Chinertown
Other Resources => Component Deals & Selection => Topic started by: radrick_91 on September 05, 2025, 10:32:16 AM
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From Idea to Product: The Story of My Custom RoPa Cycling Aero Gravel Suit
For a long time, I'd had the idea of getting my own cycling apparel custom-made in Asia. Inspired by the gravel trend and the desire for longer tours, I wanted a one-piece suit that was not only aerodynamic but also highly functional. The goal was clear: an Aero Gravel Suit with integrated cargo pockets on the legs and a special back pocket for a hydration bladder.
Sourcing Materials and Finding the Right Manufacturer
From the start, using high-quality materials was a top priority. My main focus was on getting a good chamois, ideally from Elastic Interface. My search began on Alibaba, where I contacted various OEMs. The responses were almost all quick and friendly, with many offering to develop a suit like this. The Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) was usually between 5 and 10 pieces, which was perfect for me and my cycling buddies.
Ultimately, I chose Tarstone. They already had a similar prototype, which gave us a great starting point to build upon. My contact there was Daisy, whom I can highly recommend. Her patience, quick and detailed responses, and willingness to help made the entire process a real pleasure. A huge thank you to her!
Our goal was to produce 5 to 10 suits for me and my friends at a final price of under €100 per suit, including shipping, customs, and taxes.
From Design to the RoPa Cycling Brand
With the technical details settled, it was time for the design. I used AI for inspiration, but the results weren't quite what I had in mind. I wanted a clean, simple design that mirrored current trends from major brands. In the end, I created the designs myself using Inkscape and the templates Daisy provided.
However, the AI was a big help with the logos. This is how our fictional brand, RoPa Cycling, came to be—a name my buddy Robert and I came up with years ago (Ro=Robert, Pa=Patrick). The logo and lettering are now featured on the chest and arm. We fittingly named the model the AeroGRVLSuit. As a show of appreciation, I also placed the logo for Peter's brand, XMCS, on the leg cuff to support him.
Materials, Order, and First Impressions
I made no compromises on the materials. I chose a YKK zipper and an Elastic Interface Paris HP chamois. Although Tarstone doesn't use Italian Miti fabrics, the ones they provided feel equally high-quality. The back pocket for the hydration bladder is designed to fit a 3-liter bladder.
The initial order and payment were handled through Alibaba, and all further communication and photo samples were shared via WhatsApp. The shipping via DHL Express was a bit more expensive, but the suits arrived in Germany within 6 days. The customs and tax process was simple thanks to DHL.
In total, I ordered seven suits: two different color designs and one special women's cut.
My first impression is very positive! The quality is good—maybe not "premium," but definitely solid. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to test the suit on the road yet due to a recent crash. Sizing was a bit of a challenge since the charts weren't entirely clear. As a general rule of thumb, going one size up from your European size seems to be a good fit.
Next Steps and Community Discussion
Once my friends and I have thoroughly tested the suits, I'll provide an update here.
There might be a leftover suit available, so feel free to reach out if you're interested. Daisy also sent me several fabric samples, which I would be happy to share with the community here.
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Looks cool. I would be interested in the purple one. I wear clothes in L or XL size depending on a brand so maybe this one in the photo would actually fit me :)
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Also interested to try, it if there is one left over :)
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Any update on the quality? Do you like these? I have a small local amateur team I run and the pricing for these are pretty competitive if I were to have them design us some team skin suits.
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Hi everyone,
just a quick update: after my crash I haven’t been able to ride outside yet. The suits are currently with my cycling mates for fitting. If there are any samples left, I’ll let you know – you’re welcome to have them and give them a try.
So far, everyone has been very happy with the quality.
I’ll keep you posted!
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Nice idea & well done for actually getting it to production. I like it.
Personally I much prefer the speedsuit / racesuit / aerosuit whatever you call it idea over bibs & jersey 👍
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Hi radrick_91 what a fabric did you use for the different parts of the suit?
