New Pricing, New Weekly Sale!

Routier Cycling Cap 

© Red Dots Cycling

We are going through growing pains with our business.

The first is that we realized that our old name of Galstudio didn't relate to our products. So we rebranded to Red Dots Cycling.

The second part, is that we realize our pricing was too low and didn't reflect directly with the high quality craftsmanship of our product. Each cycling cap is carefully design, we choose the best fabric available. The fabric is tested, pre-washed for shrinkage and to remove any lingering dye before it goes into small batch production. By working closely with our customers we realize we needed to introduce a wider range of sizing. Because we don't believe one size fits all in cycling caps!

We don't brag often. The privacy of our customers are very important to us. But it sure reinforces us that we're on the right track and give us further motivation to produce classic, fine handmade cycling caps. We are compared to some of the big names in cycling caps and we've even sold to one of the champions of the Tour de France, we're humbled and so grateful!

Now, our regular cycling caps are $32.00 USD and we are introducing a weekly sale section on our Etsy site. Because folks love a deal.

Every week, there will be a few different products offered on sale. When it's gone it's gone!

And so, we now launch our new weekly sale! Featuring...

The Routier Cycling Cap & Recycled Piccolo Pouch!

Recycled Piccolo Pouch

© Red Dots Cycling

Red Dots Cycling Uses Pinterest

We're enjoying our new found discovery... Pinterest.

Haven't heard of it? It's a social photo sharing website where users create theme based collections. Like a huge pin board of visual fun.

Interesting for us that we can encourage and promote our Red Dots Cycling products whilst having fun at the same time. A fun and creative way to connect with a unique audience that we may not be reaching through other social media platforms.

Our Red Dots Cycling Pinterest boards also gives us a broad range of topics such as "Favorite Places & Spaces," "Home Comfort" and "Dogs."

Visually fun at the same time an excellent promotional tool for our little company.

Excuse me I have to go now to... pin!

Carolle

Keep On Truckin' Cycling Cap

The New Keep On Truckin' Cycling Cap

© Red Dots Cycling

When I was a young kid, I had a t-shirt that read, Keep on Truckin' and also a patch on my jeans.

I always thought it was a great statement including the iconic image of optimism during the hippie era.

Inspiration comes from that phrase onto our new Keep on Truckin' Cycling Cap! This 100% red cotton fabric is full of iconic heavy duty machinery brand name logos. The truckers badge. Now available (here) in two sizes: Small/Medium and Medium/Large.

One thing that binds cyclists and truckers is the optimistic love for the open road, wear this fun and whimsical cap and ...Keep on Truckin'!

Richard

Truckers and Cyclists Unite!

maillot à pois rouges: Mauricio Soler

2007 KOMs Mauricio Soler,

nicknamed El Lancero. Wore the coveted polka dot jersey 

for five days. Check out the nice socks!

The New La Francaise Cycling Cap

La Francaise Cycling Cap.

© Red Dots Cycling

The French contribution to cycling is vast and historic with plenty of great riders; Magne, Bobet, Anquetil, Hinault to name just a few.

Red Dots Cycling is pleased to present the new La Francaise Cycling Cap!

Our inspiration is the French Tricolour. And keeping the entire cap in Royal Blue with a red under brim is  oh la la fun. We couldn't help ourselves keeping the French identity with a splash of tricolour on the brim and add our distinctive three red dots.  Oh so classic chic!

This stylish cap is made from our favorite Cotton/Polyester fabric. Fits comfortably and because of the cotton content breathes very well. Available in two sizes; Small/Medium and Medium/Large. You can purchase the chic La Francaise Cycling Cap here.

Richard

Vive la Francaise!

The New KOMs Cycling Cap

KOMs Cycling Cap 

© Red Dots Cycling

The quest for polka dot fabric has been an ongoing quest for us. Now, with our new name of Red Dots Cycling, more than ever, it has become our holy grail to have the iconic polka dots as our flagship cap.

Introducing... the New KOMs Cycling Cap!

We recently managed to find the elusive polka dot fabric. It's definitely a lighter fabric from what  we usually work with. We knew this would be a perfect summer cap. The size of the red dots are so perfect we couldn't resist.

This beautiful cap brings the polka dots to new heights. It's a total re-design for us. We've made it stylish by adding a double Grosgrain red/white stripe, red under brim and just as you thought you could not see more red dots, we added our distinctive three red dots on the back. Handmade lovingly by us.

Part of the red dots quest is Richard's weekly post Maillot à pois rouges. For all fans of the King of the Mountains of the Tour de France you'll discover famous and not so famous wearers of this coveted jersey.

The KOMs Cycling Cap is available now on our site. Available in Small/Medium & Medium/Large.

This cycling cap will make you look stylish on your next climb... see you at the top!

Carolle

Red Dots Love!

First Show: Blim Community Market

Unexpectedly, we are starting our craft show season early.

I'm happy to announce that Red Dots Cycling's first show of this season will be the Blim Community Market! Located at the Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street, Vancouver on February 26 12-5pm.

If you are looking to buy cycling caps and inner tube accessories on sale, then this is the time. We will also have our new cycling caps available for purchase, too!

See you there!

Richard

maillot à pois rouges: Jussi Veikkanen

Four stage wearer of KOMs jersey...

Jussi Veikkanen, 2009 Tdf.

The Cappello da Ciclismo Nero Cycling Cap Returns!

