British clothing brand Le Col has launched into the gravel clothing market with its new ARC clothing range.
Originally founded by ex-pro rider Yanto Barker, Le Col says that the all-terrain gravel collection is 'tailored for performance, durability and style'. While Le Col’s emphasis has previously been primarily on performance road wear, with collaborations with the likes of Bradley Wiggins and McLaren in the past. The brand says that this new collection is designed for the rider who 'seeks adventure beyond the beaten path.'
You can of course ride in whatever kit you like, but often gravel or off-road specific kit will have features and details that make it that little better suited to off-road terrain or more relaxed riding and adventuring.
Le Col highlights the all-female design team has designed the ARC collection. The range features some gravel and adventure staples such as Merino wool and the popular Pertex Shield Fabric. As is usual with gravel clothing, there’s an extended range of storage options incorporated into the designs of the ARC clothing and it’s engineered to cope with changeable weather conditions.
The ARC range extends to ten pieces, including all the usual suspects like shorts, a jacket and top half options, as well as a cap, arm warmers and leg warmers. Below we explore some of the highlights of the range.
ARC Merino Jersey
Le Col's jersey has a relaxed fit and the usual three rear pockets (Image credit: Le Col)
£180 / $230 / €210
Available in long and short-sleeve versions, Le Col’s Merino blend jersey has a relaxed fit and the all-important odour resistance that’s a feature of Merino. You get the usual three rear pockets, along with a reflective logo and a repair kit which sounds useful.
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ARC Cargo Bib Shorts
The bib shorts have an off-road seat pad and pockets in the rear and sides (Image credit: Le Col)
£210 / $270 / €250
Le Col includes pockets in the rear and the legs of its gravel bib shorts. Something we can't say we have seen before. There’s a seat pad designed for off-road use, which includes a bamboo fibre blend top layer that Le Col says is quick-drying, wicking and breathable.
ARC Overshorts
The Le Col ARC overshorts give a more relaxed look for riding and off-bike use (Image credit: Le Col)
£110 / $140 / €130
You can pair your bib shorts with Le Col’s unpadded overshorts for on and off-bike use. Sometimes it's nice to pull some casual shorts over your cycling shorts if you're on a more relaxed ride. They’re made from four-way stretch fabric for a comfortable fit and include zipped cargo pockets.
ARC Lightweight Rain Jacket
The ARC rain jacket is packable, but weather-resistant (Image credit: Le Col)
£280 / $360 / €330
Le Col claims a 190g weight for its packable Pertex Shield jacket. It says it’s highly breathable and durable, with taped seams, elastic cuffs and a waterproof YKK zip to keep out the weather. Le Col includes a repair patch in case you damage the ripstop fabric. We'll be putting this jacket to the test this winter to see if it makes our best waterproof cycling jackets guide.
A merino tee shirt offers a more casual riding option (Image credit: Le Col)
Other collection items available include a merino base layer in long sleeve, short sleeve and sleeveless variants, priced at £75 / 495 / €90 and a shower-resistant peaked cap, priced at £35 / $45 / €40.
The collection is available online at Le Col and from the usual Le Col stockists. We will be putting the kit through its paces in testing this autumn and winter.
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Paul has been on two wheels since he was in his teens and he's spent much of the time since writing about bikes and the associated tech. He's a road cyclist at heart but his adventurous curiosity means Paul has been riding gravel since well before it was cool, adapting his cyclo-cross bike to ride all-day off-road epics and putting road kit to the ultimate test along the way. Paul has contributed to Cyclingnews' tech coverage for a few years, helping to maintain the freshness of our buying guides and deals content, as well as writing a number of our voucher code pages.