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Hi radrick_91 what a fabric did you use for the different parts of the suit?
For the fabrics, I based my choice on this skinsuit:
https://www.tarstone.com/skinsuit-men.html (https://www.tarstone.com/skinsuit-men.html)
Unfortunately, there were no MITI fabrics to choose from, but other manufacturers offered me Italian MITI fabrics. I then chose fabrics from their PRO-Team Fabrics range. So, padding from Elastic Interface Paris HP.
I received fabric samples. If you are from Europe and are interested, I am happy to send them or take photos.
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Looks nice. btw, looks like the kangaroo pouch at the back, the way it's designed, is prone to catching the wind, I'd expect that having a flap in the direction of the wind above the entry of the pouch to hedge that risk.
How are brands doing it, like rule 22 and co?
Good point, and you have a keen eye for detail (as always ;) ). The suit is so tight, or rather race fit, that the kangaroo pocket doesn't stick out much without a hydration bladder, so wind resistance should be marginal - it's tighter than a normal jersey pocket. With a bladder in it, it's obviously an element that hangs in the wind, but I can't say whether that's positive or negative for aerodynamics. There is a GCN video about this in the wind tunnel.
In my opinion, Rule28 does it similarly to me, or rather, I honestly took the suit as a guideline. Personally, I don't like a flap. In my opinion, Rapha builds the pocket into the jersey, which is smart and could be implemented in a version 2.0.
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Great looking one-piece aero suit! I agree with Serge, it’ll be important to have a flap or lip at the top of the back pouch to cover the opening and prevent air from getting in. Also, I’m not entirely sure about the brand name. Ropa means “clothes” in Spanish, so for many people it might just read as “clothes cycling,” which feels a bit generic.
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Coincidentally your brand name means clothes in portuguese (pronounced hopa, spelled roupa)
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Coincidentally your brand name means clothes in portuguese (pronounced hopa, spelled roupa)
And the exact spanish word for clothes.
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Hello everyone,
Thank you for your feedback. Regarding the brand name, I unfortunately did not research Spanish or Portuguese (unfortunately, my Spanish is only good enough to order coffee at the Mallorca training camp, and I don't speak Portuguese at all) – RoPa comes from the university project that Robert and I, Patrick, worked on years ago. The fact that it means “clothing” is not ideal, but at least it's not scandalous.
Not ideal for a proper brand, but I didn't have the motivation—it was a small project.
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This looks decent. Any update yet on the quality and feel while riding? Not the best season to be testing these outside.
Maybe a bit much to ask but could you take a photo with your whole crew fitted into these clotes and note everyone's lenghth, weight and kit size ;D
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This looks decent. Any update yet on the quality and feel while riding? Not the best season to be testing these outside.
Maybe a bit much to ask but could you take a photo with your whole crew fitted into these clotes and note everyone's lenghth, weight and kit size ;D
Unfortunately, I don't have any detailed reports, as the suits arrived just in time for fall and the cold and wet season.
So unfortunately, I only have photos of myself (and I'm currently out of shape :-X :-X :-X).
For comparison, I am 187 cm tall and weigh 77 kg when in shape. Size L will then fit very race fit. I could also wear XL without it wrinkling. My buddy is 175 cm tall and weighs just 62 kg and wears size M, which fits race fit as well.
If you are interested, I still have two left.
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Unfortunately, I don't have any detailed reports, as the suits arrived just in time for fall and the cold and wet season.
So unfortunately, I only have photos of myself (and I'm currently out of shape :-X :-X :-X).
For comparison, I am 187 cm tall and weigh 77 kg when in shape. Size L will then fit very race fit. I could also wear XL without it wrinkling. My buddy is 175 cm tall and weighs just 62 kg and wears size M, which fits race fit as well.
If you are interested, I still have two left.
Thanks. That gives an idea. I'm in the market for designing a custom set for my own crew.
