Since the beginning, mountain biking clothing has been designed for function, namely its ability to withstand falls, take on regular mud-spattering and be comfortable. Loose-fitting shirts and drab colored baggy shorts made up a guy’s typical mountain biking wardrobe and at first, women just wore and adapted men’s clothes in smaller sizes. Thank Heaven things have changed! Comfort and performance are still needed, but fashion is making inroads into mountain biking clothing and we are more than happy to put the spotlight on those companies who do it so well.

ZOIC Clothing is one such company which stands out for going that extra mile in bringing together good fit, function and performance and some stylish looks. The result is apparel for the trail that is durable, has the technical performance an active athlete needs and a touch of fashion. ZOIC uses unique fabrics such as plaids and houndstooth, while also adding a few fanciful prints to several pieces in their clothing line. It is just those little touches that help to set a woman apart from looking like just one of the guys. Clothing companies ride a fine line when making women’s clothes to please avid mountain bikers. They want the same high quality features the men’s clothing enjoys, but they don’t want cycling clothing companies to just “shrink it and pink it” (to use a trite saying). They want performance clothing that was made to fit a woman which is stylish yet subtle in its femininity. ZOIC is hitting that mark.

All of our dealer orders have been filled and it's time to blow out sales samples & sundry other items in our annual Summer Warehouse Sale. If you're in the neighborhood come by on June 23rd or 24th to grab screaming deals on overstock & discontinued items plus one-of-a-kind finds from our prototype lab! 10% of all sale proceeds benefit Outdoor Outreach, connecting disadvantaged youth to adventures in the wild. Also a $10 pint glass from SDMBA gets you bottomless beer from our kegerator! Check out the flyer attached below.

And it's ALL GOOD...

Put through the ringer by Dirt Rag, our Ether Short came out clean! Here's what reviewer Justin Steiner had to say:

"At $74 - $84 for patterns or plaids - ZOIC's Ether shorts sit on the affordable end of the baggy-with-liner spectrum. The no-frills mesh liner sports a comfy, if not terribly technically advanced, chamois, while the synthetic outer offers a stretchy gusset trhough the crotch for good mobility. The fit is loose without being baggy; let's call it casual - the twelve-inch inseam falls just around the knee. There are plenty of pockets, five in total.

In use, the Ether short quickly became my choice for hot temps due to their comfort on the bike, and the lightness of both the liner and outer. Unlike many liners, ZOIC's Assault Liner is perfectly up to task - I've worn it comfortably during some long days in the saddle.

These shorts have held up well through a couple of seasons of riding, and come highly recommended due to their affordability. Made in China."

Thanks Justin! If you like what he had to say, check out
Dirt Rag at http://www.dirtragmag.com/
The Ether at http://www.zoic.com/mens-ether-short
The Assault Liner at http://www.zoic.com/mens-assault-liner

After my Ellsworth Evolve was stolen about a month ago, I unfortunately found myself in the market for a new bike. So when our buddies from Pivot Cycles (link) came to San Diego last week for a demo event with Black Mountain Bicycles (link), I was quick to clear my calendar to get out & ride. Our sales manager has been preaching from the gospel according to Pivot for a year now; a position he shares with many in the press and on MTBR.com (link). Having ridden a 29er the past 3 years I went in expecting to give the Mach 429 a hard look, but came away with an unexpected take on the ideal bike for me.

iPods & iPads are SO last week, study says Active Americans want to find cycling equipment & accessories under the tree.

We all know bikes are cool. And a recent study by Leisure Trends (link) illustrates this against the backdrop of holiday gift giving. According to the market research company and their 2.8 million Most Active American research panel, bicycling equipment & accessories tops the list of “Coolest” gifts to receive this holiday season. Ahead of tech gadgets like iPods, iPads, GPS and cell phones. Ahead of other outdoor products like ski/snowboard or kayak/boating equipment. Even ahead of the catchall category of “vacations”.

You can spin this many ways, but at ZOIC we see it boiling down to this: cycling offers active Americans tremendous bang for the buck. And these days where wallets are stretched thinner than shrink wrap, investing in a sport without many hidden or add-on costs makes for a sure fire winner.

Our friends Alison & Jason were up in Whistler last week training with and helping out at the Dirt Series mountain biking instructional program. They took some of our 2011 samples and in spite of the rain, managed to get some fun & interesting photos, as well as video of Jason's sweet attempt at a huge teeter! (YouTube link)

Our friends Alison & Jason were up in Whistler last week training with and helping out at the Dirt Series mountain biking instructional program. They took some of our 2011 samples and in spite of the rain, managed to get some fun & interesting photos, as well as video of Jason's sweet attempt at a huge teeter! (YouTube link)

At the end of July ZOIC was at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah for a sales event and we got introduced to the guys from Pivot Cycles. Our sales manager Matt bought a Firebird about a year ago and had been talking up the brand every chance he got. When 3 of us got to demo the Firebird and brand new Phoenix on the Deer Valley downhill trails we quickly appreciated all of his praise. Their bikes eat up the mountain and their crew is pretty cool. They did a photo shoot for their bikes that weekend and we gave them some of our 2011 product to wear. Check out the results below and see their bikes at PivotCycles.com!

The ZOIC 2011 Collection came together quite nicely and when we haven't been on the road selling it, we've been riding and taking some photos. Here's a quick peek at some of the looks and colors you can expect from ZOIC in 2011. We'd love to hear what you think!

A few weeks ago we spread some ZOIC love with a warehouse sale that sold off last season's samples and old inventory. Local riders got great deals on sharp threads and we donated 10% of the proceeds to Outdoor Outreach (link). We also poured FREE BEER for anyone who bought an SDMBA (link) pint glass, funding trail advocacy and development in San Diego County. And as a topper, all of the quarters from playing our arcade table went to SDMBA as well! I could say more, but sometimes others say it best:

A great big thank you to ZOIC! You and Eric really did a great job with the sale event and promoting
good causes. I saw many SDMBA members shopping there, and this past weekend I saw several people out riding in their new ZOIC Clothing. SDMBA appreciates your support and certainly the donated funds help
our organization do what it takes to open more trails in San Diego.

Thank you!
Minette Ozaki
San Diego Mountain Biking Association

If you have a cycling event that you think ZOIC should be involved in, please contact us (link). Just know what you want and be ready to tell us how your event promotes trail advocacy and having fun on bikes!