What Carbon Fiber Did for Bikes, Polartec Is Doing for Bike Apparel

For too long, technical advancements for cyclists focused solely on what went onto a bike—agonizing over every gram shaved off, every potential for drag adjusted. Meanwhile, their apparel kits were, technologically speaking, analog. Breathability, waterproofing and insulation were challenges. Riders were forced to carry extra pieces of clothing, just in case.

Cue Polartec, the performance fabric company that, over the past five years, has been instrumental in upending prior assumptions of what cycling clothes can be. Polartec innovations ensure every rider has the correct clothing for the occasion, be they hot days on the open road, warm-to-cold mountain climbs, or mid-trip precipitation. Owing to Polartec’s dedication to engineering through fabric construction, each piece keeps the rider temperature-regulated, comfortable, dry and safe.

“What carbon fiber and titanium have done for hardware innovation in cycling, Polartec has done for cycling apparel through fabric innovation,” says Polartec CEO Gary Smith. “Polartec is enabling people to get out and be more comfortable year round, from staying warm in the winter to staying cool in the summer. Polartec fabric science allows the rider to focus on the ride and not their kit.”

The catalyst for these innovations was the cycling experience itself; Smith is an avid cyclist who knew firsthand the limitations of even the most expensive kits, particularly when it came to waterproofing and insulation that didn’t feel suffocating. Since a bike is only as good as its rider, Polartec got into the mind—and body—of cyclists through building meaningful relationships with brands that sought to give their customers a better riding experience. (This is Polartec’s approach across industries. To wit: Polartec has created over 900 different fabrics for customers ranging from the U.S. military to sports enthusiasts, often to solve a specific problem for the user.)

The world’s best cyclists have taken note, including Alberto Contador and his U23 and Junior Teams. The kit they use leverages several Polartec fabrics in thoughtful, custom designs to make riders feel their best physically throughout their excursion. The 19-piece kit takes all conditions into account, including in it lightweight, next-to-skin jerseys that breathe and wick better than traditional Spandex; insulation long-sleeves that use Alpha technology originally developed for U.S. Special Operations Forces; plus arm and leg warmers for the in-between times. The collection Polartec created and manufactured is the result of a close collaboration between the company and the team. For a sport in which a podium finish is counted in fractions of a second, the incremental gains achieved by performance-enhancing fabrics can be crucial.

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