WoolWeenies Club

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Welcome Shagge!
(and thanks Knot for alerting me to the new Woolweenie action flurry!)

I would be too embarrassed to admit how much Ibex stuff I have "invested" in this year.

Just today, DH and I went on a 35 mile, almost 4 hour ride in 31degrees F.
Here's what I wore, from head to foot:
-Louis Garneau junior balaclava
-SmartWool helmet liner
-Helmet
-Underarmour sport bra
-Ibex woolies base layer (longsleeve)
-SmartWool crewneck LS base layer
-Salvation Army thick merino turtleneck
-SheBeest WindPro jacket
-polarfleece liner gloves
-Ibex Climawool gloves
-Shebeest long Tech Tights w/chamois
-Ibex Approach tights
-Smartwool knee socks
-very thick hi-tech hiking socks
-Thinsulate heavy hiking boots

At the end of our ride, I was not tired, but my fingers were much colder than I would have liked, and my toes were very painfully cold. Other than that, I was fine!

You asked for Ibex suggestions, here are mine:

I got Approach tights on sale this xmas for my 2 grown daughters & one "daughter-in-love"- they all LOVE them! I am addicted to my Approach tights- I wear them when cycling and when not cycling. They feel so good against the skin, and I love that they are thick. I did get an "Amelia" LS Ibex top on sale, I like the shape but I think it is just too see-through. Good for sleeping in I guess.

I would like to see your colors change more frequently.
Also, your "weekly special" has been the Neve jacket for what seems like Forever.
I don't buy "jerseys" per se- I find short sleeves very unflattering on me. I always wear either longsleeve, 3/4 sleeve, or tank tops (no sleeves). I like wearing regular merino tops for cycling- not specifically "cycling jerseys".
I too would like to see some more underwear from Ibex. Especially tank tops with built in bra shelf and SKINNY straps so they don't show at the neckline.
I wish there were more color choices for the Woolies line. I also would like to see more turtlenecks or mockturtlenecks WITHOUT zippers. There IS such a thing as having too many tops with zippers, zippers are not "cuddly".
I love my Switchback pullovers and vest. I got them in Persimmon because they would be visible to traffic on the road.
Thanks for asking!!!

[mimitabby]

boy, this thread is getting expensive for me to read!
you guys have excellent comments for the Ibex rep.
my main gripe is here i have all these nice wool things and
a yucky bra that holds in the cold underneath.
sounds like this is going to change!

[KnottedYet]

Hey Shagge - I want 2 more pair of Roaster Boxers. I can get 'em from Altrec for $30 each right now. If they are likely to go on sale at Ibex for a similar price, I can wait. (does Ibex make more money if I get 'em from the Ibex outlet or from Altrec?) Any hints to help me plan my shopping?

[Dianyla]

Shagge, my Ibex wishlist includes:

1. Make the cycling knickers shorter for us petite gals. The end of the El Fito tights hits me right on the widest part of the calf, instead of somewhere between the knee and the bulge of the calf.

2. Make the cycling jerseys sleeveless or with cute little cap sleeves. Longish sleeves don't show off my nice girly muscles, they just make my arms look pudgy.

3. Wool bras (real bras, with underwires, in big boob sizes) and undies (prefer thong but could settle for bikini).

That is all.

[Bad JuJu]

Hey, Shagge.
Two words: Plus Sizes. (Or at least an XXL, for those of us who are *ahem* working our way down.)
Thanks for asking.

[Shagge]

Hey, Shagge.
Two words: Plus Sizes. (Or at least an XXL, for those of us who are *ahem* working our way down.)
Thanks for asking.

Noted! We are hoping to offer more petite and plus sizes in the future. We appreciate the suggestion JuJu!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

2. Make the cycling jerseys sleeveless or with cute little cap sleeves. Longish sleeves don't show off my nice girly muscles, they just make my arms look pudgy.

3. Wool bras (real bras, with underwires, in big boob sizes) and undies (prefer thong but could settle for bikini).

That is all.

Yeah, I second that suggestion for both sleeveless and little cap sleeves.

And bras...but my bra needs are for NO underwires, and in small boob sizes!

And wool bikini underwear or just high-rise briefs....YEAH!

[Velobambina]

Great sale going on at pendelton (www.pendleton-usa.com). Not athletic clothes, but lots of good stuff for wool afficianos.

