Say hello to the Gravel Cartel X BOWY Gravel Shirt – a versatile cycling shirt designed to meet all your on and off the bike needs.

The collaboration between Gravel Cartel and BOWY to create the Cycling Gravel Shirt marked the beginning of an exciting journey towards designing a versatile garment that seamlessly transitions from bike rides to casual outings. The fusion of style and functionality was at the core of this collaborative project, resulting in a unique and innovative product.

How it all started..

Kent and Michelle from Gravel Cartel, approached Sarah & Allan from BOWY Active Cycling  with the idea of developing a shirt that could cater to both on and off-bike. Wear like a cycling shirt, look like a casual shirt for you to wear to your local pub/cafe. BOWY, who had already created a casual short sleeve shirt, saw the potential in creating a long sleeve cycling shirt inspired by flannel designs. Thus, the vision for the Gravel Cartel x BOWY Cycling Gravel Shirt was born.

The first design phase of the shirt spanned approximately 6 weeks, attention was given to refining the shirt's structure and incorporating features that would enhance the experience for cyclists. One of the key elements that the team was adamant about including in the shirt was the Asteria Fabric. This choice was driven by the numerous benefits and qualities that Asteria Fabric offers, making it the ideal material for the Gravel Cartel x BOWY Cycling Gravel Shirt.

Asteria Fabric is renowned for its exceptional properties, making it a preferred choice for performance apparel. Some of the notable features of Asteria Fabric include:

1. Moisture-Wicking: Asteria Fabric efficiently wicks away moisture from the body, keeping the wearer dry and comfortable during intense physical activities.
2. Breathability: The fabric is highly breathable, allowing for optimal airflow and ventilation to regulate body temperature.
3. Lightweight and Durable: Despite its lightweight nature, Asteria Fabric is durable and long-lasting, making it suitable for active wear.
4. Stretch and Flexibility: The fabric offers excellent stretch and flexibility, ensuring freedom of movement and comfort for cyclists during rides.

We then picked our first colour ways, gosh did we do a bad job on this! Orange and White, Brown and White, Light Blue and Dark Blue and Pink and Grey. Okay, you're probably thinking what on earth were you thinking?! I guess some could say we weren't?

We also jampacked the shirt with features:

1. Sunglass Holder on the front pocket for easy and safe storage of your sunglasses.
2. Press studs rather than a zip up, this really embodied the idea of it looking like a shirt rather than a cycling jersey
3. Air ventilation on the back and underarms 
4. Rear pocket with press stud
5. Cuffed sleeves for ease of rolling them up when necessary (just like you would a flannel)
6. Sunglass cleaning cloth
7. For the women’s shirt, we went with a more cropped style 

Then, it was off to the manufacturer to bring the vision to life. 

We received our first samples..

The Colour Choices

Our initial reaction was that we really liked the idea of the pink and blue plaid and the light blue plaid. The brown and white plaid was okay, however the orange was a complete miss. After riding and testing the shirts, we also learnt that light colours were not a great idea due to the visibility of dirt from the trails. 

The features:

1. Sunglass Holder was an absolute yes, this needed to stay as it was so convenient. 
2. Press studs, we LOVED these too however we needed to alter the colouring and style. So we purchased 1000 premium press studs. 
3. Air ventilation on the back and underarms. We still liked this idea and wanted to keep it for the next round of samples. 
4. Rear pocket with press stud was a keeper! Not everyone would use it, though it just looked right. 
5. Cuffed sleeves for ease of rolling them up when necessary (just like you would a flannel). This was an absolute yes! The length was perfect for longer arms however the cuff allows you to keep the shirt in place for shorter arms. 
6. Sunglass cleaning cloth - this was a square at first that kind of flapped around on the inside of the shirt, we decided to make it a triangle instead. 
7. For the women’s shirt, we had to increase the length by 10cm, it was a little too cropped. 
8. We decided to add a stitched patch Gravel Cartel X BOWY for branding

It was now time to finalise the second sample.

We changed the colours around to those you see today, the Plaid Slate Blue Style and the Plaid Pink Maroon Style. Both colours are versatile and can be worn by men and women. We made all the changes to the features and sent it off to the manufacturer.

We received our second samples..

The Colour Choices

We absolutely loved to colourways - they were a winner, and we were so happy with the design. 

The features:

1. Sunglass Holder was an absolute yes, this needed to stay as it was so convenient. 
2. Press studs, we LOVED these too however we needed to alter the colouring and style. So we purchased 1000 premium press studs. 
3. Air ventilation on the back and underarms. It was time to remove the ventilation. With the features of the Asteria fabric, this was counter intuitive and didn’t really make much sense. Asteria fabric is already breathable and air wicking. 
4. Rear pocket with press stud was a keeper! 
5. Cuffed sleeves for ease of rolling them up when necessary (just like you would a flannel). This was an absolute yes! The length was perfect for longer arms however the cuff allows you to keep the shirt in place for shorter arms. 
6. Sunglass cleaning cloth - we decided to remove this, we just couldn’t get it right - it might make a comeback eventually. 
7. For the women’s shirt, we had to increase the length by a further 5cm. 
8. We decided to add a stitched patch Gravel Cartel X BOWY for branding - this came out great and they are an absolute keeper! They will replace all current branding. 

The final product is ready!!

The Colour Choices

We wanted both men and women to be able to wear both the slate blue plaid and the pink maroon plaid so we have decided to release two colours in both the mens and women’s cut. This means you can also get more than 1 if you ride multiply times a week. 

The features:

• 4 Way Stretch Italian Asteria Fabric for comfort on and off the bike
• Breathable and moisture wicking
• Front and back button-down pockets for added security
• Integrated Sunglasses holder in the front pocket
• Premium press stud front, cuff and pockets 
• Stay sun safe with UPF rating of 50+
• A choice between a female or male fit 

Pre-Order Details

Hurry, pre-orders for the Gravel Cartel X BOWY Gravel Shirt close on the 21st of July 2024. Don't miss out on the opportunity to own this cycling essential!

Shipping Information

All orders will be shipped no later than the 1st of September 2024, ensuring you receive your Gravel Shirt in time for your next cycling escapade.

Don't miss out on the chance to own the Gravel Cartel X BOWY Gravel Shirt – the ultimate cycling essential that combines style, comfort, and functionality in one sleek package. Pre-order yours today and elevate your cycling experience to new heights!