Cycling Layering System by Temperature: Every Layer Drafted on Your Jersey's Riding Block
We develop the cycling layering system for your race season: race fit jerseys, the thermal jersey, the gilet, the windproof jacket, warmers and the cap, built as one set. Every jersey and outer layer is drafted on your jersey's riding block, and every temperature band in your calendar is checked with its full set worn at once.
We work with technical directors at national and regional cycling federations and technical leads at race teams and club race squads who dress riders for a whole calendar. We also develop sets for product leads at performance cycling brands building a line by temperature band.
The set covers four temperature bands, from races above 22 °C down to 5–10 °C. You receive one spec pack for the whole set, with the files and revision log yours to produce from.
Send the temperature bands your calendar covers, the garments you want in each, and your size chart. Within 48 hours of a complete brief, the development manager replies with the feasibility review.
Facts behind every layering set we develop:
One fit sign-off row for each temperature band, signed on the outermost garment of that band.
The gilet's cutting diagram names the jersey its layering ease is set against.
Each arm warmer size paired to one jersey size on the graded pattern.
First sample in 5–7 days, with no extra sampling fee on the first 2 revision rounds.
Fabrics certified to OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100; development run under ISO 9001:2015.
One Development Studio and One Riding Block per Version for Every Layer
Your layering set is developed in one studio, at three stations: the pattern bench, where base blocks, grading and cutting diagrams are drawn; the sample station, where samples are sewn and measured; and the D65 colour area, where strike-offs are matched and colour cards signed.
The base of the set is the riding-position block of your race jersey. Men's and women's versions each get their own block, graded to the size chart you confirm.
Drawn directly on the block, with no layering ease:
the short sleeve race jersey,
the hot weather mesh jersey,
the long sleeve jersey,
the thermal jersey,
and the aero short sleeve jersey if your brief has one.
Drafted on the same block with layering ease:
the gilet
and the windproof jacket.
Both keep the block's shorter front, longer back and dropped front collar line.
Arm warmers are sized to the jersey cuff. Knee and leg warmers are graded to your size chart. The cap follows your head size chart or is made one size.
Which garment races in which band, with its fabric finish, is set out on our race cycling apparel range page. This page covers how the garments are fitted to each other.
Outer Layer Ease Set Against the Heaviest Jersey in Your Brief
Each temperature band has at most one outer layer: the gilet at 16–22 °C and 10–16 °C, the windproof jacket at 5–10 °C. A gilet and a jacket are never worn together. Each outer layer takes its ease straight from the jersey block, so the ease question is one per garment.
A gilet in a two-band set often goes over two jerseys: a short sleeve race jersey on 16–22 °C descents and a thermal jersey at 10–16 °C. One gilet serves both.
How the pattern maker sets it:
The ease is set against the heaviest jersey your brief pairs with the gilet, usually the thermal jersey.
The gilet cutting diagram carries a note naming that jersey by style.
The gilet sample is fit-checked over each jersey in the brief, one row per jersey in the gilet's fit sign-off column.
Each row reads the four race fit points: hem, collar, sleeve end, shoulders. It also reads the one-hand reach to the jersey's rear pocket from below the gilet hem.
The pattern maker signs each row on the sample size.
A returned row goes back to a gilet panel. The jersey's pattern and fit signature stay as they were. One signed jersey can sit under several outer garments, and none of them reopens it.
The windproof jacket is drafted over the jersey your brief names for 5–10 °C: a short sleeve race jersey, or the thermal jersey if your set has one. Its fit sign-off names that jersey and any warmers worn with it.
How you verify it:
On the sample: count the gilet's fit rows. There is one for each jersey in your brief.
In the spec pack: read the ease note on the gilet cutting diagram, naming the jersey it was set against.
Three Starting Points: A New Set, Our Jersey, or Another Maker's Jersey
Every layering set starts from a jersey block. Which block depends on where your project starts, and the feasibility review states which of the three applies.
A new set.
The pattern maker drafts the riding-position block from your size chart and fit brief. The jersey is sampled first, checked on the bike and fit-signed. The gilet and jacket are drafted on that block after it is signed, and the warmers are sized to its cuff.
A jersey we developed with you.
