Cyclist
Q36.5 takes the holistic approach to cycling kit
Luigi Bergamo had already been in the cycling industry for over 20 years by 2014, and for a decade had been head of research and development, then later vice-CEO, at a Swiss premium clothing brand. It’s safe to say, then, that he’d done pretty well for himself, but he felt it wasn’t enough.
‘I wanted to bring about something new and express my vision about clothing,’ Bergamo tells us. And so he started Q36.5.
‘I’m from Bolzano in the Italian Dolomites, and I’d spent 20 years in Switzerland which was super-nice, but I was a little homesick. Like all
love stories, they eventually have to end. In Switzerland I grew up and I learned a lot, but I wanted to do something for myself.’
Given his hands-on experience with the design and production of highly technical clothing, Bergamo quickly found a niche.
‘Q36.5 was a pioneer in the introduction of woven fabrics,’ he says. ‘In clothing there are two big families when it comes to fabrics, the knitted family and the woven family, and they have different characteristics.
‘The more common of the two is knitted but we believe woven fabrics are really interesting because they can be very thin and yet be more robust and lighter, while having a very tight construction. For autumn and winter clothing, that means you can have a natural membrane without the discomfort, that breathes like normal fabric but with wind protection, and compared to normal fabric it has less weight and absorbs less sweat.’
That emphasis on thermoregulation is where the brand gets its name, the Q standing for the Latin word for research – quarerer – and 36.5 denoting the body’s core temperature. However, Bergamo emphasises Q36.5’s approach to fabrics extends beyond temperature: ‘You can make bibshorts lighter but just as strong, for example, with more compression for the legs and better muscle support.’
British cyclists don’t need convincing of how variable weather conditions can be over the course of a single ride, whether at altitude or not. Cycling is unique in that it demands you consistently adapt to changing weather, as opposed to running, for example, where your body will normally maintain a fairly constant temperature once you’ve settled in.
‘On the bike, we either need to carry kit for all eventualities or have clothing that can do it all. ‘The objective of thermoregulation is to really create something that is very active and is suitable for different situations,’ Bergamo says. ‘The goal isn’t to make a super-light or super-ventilated jersey but rather one that can react and can protect you whether you’re going up a hill or coming back down.’
Q36.5’s remit extends to shoes too, where the same philosophy of listening to the body applies.
‘When we started, I was in love with shoes, and was always looking for different types of shoes and studying the approaches of different people. Then when we were designing new bibshorts we were testing pressure on the saddle as part of deciding a new chamois, and we also tested pressure on the feet.
‘We saw a very interesting relationship between the pressure points on the saddle and on the shoes,’ says Bergamo, ‘so we started doing more testing with different people and shoe types, and saw that when we changed the chamois there was different pressure on the feet, and when we changed something on the shoes, the pressure on the saddle changed. That inspired us to think about all three points of contact together in our product development.’
That shows itself in areas such as Q36.5’s chamois-like footbed and in its work with insole company Solestar, as well as the development of its knitted shoes. ‘It’s quite innovative in the upper. Where normally knitted shoes are more flexible, we added a flap system around the instep that gives them more stability and support.’
Q36.5 has two categories within its kit collection: the Dottore line favours technical woven fabric, is more fitted and is designed with performance in mind; the Gregarius products, on the other hand, feature a mix of fabrics for a more ‘democratic’ fit. And Bergamo aims to make the buying process as holistic as the production.
‘We want to create a complete outfit to simplify riders’ choice,’ he says. ‘People say, “OK, to go out today in this temperature, what do I need to wear?”, or, “I’m on the gravel bike and want an outfit; what do I need?”, and we’ll create a full outfit that answers their questions.’
While Bergamo retains a close connection to Switzerland, with the brand’s flagship store in Zurich and title sponsorship of Swiss ProTour team Q36.5 Pro Cycling, 99% of Q36.5’s production is in Italy.
‘Within 350km² we have the source, development and production,’ he says, which not only helps the company’s sustainability, it means Bergamo can stay hands-on and see everything. Which is just how he likes it.
• View the full range of Q36.5 cycling clothing
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