Top 10 Best Cycling Clothing Brands in 2023

Before now, the last thing that most cyclists focus on is the dress they wear. Most talk about the latest wheels, the best bikes, and the most fashionable accessories to get the most fantastic ride but hardly dwell on its accompanying apparel. While this is not bad, you should also concentrate on the type of clothing you wear while engaging in your exciting sports.

In this article, I will point out the ten best cycling clothing brands in 2023 that you can patronize. As with most buyers’ guides, I will explain why these brands stand out. However, before proceeding, please note that the selection is not based on a single product. Instead, I looked at the overall history, the operational philosophy of the brand, and other market parameters.

You can check the table below for the lucky ten brands that made our list for your quick reference.

1. Endura

In 1993, Jim McFarlane established the Endura Cycling Clothing brand in Scotland. Going by the famous saying that if you cannot find a good book, write one, Jim decided to start his brand that year because he couldn’t find what he considered the best for cycling.

While his main interest was in time trials, Endura excels the most in clothing for mountain bikes. Considering the dynamic weather of Scotland, it is no surprise that many of the cycling clothes from this brand do well in most weather conditions.

Lately, this brand now produces clothing for all technical disciplines, whether on or off the road. Up until 2019, Endura used to be the dress sponsor of D2Z Aero Kits and Endura’s Pro SL developer – Movistar. It left because it no longer had confidence in UCI’s restrictions, describing it as a dead end.

Some of the famous cycling clothing from this brand include Endura Pro SL Shell Jacket II, Endura Pro SL Primaloft II Jacket, and Endura FS260 Pro Bib shorts.

2. Rapha

The Rapha brand began some 20 years ago with Luke Scheybeler and Simon Mottram when they picked a 1960 cycling team and focused on making road cycling dresses that mimicked it. Sponsoring Team Sky in 2013 brought Rapha onto the global stage and helped it improve its performance.

But when this deal ended in 2015, Rapha redirected its focus. It did not proceed to sponsor another male team but chose UCI’s Women’s WorldTour team named Canyon-SRAM. Its unconventional design for the women’s team that year signaled to the sporting community that Rapha was up to something with women’s racing.

Fast forward to 2018, and Rapha was set for another exclusive fashion statement called Explore line. This fashion statement affirmed many people’s suspicion that Rapha had more than European racing attire in mind. And to a large extent, the decision to sponsor a female team and the 2018 iconic fashion statement practically define what this brand is today.

3. Sportful

Sportful began like most other fashion companies. The brand’s creator Giordano Cremonese became fascinated by a 1972 70 km ski race that took place very close to his home. He was, however, discouraged by the fact that there were no appropriate clothes for such a long-distance, energy-demanding race, especially in a code terrain.

Picking inspiration from this lacuna, Giordano founded his fashion style of high-quality acrylic fabrics that year. By 1985, sportful had established itself as a skiwear brand of high repute. It then metamorphosed into a cycling clothing brand. Following this line of success, sportful purchased an Italian brand called Castelli around the 1990s.

Both brands exist separately today because sportful only increased the purchasing capability of Castelli without merging it with itself. Nevertheless, they share the same sustainability initiatives. Some of Sportful’s classic wear include Sportful SuperGiara bib Shorts, Sportful Fiandre Norain Team Bibtight, and Sportful Hot Pack No Rain Jacket.

4. Castelli

Castelli stands out among the few cycling clothing brands with a rich history. It began in the Italian city of Milan in 1878. Though it began small in a tailor’s shop, it has become a highly successful brand, heralding many innovations.

For the records, this brand was the first to make shorts for the Lycra race, the first to produce Aero Skinsuits, and the first to release thermal clothing for winter, among many other firsts. It currently sponsors QuickStep-AlphaVinyl and Giro d’Italia and has many pocket-friendly and quality apparel for cyclists and other sports people.

But as earlier mentioned, there was a change of ownership of this brand in the 90s by Sportful. Both Sportful and Castello now operate with identical sustainability philosophies, and there are efforts to ensure that future products from Castelli are recyclable, reusable, and more durable.

