Doug Report talks to Club Ride Apparel partner, Scott Montgomery, about the apparel business and what he is doing to create a product that will fit into his vision of the "new" marketplace.

DR: Tell us about yourself and Club Ride Apparel – background, history, product, and the like.

Scott: I recently joined Mike Herlinger, the founder of Club Ride and together we are  working to build Club Ride into a formidable player in the highly fragmented and highly competitive cycling apparel market.

As I look back, the 90’s was all about the mountain bike and this new innovative segment that brought many new people into cycling.  Then 2000-2010 was all about Lance and America discovers European road racing which of course brought another wave of new cyclists and grew the market again.

Fast forward to today and I feel there is a ground swell of people some of whom mountain bike, road bike, and many who have just decided they relate with the culture of cycling and just like to ride more than any other way of travel.  I see this segment of cyclists’ that desire to telegraph to the world values like clean air, healthy living, going slower, and smelling the coffee rather than racing around in their car stuck in traffic. 

You could say I was lucky as my father started Cannondale when I was 11 and when I needed money I could come to the office/factory and earn $1 an hour doing odd jobs until he left the office for dinner, which usually was around 9pm at night.  Thus started my career in the cycling industry.  Along the way I fell in love with the sport as a participant, racer, mountain biker, tri-geek and my specialty became building companies along the way.  I started Cannondale from scratch in Europe and Japan in my early 30’s and Scott bikes in my 40’s.

Scott: At Club ride we want to build apparel for the ride, and everything after!  Using technical fabrics like our RideDryWear™ fabric that wicks moisture and our super trick Air2Flow™ hidden zipper behind the snaps on our jersey shirts so you can adjust the amount of air flow coming into the garment.  All of our collection has media ports and zippered pockets to keep important items from getting lost while riding, most items feature mesh panels to increase wicking and improve fit with stretch.  So please visit our site and see what you think and keep riding your bike, stay healthy, be happy. Then go for a ride, go for dinner and enjoy the clean air, energy and the vibe that you can only get from being outside.

DR: What is your "sales pitch"?

Scott: Club Ride began designing in spring 2007 in the small mountain town of Sun Valley, Idaho. Throughout that summer, designs were drawn, friends were consulted, fabric was cut and sewn and re-sewn and prototypes were tested on the rugged mountain trails surrounding the area, and on 15-mile evening commutes (the fun part). Eventually Club Ride solidified and became something real.

Club Ride brings authentic cycling wear that is not only comfortable and breathable to bike in, but is also contemporary, casual life style fashion. Call it crossover, destination wear or just a jersey. Does it matter what you call it? We are different, we are authentic, and we're offering you something cool to wear while you bike, so you should buy one or two. We want our clothing to be some of the most comfortable you own, on or off your bike.

Club Ride Apparel is about passion, love for cycling, freedom and self-expression. Put on a shirt and shorts, get your crew together and go for a ride. Club Ride is for the bike, and for your active lifestyle.