Tall and Chain bib short and jersey rider review

Cycle Sprog's first ever tester N is hardly a Sprog anymore - he's now 17 years old! Having grown up reviewing some of the best children's bikes and clothing out there, his almost 6ft 4 inch frame means he's definitely not testing kids kit for for us now!

However, he's still a teenager, still living at home, and still in need of cycling kit, and there seems to be a real gap in the market for cycling kit for tall teenage boys (and adults!).

Luckily, Karen, founder of Cycle Sprog and N's mum, met a wonderful company called Tall and Chain at a cycle show and knew they could be the answer to N's problems!

Tall and Chain was established by Mike Fitzgibbon, as at 6'7 he always found it difficult to get cycling clothing to fit well. Their cycling clothing is designed to fit the tallest of cyclists, without compromising on performance or paying a premium price just for being tall!

As some of our readers Cycle Sprogs may be growing at the same rate as our own, we're excited to share this review with you - even the tallest teens deserve the best cycling kit.

Disclosure:  Cycle Sprog were sent the Tall and Chain jersey and bib shorts to review. We were not paid to write this review, and all opinions are our own.

Getting clothes that fit me has been a problem for a long time. But now I'm 17 year old and already over 6.3ft tall, whilst also skinny, getting well-fitting clothes is a real struggle.

Additionally, make them suitable for cycling and it is something that becomes near impossible.

Thus, in recent years, I have almost accepted the fact that I will always have a top that is too baggy, and shorts that don’t fit. Therefore, hearing about a new brand that caters to a specific audience similar to me really made me feel, well, initially special – here's someone going out their way to help me – but also glad.

Maybe the next time I rode my bike my top wouldn’t flap about in the wind as I rode.

Tall and Chain are a brand that specializes in making cycling clothes for tall male cyclists, a market that, although seems to be niche, is one that I find is grossly underserved and larger than first thought.

They make seven products as of writing this review: short and long sleeved gloves, bib shorts and tights, socks, a jersey and a softshell jacket – in essence all the most important basics any road cyclist needs.

Each design comes in four sizes - you need to pick your height (very tall or very very tall) and your build (sprinter or climber).  Being at the lower end of the smallest height fitting felt like a real novelty for me!

Tall and Chain Jersey and Bib Shorts first impression

I was given the bib shorts and jersey to review. The look of them is slick and understated, allowing you to look fashionable with the black and green undertones.

Luckily for me, the green matches my bike, and so I can ride around looking like an extension of my bike.

The slimness of the jersey was the second factor that caught my attention – it fit very well for someone with the body structure of spaghetti.

The shorts meanwhile, fit well, and were a good length to come down slightly above my knee. 

Thus, when it came to me going out for my first ride in them, I was very excited. Happily, I was correct in my excitement – they didn’t slip during the ride and didn’t find myself wearing something I could barely see my body in. 

Putting the Tall and Chain Jersey and Bib Shorts to the test

The kit performed successful whilst I was using it in the UK.  I tend to ride long, steep hilly road rides in Cumbria, and it performed very well, including training for and riding the full Fred Whitton route (which is 112 miles and 10,400 ft of climbing).  

The kit also held up well to very frequent washing.

I then took them with me to the Italian alps for my summer holiday.

This where I found the seemingly only problem with the Tall and Chain kit, which was the less than ideal - breathability.

In the much hotter riding conditions, I found that the lack of venting on the jersey meant that I would find myself hotter and sweatier than if I wore my other jerseys, which were coincidentally fitted with more venting.

Despite this, they still managed to succeed with a week of very long and steep rides, and I found that they performed better again when I wasn’t riding in the hottest times of the day.

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