5. MAAP

MAAP cycling came into the center stage as a cycling clothing brand in 2014. Oliver Cousins and Jarrad Smith began this brand a few years ago, bringing their fashion and Design Experience from their previous workplaces, such as Mambo, Globe, and Stussy.

MAAP sources its fabric materials from Italy and Switzerland, but its production is usually in Italy. It works closely with scientists and Ken Ballhause, Adaptive Human Performance’s founder, to craft its chamois. But the brands at acing its performance not stop with this. It also works assiduously to increase the longevity of its products.

Given the often high price of cycling clothes, many cyclists would want to reach out for long-lasting products. MAAP pieces of clothing for cycling are not only investment worthy but also eco-friendly, and from MAAP sustainability statements, there is an ongoing effort at achieving this aim. Famous MAAP cycling clothing includes MAAP Pro Bib 2.0, MAAP Alt_Road Jersey, and MAAP Emerge Ultralight Pro Jersey

6. Pearl Izumi

There is hardly any small shop that sells cycling clothing materials that do not have products from Pearl Izumi. Besides its ubiquitousness, this brand also makes high-quality products that have endeared it to many buyers. Also, it’s one of the most affordable brands on the list.

Apart from these essential performance qualities, Pearl Izumi also focuses on innovative designs and technology. Its action plan from now till 2024 is to create sustainable and durable products. In the same vein, the supporters of this brand are people that are hungry for something better than traditional cycling clothing. So if you’re the same idea, this is a brand to check out.

Some of its prominent cycling clothing include Pearl Izumi Pro Alpha, Pearl Izumi AMFIB Lobster Gel Gloves, and Pro Izumi Pro bib Shorts.

7. Velocio

You will almost think this brand took its name from the physics term velocity. However, it is an England-based company with the co-founder coming from Australia. Velocio has not minced words in its focus as far as cycling clothing is concerned. The brand primarily focuses on producing high-quality women’s cycling apparel to make up for what has always been a male-dominated market.

For diversity and exclusivity, Velocio has expanded its horizon to include male and female gears. The brand is also a strong advocate of sustainability, and it consists of that in everything it does.

Velocio cherishes recyclable materials, and because of this, it transitioned the Bib Short, one of Its signature styles in 2018, to recycled Lycra. But it didn’t stop there beginning from 2019; this brand continues to infuse more recyclable fabrics into its collection.

Many of Velocio’s products, such as its Luxe bib shorts, Micromodak jersey, and Concept Merino Jersey, are technically sound and versatile.

8. POC

Poc is unlikely to come to anyone’s mind as one of the best brands for cycling clothing. That is because the brand made its name in the manufacturing of helmets for road bikes. Some of the latest sustainability efforts by POC are the continuous use of recyclable materials, glueless designs in their construction, and support for easy disposal.

The leading cycling clothing of this brand image includes POC Essential Road Jersey, Aeri VPDS Bib Shorts, and Muse Jersey. There is a section on this brand’s website dedicated to spreading information about the impact it is making in the society of cyclists. One sentence to describe this brand is that learning never stops. It continues to build on its innovations and search vigorously for new materials as they become available.

9. Oakley

Oakley is a USA company that began operations in 1975. The founder of this cycling clothing brand is James Jannard Oakley. He started as a motorcycle seller around the 70s. However, he has now diversified into selling sunglasses beginning in 1984.

10. Pas Normal Studios

Last on our list is this Denmark brand which came alive in 2015. It specializes in Jersey for men. The brand is clean, modern, and beautiful to behold. Black is Pas Normal Studios’ color, and its men’s mechanism jerseys are pretty costly.

But as with most expensive brands, Panama Studios comes with aerodynamic fitness that is lightweight, easy to wear, breathable, and comfortable for a cyclist. So the quality pays for the price. The back motifs of all this brand’s clothing are made of 15 panels cut with Laser and assembled in Italy by hand.

Conclusion

Many more brands continue to show up almost every year in different parts of Europe and North America in the niche of cycling clothing. Some of them are popular, while some are not.

But whatever it is you are looking for; you will get it in any of these ten brands presented in this article. An age-long method of selecting the best brand if one is a newcomer is by reading customer reviews. You can know and learn from others’ experiences by checking out what they have to say concerning its brand.