Spoke and Stone

Have you ever ridden a handicap race? If not, you should.

Why? Because they’re bloody good fun and they teach you a heap about racing a bike.

You start with a group of riders around the same ability as you. From the gun, you’ve got two jobs: stay away from the groups chasing behind and work together to catch the groups up the road. If your new, people in your group will help you find your feet.

For a while, you’re genuinely a team. Rolling turns, sharing the workload, keeping the pace up and trying to squeeze every bit of speed out of the group.

Then, if you make it to the front of the race, everything changes.
Suddenly those riders you’ve spent the last hour working your backside off for are the exact people you need to beat. 😂
Time for the tactics, cunning and conveniently forgetting how helpful everyone was five minutes ago.

Meanwhile, the really fast bunch starting off scratch are hunting everyone down. Quite often they don't actually make it to the front but there’s usually a fastest-time prize for the quickest rider.

That’s what makes handicap racing so good. You develop these unspoken connections with the riders around you. Nobody needs to say much. You just know you’re all on the same team. Until you’re not. 😂

There’s one happening in Otago this weekend, and if you’re feeling fit, Twizel to Timaru is coming up too.
Great racing, great fun, and one of the best ways to learn the skills of riding fast and efficiently in a group.
If you get the chance, get amongst it

That awkward time of year…

The days are getting a bit warmer, but let’s not get carried away.

It’s the time of year when having the right layers makes all the difference.
Our Spoke & Stone Arm Warmers are perfect for those mild-but-definitely-not-hot days.

They’re not full winter fleece, but they give you that extra bit of warmth when bare arms are still a fairly questionable life choice.
Made from an aero fabric, they’re ideal for spring training, your next event, or most importantly gaining those vital marginal gains when beating your friends to the café.

Warm when you need them. Easy to peel off when the sun finally decides to do its job.

We love this series. Courses for everyone, and always sunny (mostly).

These are great events if its your first time entering and a bit nervous, or a seasoned campaigner wanting a hit out at the sharp end.

You all know the story by now, a bit of a ding, a bit broken, very very lucky, and now into recovery.

So what’s the most frustrating part of recovery at this stage?

I’ll tell you.

Feeling like your moving faster than the medical system can. 😂

Come on medical system… keep up!😂

I get it. There are processes to follow, boxes to tick and expected recovery timelines. And for very good reasons.

The problem is, apparently nobody told my body it was supposed to follow the standard timetable.

Everyone recovers differently. Your fitness going into an accident matters. Your attitude matters. How your body responds matters. And sometimes you find yourself physically and mentally ready to push ahead while the system is still working its way through the process.

There’s still a decent road ahead for me.

My back is healing really well, but it’s not yet at the point where jumping back on a bike and potentially hitting the deck is a clever idea. The bones still need more time to strengthen, and after months of doing very little, my core strength is approximately somewhere between “needs work” and “non existent ”.

Then there’s the small matter of the rather significant knock on the head, which has its own process to work through.

So the challenge now isn’t really about sitting around waiting to recover.

It’s about keeping moving forward while being smart enough not to get ahead of the recovery itself.

Walk a little further. Get a little stronger. Do the exercises. Get some fitness back. Tick off the appointments and clearances.

One day at a time. One small gain at a time.

And in the meantime…

Come on medical system. Pick up the pace.

ON THE WAY
We’ve been busy developing our new Spoke & Stone bib shorts, and the first production order is now underway.

We’ve kept things simple: black, clean, understated, with just a couple of small touches to give them some style.

The focus has been on getting a few things absolutely right:

A modern cut and length
Aero and comfortable
Laser-cut legs
No forward-facing leg seams
Minimal logos
Absolute premium-level fabrics
Italian chamious rated for 7 to 8hr rides, only the best.

Basically, we’ve put the money into the things that actually make a great pair of bibs.

And then there’s the price.
They won’t compete with a really cheap pair of bibs off Temu and they’re not supposed to. Thats not what your paying for.

What they will do is come in at around half the price of many bibs using comparable premium fabrics, construction and finishing.

That’s exactly what Spoke & Stone is about.
Great kit. Fair pricing. No unnecessary nonsense.
First batch is on the way. More soon.

Pictured is out Navy blue sample. If you want to check them out let me know. I can also put a hold on a production set so you dont miss out.

