A Belated Introduction - The Women's Collection by Q36.5

As you may have noticed, we are unashamed to sing our praises for Italian apparel makers Q36.5. We've shared our appreciation repeatedly and highlighted a number of individual pieces, but somehow we've yet to mention how wonderful their entire range of women's apparel is. With that said, we'd like to take this moment to make two important introductions. First and foremost is to the latest addition to our team here at AC, our new operations manager, Karen. We're taking advantage of her presence at the shop and will let her introduce you to the women's collection by Q36.5. Read on to learn a bit more about Karen and in her words, her experiences riding in what we believe to be the best apparel on the planet:

The last thing I thought I would be doing this summer was working at a bike shop.  Now, I have found myself running inside operations for Above Category right here in downtown Sausalito.  I have always had the adventurous interest and intimate passion around the sport, having visited and ridden in northern Italy while getting a taste of the Giro, and cycled around a few of the roads in Bordeaux, France. Now I am getting a chance to see the industry up close and personal.  Not only do I get to geek out over all the cool cycling stuff I get to wear, I also get to geek out over the bikes, components, and everything else.  For now though, let’s take a moment to focus on the apparel, Q36.5.

Over the last six or so years, my taste for cycling apparel has certainly developed into wanting a more sophisticated material and structured feel in the things I wear without sacrificing performance.  In regard to aesthetics, feeling good and looking good are two important parts of the equation for me when riding and wearing a good looking kit sure makes me feel good on the bike.  Wearing full bibs rather than just shorts has long been a preference, despite making small sacrifices in chamois or other fit specifics and yes, although nature breaks require some forethought and pre-planning because of the bib, I still prefer it. Of course now, there are no sacrifices at all.

Riding in the microclimates and varied temperatures in the Bay area, Q36.5 has surprised me in an exceptional way.  While riding up in Sonoma last week, I decided to represent the shop and wear my black, yep black, AC shop kit.  Thinking I was risking getting heat stroke, the construction of the Q36.5 kit and jersey was noticeable.  Breathability and comfort were in no way compromised.  Even though there was certainly some sweating going on, the material dries super fast and just feels good. All in all, I could not be more impressed by the collection. Now all that's left is to get out and put it through more miles.

Thanks for sharing, Karen! To learn more about the specific pieces she is seen riding here, check out our web store where the full line is available. Still, have questions? Give us a shout as we're always happy to help you out. We're very lucky to have Karen aboard to offer her first-hand experiences and opinions on all the women's pieces from Q36.5.