The block, spec pack and colour parameters are already on file for your project. New outer layers or a new band are drafted from that block. The signed jersey stays as it is, and the new files join the same spec pack.
A jersey from another maker.
Here the path depends on the garment you add.
Adding arm warmers only:
The top opening is sized to the jersey cuff measurement in your size chart.
That measurement is checked on a reference jersey you send us.
The measurement report names where the cuff size came from.
The on-bike check is made with the warmer worn under your reference jersey.
No new jersey is drafted for warmers. The warmer meets the jersey at one point, the cuff.
Adding a gilet or a windproof jacket:
The pattern maker first drafts your jersey's riding-position block from your size chart and reference garment.
We sample that jersey and fit-sign it.
The outer layer is drafted on that block and checked over that jersey sample.
You gain a full set of jersey files: cutting diagram, graded pattern, fabric-by-panel sheet, placement sheet, size chart, seam description, colour cards and the jersey sample. Those files are yours, and later layers start from the same block.
For a brand building a line: every garment is graded from the same block, each outer layer's ease is drawn on its cutting diagram, and the set is checked on the sample size. The other sizes are graded from that same block.
Send the Jersey You Race in Now
Post your current jersey to our studio, or send photos, its size chart and existing specification first, with the garments you want to add. The feasibility review tells you whether we start from its cuff or from its block. Request a feasibility review .
Collar Order: Jersey Collar Inside, Outer Layer Collar Over It
At the neck, the jersey collar sits inside and the outer layer collar sits over it. That order is drawn on the cutting diagram of each garment in the set.
On the jersey.
The riding-position block gives the jersey a dropped front collar line. The jersey collar is drawn on the jersey cutting diagram and stays the same whichever outer layer goes over it.
On the outer layer.
The gilet and the jacket keep that dropped front collar line from the block. The pattern maker sets each outer collar's height and finish against your brief and draws it on that garment's cutting diagram, over the jersey collar it covers.
Where the collar pairs sit in a set:
Jersey collar
Gilet collar
16–22 °C and 10–16 °C
The gilet collar over the short sleeve, long sleeve or thermal jersey collar. The gilet over the thermal jersey is laid out on our thermal cycling jersey page.
Jersey collar
Jacket collar
5–10 °C
The jacket collar over the collar of the jersey your brief names for that band.
Jersey collar
Above 22 °C
The jersey collar alone, with no outer layer.
How the collar is checked.
The race fit check already reads the collar clear of the throat. In each outer layer's fit row, that item is read with both collars on, jersey inside and outer layer over it. A returned collar goes back to the outer collar line on its cutting diagram.
The collar is also where two base fabrics meet in view: the jersey front and the gilet's laminate front. How those two are matched in colour is set out further down this page.
Cuff Order at 5–10 °C: Jersey Sleeve, Arm Warmer Top, Jacket Cuff
At 5–10 °C the set becomes winter cycling clothing, and the cuff is its most layered point. Three garments meet on the arm, in this order from the inside:
Arm warmer top opening, with its silicone grip
Short sleeve jersey sleeve end
Jacket sleeve, elastic cuff
no gap of skin
The arm warmer top opening, with its silicone grip, sits inside the sleeve end of the short sleeve jersey.
The jersey sleeve end lies over the warmer top.
The jacket sleeve covers both and closes with an elastic cuff over the warmer's wrist end.
The order is drawn on the cutting diagrams: the warmer top position and grip on the warmer diagram, the jacket cuff on the jacket diagram.
Sizing the warmer to the jersey.
Each arm warmer size is paired to one jersey size. The graded pattern notes which warmer size goes with which jersey size. The warmer's top opening is measured beside that jersey's cuff in the measurement report, and the sample technician signs size.
The grip method and the wrist-end finish are your choice, drawn on the warmer diagram; the options are on our arm and leg warmers page. At 16–22 °C and 10–16 °C the warmer sits under a short sleeve jersey sleeve in the same order, with no jacket over it. The thermal jersey takes no arm warmers.
How the cuff is checked at 5–10 °C.
In race position, the rider reaches to the bars once, and two existing check items are read in that same reach:
The warmer top still sits under the jersey sleeve end, with no gap of skin, at the position marked on its cutting diagram.
The jacket sleeve covers the wrist.