What actually makes a good cycling jersey fabric?

It’s easy to look at a jersey and think fabric is just fabric.

It isn't.

A good cycling fabric has a pretty tough job. It needs to be light, breathable and moisture-wicking, while still having enough structure to hold its shape ride after ride.

Go too light and you can sacrifice durability and structure. Go too heavy and you're carrying extra material that doesn't breathe or cool as efficiently. Cheap fabrics are like a plastic bag.

Then there’s aero. The right fabrics need to sit smoothly against the body, stretch in the right directions and resist flapping when the speed goes up. And the research is clear, aero trips in certain areas like the arms. Raised parallel ribs are best. Other textures make no meaningful difference.

For us, a good jersey fabric needs to:

💨 Breathe and help manage heat
💧 Move moisture away from the skin
🪶 Feel light without being flimsy
💪 Hold its stretch and shape over time
👃 Resist odour build-up
🔄 Handle plenty of riding and washing
⚡ Sit cleanly against the body for better aero performance

And then there's graphene.

Some of our tops, particularly our aero race jerseys, use graphene-infused technical fabrics.

Sounds expensive and space-age, doesn't it?

In reality, they dont cost any more than other top line fabrics.

Graphene-enhanced textiles can offer some interesting properties, including excellent thermal conductivity, improved heat distribution and antibacterial/odour-management benefits. Depending on how the graphene is incorporated into the textile, it can also contribute to durability and material performance.

We don't believe every bit of new technology automatically makes something better. But when we find a fabric that performs better and only adds a few dollars to the manufacturing cost, we'd rather put that money into the garment than save it.

That's our approach at Spoke & Stone.

Better fabrics. Better construction. Constant small improvements.

Because when you're a few hours into a ride, the fabric sitting against your skin matters a hell of a lot more than the marketing label hanging off it

Image: graphene infused jersey with air trip ribbed sleeves.

What is Spoke & Stone actually about?

Sure, we are selling cycling kit direct from the best factories. But what matters to us goes a fair bit deeper than jerseys and bib shorts.

People first. Always.
People are the essence of any business. Customers, suppliers, riding mates and the communities we're part of. We believe business works better when you put people ahead of everything else.

Fairness.
We aren't one of the big guys ordering thousands of pieces at a time. In fact, we often pay the same or more to make our kit because we're small.
But we don't think that means you should have to pay $200 for a jersey or $250 for quality bibs shorts.
At a time when seemingly everything is getting more expensive, we're trying to push the other way. Keep prices down. Keep good cycling kit accessible to more people. Make a fair margin, charge a fair price. Simple.

Stay lean.
We know a thing or two about running lean businesses. Cut the waste, not the quality. Keep costs under control and don't make customers pay for stuff that doesn't make the product better. Be efficient.
We'd rather put the money into the kit.

Keep making things better.
We're big believers in marginal gains.
A new technology fabric here. An adjusted fit there. New manufacturing techniques. Better aerodynamics. More comfortable chamois.
Smarter designs.

Small improvements, made constantly, add up to something pretty bloody good.
Our collection will keep evolving because we'll keep learning, testing and looking for better ways of doing things.
And finally…
Do what you say you'll do.

No marketing BS. No pretending we're something we're not. Make good gear. Price it fairly. Look after people. And keep trying to make tomorrow's version better than today's.
That's Spoke & Stone.

People. Community. Fairness. Continuous improvement.

Good kit for people who simply love riding bikes

Spoke and Stone | cycling clothing new zealand Spoke and Stone. Cycling bib shorts NZ, Cycling jerseys. Premium Italian fabrics. Great prices for the quality cycling clothing.

Who's been riding this winter?
Winter riding around Dunedin and the Taieri isn't exactly glamorous.
One minute you're enjoying a crisp blue-sky morning. The next you're riding through mud, dodging puddles the size of bathtubs, and wondering if that smell is your imagination... or the cows.

You finish the ride looking like you've been in an adventure race rather than out for a Sunday spin.

I miss it. The days are cool but it can be great conditions for rising with light winds and quiet roads.

So who's been tough enough to keep the wheels turning this winter?

Ps. Ive got 3 of these long sleeve fleece jerseys left. First in first served.