The Chainlink

www.Outlier.cc

I own two pairs of their slacks, they look incredible at work and work incredible on the way. You can dump a glass of anything on them...it just rolls right off. How they get it to do that, be as comfortable as sweatpants on the couch, look better than all my co-workers pants, never wrinkle, and machine wash/dryer safe (seldom needed), i have no idea.

I also own shirts, shorts, and am buying a hat from them. It's expensive gear, but seriously, it's worth every penny and you'll never want to wear anything else again. I won't buy from anywhere else now if they make it...they do sell out of shit fast though, so you have to be on your toes with new releases. Customer service is beyond. I have zero interest in sharing this except that I can't help but want to share the knowledge about this stuff.

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+1. tyler is great! I purchased a pair of the black lotus slacks 2 years ago and they have been great! i couldn't have said it better myself! I'm also looking into getting a pair of rapha's slacks to compare the two..
My $14 dollar cargo pants from Sam's Club make me look as rad as these dudes,
it is all the same crap from China...I laugh when I see people wearing North Face/ REI crap
knowing what they paid...."A sucker is born".....
Bernard, you obviously are off on so many levels. If you looked at that which you are commenting on, something thqt seems like a reasonable thing to do, you might recognize it. My post doesn't describe "REI/Northface" stuff and it isn't talking about something your cargo pants could be considered substitutes for. It's not about looking "rad" either, glad your pants make you feel that way, though. Btw, what's that called at your office, cargo pant casual Fridays?

Bernard Joseph Hannigan said:
My $14 dollar cargo pants from Sam's Club make me look as rad as these dudes,
it is all the same crap from China...I laugh when I see people wearing North Face/ REI crap
knowing what they paid...."A sucker is born".....
Im a big fan of Dickies. They are comfortable, priced good, and resistant to stains and water. They are not tailored like the outlier for biking, but I ordered a few pairs of the low rise and they fit and look great for work and the ride too.
Had anyone ever approached me and asked where they could buy a three pack of ultrafine merino v-neck tees that are explicitly softer than the 18.9 grade merino most companies use for $195 I wouldn't have known what to tell them.


But now I know.
Amber K said:
Never heard of Outlier. They definitely cost a pretty penny, but so does a good gore-tex jacket. Wonder how dry they keep you in a good rain fall and how long the fabric stays repellent?

If it's like the softshell material, it'll work for light showers but any moderate rain will soak through in about 20 minutes or so. You can always get spray-on stuff that will renew the water repellent coating but the fabric's initial coating should last 2-3 years depending on how well you take care of it and how much abuse it gets.

Yeah, soft shell with a treatment. Spray on a repellent coating and it really won't breathe.

Nathaniel D. Buckner said:
It sounds like a treatment. I give it a year of hard use.

S said:
Amber K said:
Never heard of Outlier. They definitely cost a pretty penny, but so does a good gore-tex jacket. Wonder how dry they keep you in a good rain fall and how long the fabric stays repellent?

If it's like the softshell material, it'll work for light showers but any moderate rain will soak through in about 20 minutes or so. You can always get spray-on stuff that will renew the water repellent coating but the fabric's initial coating should last 2-3 years depending on how well you take care of it and how much abuse it gets.

From their site:
"Outlier is a detail oriented company and as we iron out the last details in production, we thought we could give an explanation on what's to come. The first full run of our OG cut pants will be made in black 4Season Lotus, a fabric we absolutely love.
The 4Season is a mid-weight fabric you can wear year round, from the beach to the ski slopes and out to dinner too. The Lotus, well that's trickier, and we'll get to that.
The base 4Season fabric is a blend made in Switzerland by Schoeller Textiles. A durable tech fabric with a great handfeel worthy of our old school New York garment district construction. It stretches with you as you ride your bike, but drapes like a pro as you walk indoors. It's abrasion resistant and wicks moisture away from your body. In light rain, it's water resistant and raindrops bead up and roll away. In a downpour? Well... nothings perfect. It'll saturate eventually. But once you are in the clear, it'll dry out in no time (10-20, usually.)
As for the Lotus, that's our name for what the Schoeller people call "nanosphere" or "self-cleaning". It's a nano tech fabric treatment modeled after the surface of a lotus leaf, no lie. What that means is that the surface is a fractal with no repeating surface structure upon which oil or stains can bond. We've been known to pour coffee and red wine straight onto our pants. Usually it just rolls off. Occasionally a bit might actually dry down, but it too will roll right off if you splash some water over it.
We aren't too comfortable with that phrase "self-cleaning" but this is some pretty nice fabric. It wears harder and needs way less cleaning than your average fabric. It's extremely comfortable, resists wrinkles, fading and odors too (just a bonus). In other words, a seriously versatile fabric for all 4 seasons.
To top it off, it's made to the bluesign environmental standards of Switzerland. The fabric is woven and dyed in a manner which minimizes waste, reduces emissions and avoids the toxic chemicals common in much of the textile industry. In other words, it's a start, and we at Outlier are committed to pushing our suppliers to do even more and rewarding those that follow through.
Technically this fabric is 80% Nylon, 10% Polyester and 10% Spandex. You can machine wash it warm, and machine dry it warm as well; although it's not really necessary given how fast it dries. Quick note, machine drying does help re-up the lotus effect, as does ironing. For the most part this stuff just works, throw it on and go ride your bike...."