Both are marked pass or return in the 5–10 °C row of the jacket's fit sign-off column. A return names the garment and what changes: the warmer top panel, its grip method, or the jacket sleeve panel.
How you verify it:
read the pairing on the graded pattern, and read the warmer top opening beside the jersey cuff, size by size, in the warmer's measurement report.
Measurement Reports That List Each Layer Beside the Jersey Underneath
Every garment is measured point by point against the same size chart. Each outer layer's report lists its key points beside the jersey it is worn over.
Gilet
Listed beside the jersey underneath
Chest and back length, beside each jersey in your brief
Windproof jacket
Listed beside the jersey underneath
Back length, sleeve length and chest
Arm warmer
Listed beside the jersey underneath
Top opening, beside the jersey cuff it sits under
Each report names the jersey underneath by style and size. The reports for one set therefore point to the same jersey and the same size chart, and you read the room each outer layer leaves over it in one pass, size by size.
Signatures.
The sample technician signs size. The pattern maker signs fit in the fit sign-off column of the same report.
Before a sample ships.
A measurement report that does not pass stops that sample at the studio. It goes back to the pattern maker, and the change is logged.
In race position the rider is low on the bike and reaches back for a pocket with one hand. The hem and the pocket are read in that one movement, so we draw and check them together.
The hem order.
In the race position the outer layer's back hem covers the jersey's back hem, and the jersey hem does not ride out from under the outer layer. The outer layer keeps the block's shorter front and longer back, and its hem line is drawn on its cutting diagram over the jersey's.
Jersey back hem
Outer layer back hem
The pocket the rider uses in each set:
With the gilet on
the jersey's rear pocket, reached from below the gilet hem. With a two-way zip, the rider can also open the gilet from the bottom.
With the jacket on
the jacket's own rear pocket. Its opening line is drawn on the jacket back panel, and the number of pockets follows your brief.
With no outer layer
the jersey's rear pocket, its opening line drawn on the jersey back panel.
How it is checked.
Two items from the race fit check are read together in each band's fit row:
The hem stays down with the rider low on the bike, read on every layer worn.
The rider reaches the opening of the pocket in use with one hand.
A return names the garment and panel: the outer back panel, the outer hem line, or the jersey's pocket opening line.
Leg warmers in the same movement.
The leg warmer's top end is checked to stay at the position marked on its cutting diagram after pedalling in the race position. Knee warmers are checked the same way.
How you verify it:
the hem lines and pocket opening lines are drawn on the cutting diagrams in your spec pack, and the reach result is a marked item in each band's row.
Each Temperature Band Ridden Once as a Full Set, Signed as One Row
For each temperature band your brief covers, the full set for that band is put on at once and checked on the bike. The result is one row in the fit sign-off column of the outermost garment in that set.
Where the row sits:
A band with a gilet: in the gilet's column.
A band with the windproof jacket: in the jacket's column.
A band with no outer layer, above 22 °C: in the jersey's column.
5–10 °C set, worn at once
Collar
Jersey collar
Jacket collar
Cuff
Arm warmer top
Jersey sleeve end
Jacket cuff
no gap of skin
Hem & pocket
Jersey hem
Jacket hem
Worn at once: windproof jacket, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers
What the row records:
Every garment worn at once, by style and size.
Each check item, marked pass or return.
For a return, the garment and the panel it goes back to.
The pattern maker's signature.
The items are the ones each garment already carries, read together in one session. No new check item is added for the set, and no new file is added to the spec pack.
Garment in the set
Items read in the band row
Jersey
Hem stays down, collar clear of the throat, sleeve end flat on the upper arm, shoulders move freely
Long sleeve jersey or jacket
Sleeve covers the wrist when reaching to the bars
Jersey or jacket in use
One-hand reach to the rear pocket opening
Arm warmers
Top stays under the jersey sleeve end with no gap, at the marked position
Knee or leg warmers
Top end stays at the marked position; no creasing at the front of the knee, no tightness behind it
Each garment also keeps its own fit sign-off, made before the band row. The band row shows how the garments behave when worn together.
The row is made on the sample size. The other sizes are graded from the same block and are not each worn as a set.
How you verify it:
when the samples arrive, count the band rows across the outer layer and jersey reports. There is one row for each band in your brief, and each row names the garments and sizes worn.
