More wool as Shutt VR launches new ranges and new website too

Shutt Velo Rapide have launched a new range of clothing aimed at all cyclists with clothes for women and younger riders, too and they've also launched a shiny new website to show it all off. Yesterday Simon Warren and Peter Bragg from Shutt popped along to road.cc to show us both.

The new range builds on a year of customer feedback – except for their local bike shop Shutt are an internet-only business and they've always welcomed and encouraged feedback from their customers. They now also have the Orbea-For Goodness Shakes mens and womens cycling teams riding and testing their kit too. As Simon explained to us, this, combined with short production runs and the fact their jerseys are put together locally – everything is done within a 50 mile radius of their base in Ilkley – means they can constantly refine what they are doing to give cyclists what they want. And of course the guys at Shutt are all cyclists themselves and they too have their own opinions on what makes a good jersey to add in to the mix.

The new women's range includes four jersey styles, bib shorts, tights and a gilet. Shutt already has many women customers and listening to what they want has led to a range of female-specific clothing designed for riding and comfort. The panels on the women's jersey have an anatomical cut that works with rather than against the shape of a woman's body to enhance comfort.

Shutt's new Junior range is a response to the fact that many of Shutt's existing customers were buying their smallest sized garments for their children – so the Junior range is modelled on their men's range, but in smaller sizes.

Other changes to the range include giving their jerseys names rather than numbers – definitely a good idea we reckon and the fact that they are now offering two lots of team kit, their own (more on that below) and as they are official supplier, Orbea-For Goodness Shakes team kit, also.

For those after the full Shutt experience the guys have introduced an expanded range of accessories including arm and leg warmers, socks and even water bottles. Taking things one stage further, they have also affiliated to British Cycling and Cycling Time Trials – they 've turned themselves in to a cycling club so that customers and members that want to can race under the Shutt VR banner in a Shutt VR Team Jersey… hmm, what a good idea.

Incredibly Shutt only started business a year ago today but in that time they've rapidly become many cyclists' favourite purveyors of Sportwool jerseys (a material mixing the best bits of wool and polyester).  They've been a particularly big hit with sportive riders, especially those that don't want to wear garish Lycra but who might baulk at Rapha prices.

Because current dyeing processes for merino/polyester-mix fabrics are only really successful with certain colours, everyone making merino/polyester mix jerseys is limited to the colour palettes they can use. Shutt push that palette to the maximum – indeed their striped panel jerseys feature most of the colours that work best  - there should be something amongst their standard jerseys to suit most tastes.  Although for those able to spend that little bit more, Shutt also offer a customising service  – another plus point of having your suppliers right on your doorstep  –  which means you can have a Shutt jersey that is uniquely yours.

Plans for the future do include Lycra but not of the multi-coloured garish variety and more types of cycling garment. They already make gilets so next rainstop jackets and further innovations and improvements to their woollen range. 

We will be testing some of Shutt's new products soon but in the meantime to find out more about their new ranges visit Shutt's new website at www.shuttvr.com.