[KnottedYet]

*Pendleton's sale has a buffalo-plaid (blue and black) queen sized blanket for $100.*

Shagge - could Ibex offer things in petite length, but keep making the long length, too? I have a terrible time finding things that are long enough in the legs and arms, and just adore the fact that Ibex Large fit me perfectly. For example: Dianyla could use a knicker with shorter legs, but if all the knickers had shorter legs I would weep bitter tears.

Maybe try offering petites in a few basics and see how they sell?

And I've heard the call for XXL Ibex several times. Again, maybe a few carefully chosen (by the wool-weenies, of course! ) basics and see how they sell?

The women's market is out there. Look at how well Terry does with their signature bike short offered in 3 lengths for each size. Or Columbia with their basic chino styles each offered in 3 lengths for each size. Hind running pants, offered in lengths for each size.

Women want and need the length options just as much as men do. If Ibex had a little sub-specialty going on with lengths it could be pretty popular among the talls-and-smalls.

Edit: wool is on the upswing of popularity again, and more companies are throwing wool into the works. Ibex could have another selling point besides wool and Ibex's great quality: multiple sizes/lengths for women!

[wavedancer]

Another vote here for wool sports bra, shelf bra camis. I hate to wear a clammy next-to-skin layer under my merino!

[Quillfred]

Another vote here for 2XL. I would have bought the El Fito except it was already snug, and being wool and all.....

[Grog]

Hi Shagge and welcome to TE, thanks for reading us!

I am with Madscot. I am currently wearing the Ultimate Guide Sweater and love it dearly. However it's the only piece of Ibex clothing that has fitted me so far. I have bought the cycling shorts last year along with a jersey, and they were not for my body shape (5'4" and 120 lbs or so). I have hips and thighs (but barely boobs) but I would have needed a tummy to fit in there. Maybe a XS would have worked. I was quite disappointed as the material is exceptional, and the chammy seemed quite good.

I was at REI in Seattle last week (I live in Canada) and tried the lovely full-zip hoodie (Carrie) in small and it was also way too big. I usually wear a medium or small in typical REI sizes.

From what I've read I think we need more sizes to reflect the diversity of our bodies. I understand it might be difficult for a small company!!

Thanks for reading!

[Shagge]

Shagge, my Ibex wishlist includes:

1. Make the cycling knickers shorter for us petite gals. The end of the El Fito tights hits me right on the widest part of the calf, instead of somewhere between the knee and the bulge of the calf.

Noted. Will pass this along!

2. Make the cycling jerseys sleeveless or with cute little cap sleeves. Longish sleeves don't show off my nice girly muscles, they just make my arms look pudgy.

Check out this jersey: http://www.ibexwear.com/F06/View_Pro...&CategoryLine=
The sleeves are a bit shorter and tighter than the sleeves on our other cycling jerseys. We make a sleeveless jersey (the Ventoux) for men that may work for you?

3. Wool bras (real bras, with underwires, in big boob sizes) and undies (prefer thong but could settle for bikini).

Wool underwire bras? Now there's an idea! THe thong will be along before too long!

That is all.

Muchas gracias!

Shagge

[Shagge]

Hey Shagge - I want 2 more pair of Roaster Boxers. I can get 'em from Altrec for $30 each right now. If they are likely to go on sale at Ibex for a similar price, I can wait. (does Ibex make more money if I get 'em from the Ibex outlet or from Altrec?) Any hints to help me plan my shopping?

Hi KnottedYet,

If you found a deal at Altrec, go for it. I appreciate your offer to buy directly, but we do like to support our dealers as well. It's all good for us!

Thanks for your support.

Shagge

[Shagge]

[QUOTE=Lisa S.H.;156161]Welcome Shagge!


Thanks for your welcome and for all your great suggestions Lisa S.H! No need to be embarrassed by your Ibex investments (but of course I would say that, right?) I have made note of all your suggestions to pass along to design/production. Also, I will find out what's going on with the specials. I know that they are now called "web specials" because (as you noticed) we haven't been offering a different one each week.

Would you like to see more bright colors (for visibility sake) in our Woolies, or do you wear your Woolies as a baselayer only?

I also wanted to point out that we have a new and improved version of the Approach Tight now--it's called the Energy TIght and it uses the same material but has a revised fit (lower rise) and ankle zips.