Sample Pack With Every Garment, Tried by Band Before Production
The spec pack includes a sample pack. Every garment in your set has a sample in it, in the sample size, each with its signed measurement report.
Your riders can put on each band's set from that pack before production, in the same combinations named in the band rows. They see the collar, cuff, hem and pocket order with their own hands, on the garments your production line will make.
Send the Bands Your Calendar Covers
Tell us the race formats and temperature bands on your calendar. The feasibility review lists the garments and fabric finishes per band and the jersey each outer layer is drafted over.
Neighbouring Fabrics at Each Junction Matched Side by Side Under D65
Where two garments meet in a layered set, two base fabrics sit next to each other in plain view. We match those pairs side by side before any colour card is signed.
The pairs in a typical set:
Main body or summer mesh
Laminate front
At the collar: the jersey front in mid-weight stretch main body or summer mesh, beside the gilet's laminate front.
Brushed-back thermal or main body
Jersey sleeve
At the cuff: the jersey sleeve, beside the arm warmer in brushed-back thermal or main body.
How the colour and print technician handles each pair:
A print strike-off is made on each base fabric in the set.
The two strike-offs for a junction are laid side by side under one D65 colour standard.
After that comparison, each fabric's card is signed on its own, and its colour parameters go into the spec pack.
The card count does not change. Cards are counted by base fabric, so the junction comparison adds no card. A set using mesh, main body, laminate and brushed-back fabrics holds four cards.
No sample is cut until the cards it needs are signed.
For a jersey from another maker, warmer colour is matched to your signed colour standard. Your reference jersey sits beside the warmer strike-off under D65. The base fabric and print process of that jersey are outside our hands, so the colour standard you signed is the reference.
What you hold: one signed physical colour card per base fabric, with colour parameters in the spec pack. Fabric choices by panel for each jersey are covered on our race cycling jersey fabrics page.
Revision Log Traced to Garment and Panel, Kept for Next Season
Every revision round is logged entry by entry. Each entry records:
Which garment.
Which panel.
What changed.
Why.
The log travels with the revised samples.
When a band row returns an item, the entry names the garment and panel it goes back to. An outer layer return changes the outer layer's panels. The jersey underneath keeps its fit signature, and so does every garment not named in the entry.
If you change a specification you have already confirmed, that opens a new sampling round and is logged the same way. The first 2 revision rounds carry no extra sampling fee.
At handoff the spec pack, colour parameters and revision log are handed to you in full. We also archive them by project. Next season, a new band or a new outer layer starts from the same block and the same colour parameters, and its files join the same pack.
Brief Items to Send for a Layering System Feasibility Review
Three items start the 48-hour clock from the moment you submit:
Garment list, band by band.
Size chart and size range.
Race formats or temperature bands.
Add what you have:
For each outer layer, the jerseys it goes over.
The jersey spec pack if we developed it, or a reference jersey, photos and its size chart.
Men's and women's versions.
Colour standard and artwork.
An NDA, if you want one signed before development starts. Your block, cutting diagrams and spec pack are used only for your project.
The development manager answers within 24 hours on working days. When one of the three starting items is missing, that answer names every missing item in one list.
Development Steps From Brief to a Signed Spec Pack for the Season
Feasibility review, within 48 hours of a complete brief: whether the set can be developed to your specification, the pattern and fabric direction, and the next sampling steps.
Panels and colour. The pattern maker proposes base fabric by panel for each garment and you confirm. Strike-offs are matched under D65, junction pairs side by side, and the cards are signed.
The jersey. The jersey sample is cut on the riding-position block, checked on the bike and fit-signed. First sample in 5–7 days.
The outer layers and warmers. The gilet and jacket are drafted on the jersey block and sampled over the jersey sample. The warmers are sized to the jersey cuff and your size chart.
Band rows. Each band's full set is checked on the bike and signed as one row.
Revisions. Returns are logged by garment and panel.
Spec pack. The files, colour parameters, revision log and sample pack are handed to you. Your own line produces from the pack, or the development manager passes it to cyclingapparelfactory.com, our sister site for bulk production.
Tell us the bands your riders race in and the jersey they wear now. The development manager replies with the block your set starts from, the outer layers drafted on it, and the band rows your samples will carry. Request a feasibility review.
