her ‘graffiti style’ interpretation that has become the 8 Days cycling jersey. It’s bright, it screams fun and has been rounded up into another top quality jersey from the successful Australian cycle-wear brand. To compliment the jersey, I also reviewed the Cycology Men’s Logo Bib shorts extensively along with some cycling socks and Velosophy short fingered gloves.

Sarina’s artistic skill and MTB/Road background spurred the formation of Cycology. Together with her husband Michael, the duo started printing T-shirts with Sarina’s cycling inspired designs. Fast-forward to 2020 and Cycology is a lean brand with a big international reputation and sales to match their huge range of men’s and women’s cycling wear which includes short and long sleeved jerseys, jackets, bib-shorts, gloves, socks, underwear and even bar-tape.

An unmistakable feature of the Cycology range is the breadth and selection of the designs. Their jerseys in particular have a broad range of styles and Sarina provided her explanation of the essence of Cycology.

Art Range

The wilder, eclectic designs (my hand painted or drawn designs) come from experiences on the road or trails and what inspires me at the time. Music, art, tattoos, MTB trails. 8 Days was painted listening to the Beatles and turned into a Bike Nirvana. Every jersey artwork has a meaning, an inspiration and personality flow.

Vintage Range

Loosely based around old vintage style jerseys.

Geometric

Bold geo designs also meant to blend in with what’s out there but ‘stand out’ on the roads and trails.

inCOGnito

For cyclists who want to blend in, not be noticed, race track.

Women’s Range

In contrast to many brands that just duplicate the men’s designs or use pink for the women’s range, the Cycology brand have a range of women’s cycling wear that is independent and stands-up in it’s own right. There are a few cross-over jerseys that complement men’s styles, but most of the styles are unique and distinct for women. Sarina outlines the women’s range:

"This is pure fashion on the bike. I draw/paint anything that I like, whatever designs/colours ‘move’ me and these vary with the wind direction. FRIDA was drawn up because I loved Mexican folk patterning and of course Frida Kahlo. The See Me kit was painted in fury, rage and sorry - due to the terrible, senseless and deliberate death of a young female cyclist….and my girlfriend Colleen Kelly Alexander who was run over by a truck while cycling and left for dead. It’s a very emotional artwork."

Cycology 8 Days Short Sleeve Performance Jersey – $129.95

The 8 Days jersey is part of the Performance Fit range so bike riders after a looser or more comfortable fit should look into the range of “Relaxed Fit” jerseys. Aside from the standout design, it features high-end touches that create a standout package; YKK hidden zippers, laser cut grippers on arms and torso, 2 way stretch SPF50 fabric, and flatlock stitching. And free delivery for orders over $75!

Over the past few months, I’ve spent hours on the road and gravel with this jersey and am more than impressed. The sizing for me, an XXL, fitted really well, and the wide laser cut arm grippers worked well on bare skin as well as over arm-warmers on those colder days. Regardless of whether the pockets were stuffed full of goodies for longer rides, or just carried the bare essentials, the jersey stayed put, it didn’t sag or move around.

The breathability of the jersey and its ability to wick moisture away were two stand-out features I appreciated the most and were consistent for different riding locations and conditions. The jersey has seen many rides, and consequently washes, but there has not been a hint of stretch, sag or fade which is testament to the quality of the fabrics used.

Then there is the design. I LOVE IT! The design, colours and layout are a brilliant blend that adds a unique look, bright colours for visibility… not to mention it helps disguise my MAMIL body shape too. It makes me smile each time I head out rocking it and has ended up as my go-to jersey whenever it’s time to ride.

The Cycology range of kit is bold, from the street-art graffiti of this jersey to the tattoo styles in the well-know “Day of the Living” and “Spin Doctor” jerseys to the vintage “Grimpeur” or “Mondrian” or the angular “Geometric”. The beauty of such a selection of distinct styles is that there is plenty of choice for riders to choose a look that suits best.

After all of the riding and all the washing, there hasn’t been a single loose thread, a stretched edge or faded colours. The fabrics have maintained their shape & properties and the hidden YKK zipper still as good as it was on the first day.

Cycology Men’s Logo (Black/Blue) Bib Shorts – $149.95

Bib shorts are one of the cycling garments that can be the most divisive. Are you a ‘plain black’ rider, a ‘thin pad is fine’ or ‘I love logos’ person… or are you happiest with ‘Give me colour’? I’m a ‘plain black’ type rider when it comes to bike shorts, while I don’t mind some colour, comfort is the imperative. I’ve found very few bib shorts that I feel fully at home with and the Cycology Logo bibs can happily reside in my drawer.

