It’s Amazing; The Things You Find When You Aren’t Even Looking

Yesterday I was perusing some cycling newsgroups (as I am wont to do) and came across a link to Specialty Outdoors:

THE outdoor gear sewing and repair expert. Alterations, modifications and problem solving of technical clothing and equipment are my specialty. Visit the About Specialty Outdoors pages for more information, including photos, prices, and samples. We can do technical clothing repair and alteration, Gore-tex repair, tent repair and modification, backpack modification, and custom work too, just to list a few things. Be to sure to check the photo galleries as new items are added all the time. Factory authorized by The North Face Inc. for modifications and alterations to their gear.

In addition to tents, backpacks, and skiing gear, they also do cycling gear. Not only that, they actually have tips for sewing your own jerseys and shorts! (Oh how I wish I had a sewing machine and a talent for sewing). Anyway… I have this jersey, one of my all-time favorites (here’s me wearing it); a few (~5?) years ago this jersey (which was still relatively new at the time) was spending the winter resting, while the long-sleeved jerseys had all the fun. Imagine my horror when, come spring-time, I discovered that all of its elastic had gone all crunchy and lost its elasticity.

I emailed Specialty Outdoors with some questions and immediately heard back from Penny Schwyn. A few emails back and forth later, and the deal is as good as done. I’ll be shipping my beloved jersey off and a few weeks later getting it back good as new better than new!

If you want to find out more, here’s the Outdoor Specialty FAQ