The Classic Cappello da Ciclismo Nero.

We are proud to re-launch one of our best selling cycling caps; the Cappello da Ciclismo Nero!

One of our favorite caps from day one, attire in classic black linen/cotton with the addition of our three distinctive red dots on the back.

We've re-made a true popular classic cycling cap. Now available in two sizes; Small/Medium (21" - 22 1/2") & Medium/Large (22 1/2" - 24").

Follow the red dots!

Red Dots Cycling Cap: Size Matters!

Regular Sizing in darker area.

X/S and X/L available only upon request.

What is that they say, "Size Matters."

Well it does, in our new sizing for our Red Dots Cycling Caps.

From our experience producing cycling caps, Carolle and I know there's not one size fits all. So, we decided to expand our sizing range for all new Red Dots Cycling Caps. We've included two new sizes: Small/Medium (21" - 22 1/2") & Medium/Large (22 1/2" - 24"). Our new M: 25 is our first cap to have the two sizes available.

It's our goal, since day one, to come up with the best fitting cycling caps. A lot of trial and error goes through the process. Learning the intricacies of many different fabric types realizing that one size does not fit all. And that everyone has a slightly different head shape.

What we did was remove our medium size to include offer a broader size range. Our new regular sizing starts at  21" to  24". A good standard size range.

Method One using a flexible tape.

The best way to measure your head for a proper fit is:

One: Flexible Measuring Tape Method. (If you don't have one, Ikea has it for free).

Place tape around head just above the ears slightly lower at the back and take your measurement.

Two: Cord Method.

Choose a cord that does not stretch. Place the cord around head. Make a mark. Measure the cord.

If you are a 22 1/2" size, you have the choice to go small/medium giving you a nice snug shallower fit. On the other hand, if you like a looser fit go with the medium/large as it fits deeper. If you happen to be outside the size range (21-24") we can help you by making a XS or XL cap at no extra cost, depending upon fabric availability. Or, if you require a cap that is totally unique, we can custom make you a special cap for extra cost. All you have to do is email us with your details.

It's one thing to have a beautifully handmade cycling cap, for us, it's also important to have a cycling cap that fits well!

The New M: 25 Cycling Cap

I like our new M: 25 cycling cap!

Today, we proudly launch our first handmade cycling cap design for Red Dots Cycling. May I introduce... the M: 25!

Inspired by my restored 1987 Marinoni in medium blue. It's a celebration of a 25 year old cycling bond with my old steel lugged friend. In case you haven't figured it out... M = Marinoni & 25 = 25 years.

This amazing medium blue was a standard color offered by Cycles Marinoni. And I first fell in love with it seeing the 1970s team Ferretti De Rosas, a beautiful bike with a beautiful color. The Italians know how to make their bicycles sing!

A classic combination with my 

1987 steel lugged Marinoni.

The blue of the M: 25 is as close as we can match it to the frame color. It's made of cotton/polyester twill. And we wanted to use this fabric because it's stiff enough to give structure to the cap and light enough so it breathes well. We chose the unconventional two stripes because we were inspired by the beautiful white banding and black script of my Marinoni, a classic combination.

We wanted this cap to be special, I mean 25 years is certainly a milestone. During the design phase, as soon as I mentioned, "How about two stripes?" Carolle replied, "How about three dots?" Brilliant! And from now on, all of our new cycling caps will be easily recognizable with the three red dots in the back. The red dots will be part of our new branding.

Our new red dots in the back!

Also new, we've included two new sizing; available in Small/Medium (21 - 22 1/2") & Medium/Large (22 1/2 - 24"). A separate post on sizing is upcoming.

Happy 25 to my Marinoni with our new ...M: 25 cycling cap!


Richard

Our Community Inner Tubes

Inner tubes bounty!

The Sun is certainly shining today as I hustled over to Our Community Bikes on the Main for bicycle inner tubes.

I received a monster garbage bag full. A cool and very busy repair place where you can fix your own bicycle and learn how to do it. It's also a bicycle recycling depot, good for us for more inner tubes.

Thanks again to Jesse & the crew!


Richard

Our DIY Photoshoot

Richard setting up for a pouch shoot.

You can take professional looking product images... without breaking the bank. Call it DIY photography!

It's important to have your products look the best possible. We like to use things that you can find at home or readily available at hardware and art supply stores. This means buying some sort of lighting, of course, shooting in daylight is not always an option here in raincouver. 

It is easier to shoot with a daylight balanced light source. Why? It will save you tons of time in post production ie Photoshop. We bought two inexpensive flood lights at Home Depot. There are many ways to make the light set up but this is the cheapest and quickest way that works for us.

We made a foldable 3 panel Chloroplast white U shape wall that holds the white paper with two buffalo clips and two spots at 45 degrees. Our setup is only good for small objects. 

The secret: point the two floods so it reflects off the opposite panels thus giving you softer shadows and even light.

The finish result...

Le Chasseur Cycling Cap. by Reddotscycling

Here's our equipment list...

1. White Chloroplast. (We are lucky to have recycled panels... Thanks Duane!)

2. Two flood lights. Home Depot $32 dollars.

3. Two daylight bulbs. Home Depot $3 dollars.

4. White background paper. You can find at art or photo supply stores. (A gift from a photographic rental house).

5. Two buffalo clips.

Cost of photographic equipment: $19 dollars and the satisfaction of having taken your own product shots... PRICELESS!

Carolle