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Thanks. That gives an idea. I'm in the market for designing a custom set for my own crew.
Very cool. I can recommend Daisy from Tarstone, but feel free to make your own choice. I've had many good contacts through Alibaba. I'm curious to see what you do and look forward to hearing your feedback.
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is there a chance to order 1 full kit from Tarstone for testing quality, sizing and materials purposes?
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Yep you can order a samle test, think you need to cover only the shipping cost
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does someone has the rough pricelist?
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You can ask them directly, pretty fast to respond
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i did 1,5weeks ago but i think they are not working cause of chinese new year
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i did 1,5weeks ago but i think they are not working cause of chinese new year
yes, I spoke with them, They'll be back after 27th.
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does anyone have pictures of how these fit?
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is there a chance to order 1 full kit from Tarstone for testing quality, sizing and materials purposes?
In case you or anyone else is interested. I also received some fabric samples. If you live in Germany (or the EU), I could send them to you.
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does anyone have pictures of how these fit?
Unfortunately, I'm a little out of shape, so it's very tight, but maybe it will help you. Wears Race Fit
Please do not share the photo outside of the forum, thank you!
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Hi Robert - this has been really helpful, thank you! Have you had a chance to get out and about to give it a decent test yet?
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Hi Robert - this has been really helpful, thank you! Have you had a chance to get out and about to give it a decent test yet?
Hi, so far, unfortunately, just once each for me and my teammate. I’ve also sent the suit to the Netherlands and once to Bavaria through the forum—maybe we’ll get some feedback on those soon.
But we were both very satisfied. It has a race fit, and the materials are very thin (good for hot weather, but not my first choice right now with the changeable weather). The pad is super round and well-placed—all the pockets and the zipper work. My buddy had a 2L hydration bladder that fit very well—the only thing that needs some tweaking is managing the drinking tube—I didn’t have a hydration bladder, so I used the back pockets to store two Sugarflasks. Overall, very satisfied.
Funny side note: Feedback from my buddy is that “putting it on” with a full hydration bladder isn’t easy.
The first official race outing will be at the Hegau UCI Gravel Race; maybe one or two of you will see the suit in action.
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Hi,
Heres the Bavarian guy that got the suit sent to.
I didnt race it yet in a gravel race, but for normal riding its pretty awesome. Im 183 75kg and the L Size works just fine with a nice race fit.
Because i liked the suit so much, i started customizing out own pure road race suits as well with Tarstone. As Patrick said communication is really easy, pricing super fair and once we've agreed to the final optics well order them as well.
Just one thing id like to mention is that im not the biggest fan of the leg sleeves. Initially they hold great but after a couple kf monthes they start to roll up and dont look so nice anymore. Didnt happen with the suit yet but with my other similiar AliExpress bibs.
LG
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The Race Suit in action, worn by my buddy (I was on vacation)—he was very happy with the suit
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Love seeing projects like this. Turning your own idea into a real piece of kit is pretty satisfying — hope the suit survives some serious gravel miles! 😄
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How much did it end up costing per suit? Did it get much under 100€ or is it still in the 90s? What is the longest you've worn it? Would you say it's comfortable enough to use even in training over bibs+jersey?
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The Race Suit in action, worn by my buddy (I was on vacation)—he was very happy with the suit
Ehehehe. Singen.
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How much did it end up costing per suit? Did it get much under 100€ or is it still in the 90s? What is the longest you've worn it? Would you say it's comfortable enough to use even in training over bibs+jersey?
The final cost per piece was in the 90s. But I chose the highest-quality fabrics and ordered only 7 items, which meant I could spread the shipping costs, customs duties, taxes, and other fees across just those items. With larger quantities and, if necessary, different materials, a price in the high 70s or 80s should also be possible.
The longest ride was a good 4.5 hours. I find the suit and the materials very comfortable—the padding fits perfectly. I don’t ride in the suit that often during training, since my current fitness level rarely allows for long (and especially very fast) rides.