Tuesday Treats 64: Morvelo

Your once a week dose of retail therapy from Singletrack’s Premier Dealers, stockists and advertisers.

Tuesday Treats gives you a quality serving of independent bike retailing and a chance to win big in this week’s prize draw.

This week, we introduce Morvélo

Not already well acquainted with these Brighton based cycling-tech-clothing purveyors? You should be. Recently featured in our very own fresh copies of Issue 85, we thought you’d like to know a bit more about what makes them tick. Morvelo’s Oli Pepper gives us the low-down on exciting news from the design and production studio…

UK designed cycling product, grass route event organisers, sponsored test riders . . . like getting your hands dirty eh?

We do and we don’t seem to make life easy for ourselves! The trouble is we not only like to ride everything, we like to get involved in everything too. So we work with more experienced people both in terms of product design and event co-ordination but at the core of it, we’re always wanting to do something new and creative.

Whether that be through graphic design (which is our roots), or product like our new Enduro Range of jerseys or innovative events like CityCross (a kind of half-breed between cyclocross, MTB and BMX all shoved in an urban environment), this time a Grade 1 listed building, we just love it.

To us it’s all about getting immersed in cycle culture and finding fun stuff to do. Well, fun stuff that then turns out to be hard work stuff but then turns back to fun stuff in the end.

What new lines tickle your fancy?

It’s no surprise that it’s our two brand new ones! Our Enduro Range of MTB jerseys and our ThermoActive range of warmer long sleeve jerseys. Both have been painstakingly designed from the ground up to fit very specific briefs. For the Enduro jersey it was to create a casual MTB jersey that had the same attention put into it, in terms of fit and performance, that a road jersey would have.

Our latest film in conjunction with Kinesis Bikes shows the kind of riding they’re ideally suited for.

For the ThermoActive jerseys it was to make them as adaptable as possible so they could carry you through most of the year and be paired up with anything from base layers, to waterproof jackets and gilets depending on the conditions.

What is hot product wise?

Judging by pre-orders (as we’ve just loaded the new AW2013 collection onto our site) it’s the Enduro jersey and ThermoActive jerseys but closely followed by our perennial favourites our short sleeve jerseys and tees. In particular the ‘Plastic’ and ‘Sweet Jumps’ tees. People also seem to be liking the Fluro (as used on our House Black and Navy Jerseys and Hemisphere Gilets).

We’re doing a great collaboration with the artist Death Spray Custom which we’re excited about. Mainly because it used a whole load of lightning bolts which we can’t get enough of! Also looking to do some baggy shorts next year too which will pose a challenge of how to incorporate ever changing graphics into a top performing base product.

What events are really worth the effort, travel and pain/joy?

At the moment it’s the Gravity Enduro events which capture our imagination. Always a long way to go but worth it for that right atmosphere. We did wholeheartedly enjoy doing Mountain Mayhem for about 10 years solid but feel the fizz has gone out of the 24hr events. We’d also naturally say The Brighton Big Dog for it’s laid back vibe and the fact we help organise it along with a whole increasing mountain of wonderful volunteers. It’s a real community. We have an itching to create some new type of XC MTB event quite possibly in the mould of CityCross with its urban nature and man-made stuff but from a pure MTB angle.

Some crystal ball gazing now. Where we headed MTB-wise?

I think things will settle into 27.5″ for play and 29″ for distance, then they’ll be a whole backlash and people saying how much fun 26″ is in a kind of old skool, big BMX sort of way. There is always a group that loves it when things go out of fashion and that’s normally when the interesting things start to happen. The blurring of the lines between 29er and ‘cross bikes is always an interesting one. In fact we’ve just finished a collaboration project with Jon at Chicken Frame Emporium which does this. So a cross bike as a base but with 29er MTB wheels, bolt through rigid fork, discs, Columbus steel frame with tapered head tube, 11 speed using a clutch rear mech. Designed for urban play and singletrack abuse!

Lastly, what do Singletrack Premier Subscribers get from you guys?

We have a very special Singletrack reader’s offer (attached to the cover of newstrade copies of Issue 85), or for you digital types clicky here for more details.

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Tuesday Treats Prize Draw

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