Amber K said:
Yeah, soft shell with a treatment. Spray on a repellent coating and it really won't breathe.
Nathaniel D. Buckner said:
It sounds like a treatment. I give it a year of hard use.

S said:
Amber K said:
Never heard of Outlier. They definitely cost a pretty penny, but so does a good gore-tex jacket. Wonder how dry they keep you in a good rain fall and how long the fabric stays repellent?

If it's like the softshell material, it'll work for light showers but any moderate rain will soak through in about 20 minutes or so. You can always get spray-on stuff that will renew the water repellent coating but the fabric's initial coating should last 2-3 years depending on how well you take care of it and how much abuse it gets.

If I had the $$$, I would definitely try the stuff out, but that's not going to happen anytime soon.

R S said:
From their site:
"Outlier is a detail oriented company and as we iron out the last details in production, we thought we could give an explanation on what's to come. The first full run of our OG cut pants will be made in black 4Season Lotus, a fabric we absolutely love.
The 4Season is a mid-weight fabric you can wear year round, from the beach to the ski slopes and out to dinner too. The Lotus, well that's trickier, and we'll get to that.
The base 4Season fabric is a blend made in Switzerland by Schoeller Textiles. A durable tech fabric with a great handfeel worthy of our old school New York garment district construction. It stretches with you as you ride your bike, but drapes like a pro as you walk indoors. It's abrasion resistant and wicks moisture away from your body. In light rain, it's water resistant and raindrops bead up and roll away. In a downpour? Well... nothings perfect. It'll saturate eventually. But once you are in the clear, it'll dry out in no time (10-20, usually.)
As for the Lotus, that's our name for what the Schoeller people call "nanosphere" or "self-cleaning". It's a nano tech fabric treatment modeled after the surface of a lotus leaf, no lie. What that means is that the surface is a fractal with no repeating surface structure upon which oil or stains can bond. We've been known to pour coffee and red wine straight onto our pants. Usually it just rolls off. Occasionally a bit might actually dry down, but it too will roll right off if you splash some water over it.
We aren't too comfortable with that phrase "self-cleaning" but this is some pretty nice fabric. It wears harder and needs way less cleaning than your average fabric. It's extremely comfortable, resists wrinkles, fading and odors too (just a bonus). In other words, a seriously versatile fabric for all 4 seasons.
To top it off, it's made to the bluesign environmental standards of Switzerland. The fabric is woven and dyed in a manner which minimizes waste, reduces emissions and avoids the toxic chemicals common in much of the textile industry. In other words, it's a start, and we at Outlier are committed to pushing our suppliers to do even more and rewarding those that follow through.
Technically this fabric is 80% Nylon, 10% Polyester and 10% Spandex. You can machine wash it warm, and machine dry it warm as well; although it's not really necessary given how fast it dries. Quick note, machine drying does help re-up the lotus effect, as does ironing. For the most part this stuff just works, throw it on and go ride your bike...."

Amber K said:
Yeah, soft shell with a treatment. Spray on a repellent coating and it really won't breathe.
Nathaniel D. Buckner said:
It sounds like a treatment. I give it a year of hard use.

S said:
Amber K said:
Never heard of Outlier. They definitely cost a pretty penny, but so does a good gore-tex jacket. Wonder how dry they keep you in a good rain fall and how long the fabric stays repellent?

If it's like the softshell material, it'll work for light showers but any moderate rain will soak through in about 20 minutes or so. You can always get spray-on stuff that will renew the water repellent coating but the fabric's initial coating should last 2-3 years depending on how well you take care of it and how much abuse it gets.

Ignoring cost for the moment (similar garments are available at both higher and lower price points), there are several companies working in the same vein -- chic, cycling-friendly garments constructed using "technical" fabrics but with minimal silhouettes. Nau, Swobo, Rapha, Swerv, Derny, and even Chrome, Chuey, and many Japanese brands. You can also find really similar stuff from Uniqlo, Muji, etc. And recently very big brands like Nike, Puma, and Adidas have released garments that, were the logos changed, one would guess they'd come from one of the boutique brands.

Also: several companies now use Schoeller fabrics. Outlier is very nice, but the fit is (obviously) tailored to a very specific profile.

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