Custom Cycling Kit: What to Know Before You Order

Every club goes through the same moment. Someone suggests getting matching kit made. The idea gets traction, a group chat forms, and then someone has to actually figure out how to make it happen.

Most custom kit suppliers make this harder than it needs to be. High minimums, long lead times, and a process that assumes you're a professional team with a dedicated manager handling the logistics. If you're running a local club, a charity ride crew, or a group of mates who want to look less mismatched on the road, that process doesn't fit.

Here's what to know before you place an order, from how minimums work to getting sizing right across a group of people who've never worn race-fit cycling kit before.

What "Custom Cycling Kit" Actually Means

Custom cycling kit covers a wide range. At the most basic level, it means jerseys printed with your club colours, logo, or design. At the more involved end, it means a full kit package with coordinated jersey, bib shorts, base layer, and accessories, all produced to a specific brief.

For most clubs and groups, the jersey is the priority. It's the most visible piece, the one that makes a group look like a group, and the one that gets the most use across the season.

Caffeine and Cranks custom cycling kit starts from a single piece. No minimum order requirement, which means a solo rider can get a one-off jersey for a charity event, or a club can order 50 pieces for a full kit rollout. The process is the same either way.

Design: What You Need to Provide

The quality of the finished product depends heavily on the quality of the artwork going in. A few things worth knowing before you start the design process:

Vector files are non-negotiable for logos. If your club logo only exists as a low-resolution PNG or a JPEG scraped from a website, it needs to be redrawn in vector format (AI or EPS) before it can be used for sublimation printing. A graphic designer can usually do this in an hour or two if you don't have the original files.

Colours shift slightly between screen and print. What you see on a monitor is RGB colour. What gets printed runs closer to CMYK, and sublimation printing on cycling fabric has its own characteristics. A good supplier will flag this and send you proofs before production starts.

Full-bleed prints look better than patches. Sublimation printing covers the entire fabric. Designs that use the full surface tend to look more professional than a small logo placed on a plain base colour. If you're starting a design from scratch, think about covering the whole jersey, not just placing a logo somewhere on it.

Sizing for Groups

Getting sizing right for a group is the hardest part of the process.

The challenge is that most people haven't worn race-fit cycling kit before. They'll look at a cycling jersey size chart, see that it runs smaller than their regular clothing size, and immediately want to go up a size. Sometimes that's the right call. Often it's not.

Caffeine and Cranks jerseys are cut race fit. That means snug and aerodynamic when you're in position on the bike, sitting close to the body without loose fabric. This is the intended fit, and it's how the jersey performs best on the road.

If someone prefers more room, sizing up one gives a relaxed fit that's still cycling-specific. Sizing up two gives noticeably more room. The sizing guide has the measurements and is worth sending to your group before they choose their sizes.

A practical approach for group orders:

• Share the size chart and explain that the cut is race fit
• Ask each person to measure their chest and compare to the chart
• Let riders who haven't worn race-fit kit before know they can size up one for a more relaxed feel
• Set a firm deadline for size submissions before locking in the order

Custom kit can't be exchanged once it's made. Taking a few minutes with the size chart upfront avoids a lot of frustration after delivery.

Lead Times: What to Expect

Custom cycling kit takes longer than ordering stock items. Production involves finalising the artwork, printing it onto the fabric, then cutting and sewing. Budget around 3 to 6 weeks from artwork approval to delivery under normal production schedules.

If you're ordering for a specific event, work backwards from the date and add a week for any unexpected delays. Getting caught chasing your supplier the week before a charity ride because production ran long is a situation that's easy to avoid with enough lead time.

Peak periods tend to extend timelines. If your event or ride is in spring, placing your order in winter is the safer move.

What a Good Custom Kit Package Includes

For most clubs, a jersey and bib shorts combination is the standard. Socks are a popular addition because they're low cost per piece and high visibility in a group photo or social post. Beyond that, it depends on what your riders actually want and what the budget allows.

The most practical approach is to survey your group on priorities before locking anything in. Some groups care deeply about matching bib shorts. Others are happy with the jersey and will sort everything else themselves. Neither is wrong.

For the jersey itself: look for four-way stretch fabric, a full-length zipper, and at least three rear pockets. These are the features that matter most for actual riding, regardless of how good the design looks.

What Custom Kit Costs

Custom cycling kit sits at a higher price point than stock kit, which is expected. You're paying for a unique design, print setup, and a production run specific to your order.

The per-piece cost typically comes down with volume. A single jersey costs more per unit than an order of 20. If your club is placing a group order, consolidating into one order rather than letting individuals order independently usually gets you a better outcome on both price and consistency.

Worth noting: the cheapest option isn't always the most economical one. Kit that fades, shrinks, or falls apart after a season costs more in replacement than kit that lasts. Asking about fabric quality, print durability, and chamois specification (if ordering bibs) tells you a lot about what you're actually buying.

Getting Started

The quickest way to move from idea to order is to come in with a brief: what you want (jersey only, full kit), how many pieces, a rough design direction, and your deadline. That gives a supplier enough to quote accurately and flag any issues before you've committed to anything.

If you don't have a design yet, starting with a colour palette and the elements that need to appear (logo, club name, sponsor logos if applicable) is enough to kick off the conversation.

Get in touch with the Caffeine and Cranks team to talk through your project. No minimum order, no corporate procurement process: just a straightforward conversation about what you need and how to make it happen.