Each time I pull them on, they fit like a second skin. I have found that some brands have chamois pads that feel stiff and awkward, tight in some spots and loose in others, with super-stretchy or tight shoulder straps that feel odd, leg grippers that could fit a whale or feel like tourniquets. The Cycology bibs suffered none of these undesirable traits even after taking a hammering over the last 5 months. Like the jersey, the knicks showed no signs of stretching, fading, loose stitching or loss of comfort. Even the tasteful black on black sublimated logos are fully intact.

I found these shorts to be perfectly comfortable for rides of up to 4 hours and anticipate that they would be fine for a few more hours in the saddle. The chamois is well structured and padded. Whether I was riding on road, gravel or Single Track/MTB, I felt comfortable and didn’t experience the knicks or chamois moving or chaffing.

For BNA I have tested and reviewed a lot of cycling kit and personal preference aside, the ability for to achieve a great fit, maintain good comfort and retain the quality in construction over a long period of rigorous testing for $149.95 is brilliant.

If you can get all of this with these knicks, I would ask why you have to spend north of $250. Sure, personal preferences, comfort and chamois fit can differ between riders but Cycology still show that top notch knicks can be made and sold for $150 retail.

For men, Cycology have 9 design variations in their range with subtle differences, mainly just a different colour cuff. Only the “Day of the Living” knicks have the louder skull and tatts design. In the women’s range the designs are bolder, eye-catching colour variations with 11 bib knicks and 10 cycling shorts (without the braces) on offer.

Velosophy Cycling Gloves – $34.95

At the time of the review, matching 8 Days’ gloves had not yet been released so I opted for the bright lime coloured Velosophy pattern short fingered gloves. I know I have huge hands and was surprised that the Large sizing was still a bit snug. After a few washes and time on the road, they stretched that teeny bit to fit more comfortably. There was just the right amount of padding in the areas that required it without compromising the feel on bars.

The surface of the palm allowed sufficient grip without affecting the ability to transfer positions on the bars quickly. Not too sticky or slippery meaning they worked faultlessly when descending tricky off-road sections at speed! The velcro strap is the right length and unobtrusive. As a detail, the towelling ‘brow wipe’ section was the right size so worked as I expected. Following repeated washes, the gloves started to fade and loose some of the bright colour so a few points are deducted for this. There was however no impact on the construction and integrity of the gloves following months of riding and washing.

The style of gloves I tested had finger removal ‘pouches’ between middle two fingers to make it easier to get gloves off. I much prefer this style compared to the loops between the middle fingers although on the website, the same Velosophy gloves appear to have loops instead so I am no sure if I got an updated version… or an older version.

Cycology Blue Cycling Socks – $19.95

Do you prefer your cycling socks long/short, loud/subdued, cotton/nylon/wool or matchy matchy? I opted for bright blue socks to match the bright yellow gloves… obviously.

I’m very sensory when it comes to extra seams, threads and odd fits for socks (as well as gloves & bib-shorts) so any minor detail is instantly noticeable and can create a positive or negative impression. I was apprehensive about the “one size fits all” for the Cycology socks, but after the initial fit, my semi-wide size Euro 46 feet were as happy as could be. Phew.

After riding and washing, there was no shrinkage or loosening of the fit. Like many coloured socks, the colour faded a little but the elastic and fit remained spot-on.

There are also now matching ‘8 Days’ style socks available and they look wild. The single colour Cycology Logo socks I tested have 97% Nylon / 3% Spandex while the new styles have 95% Nylon and 5% Spandex.

Wrap Up

From humble beginnings as a T-Shirt brand, Cycology gear have expanded beyond après velo wear and are fully fledged and capable brand cycle wear that delivers styles to your heart’s content. Recently they introduced a MTB range which includes both familiar and new designs.

I won’t claim that all styles will suit everyone’s taste, but without a doubt, they remain one of the most original cycling brands out there and the passion shines right through. A touch of joy for fans of Cycology is when Sarina releases short video clips on the social media channels showing how she creates original artwork.

What I find most impressive is that all of their apparel, accessories and clothing share appear to reflect attention to detail, functionality and are original designs available at real world prices. It’s exciting to see a local company go from strength to strength and keep coming-up with inspiring, good quality and affordable designs.

Cycology gear is proof that great gear doesn’t have to cost the earth. To borrow a line from the Beatles hit, 8 Days a week, “…I ain’t got nothing but love, babe.”