creating the fit for taller cyclists

From endurance days, time trials or social rides - being a tall cyclist has always had its challenges. Chamois pads are not in the correct place, straps on bib shorts are cutting into shoulders, and the leg length is not long enough.

Cycling kit, as any cyclist will know, is 100% personal preference, and I have had my fair share of brands in the wardrobe. Money down the drain, and Vinted becoming my best friend for selling the “tall cyclists” kit that left me with awful tan lines and disappointment. Tall cyclists, look no further! There is a brand that is taking cycling clothing from the “one size fits all” model to having a bespoke cut in their ranges to suit you.

Having cycled the length of the UK and climbed the equivalent of Mt Everest multiple times, finding cycling kit that can last hours in the saddle has been an issue. Thankfully, after trying many brands on the market, I went to a brand local to where I live, who also happened to make the fastest kit on the market and inclusive with women’s kit and a tall cut option on all their ranges. And I was hooked on the brand that is Nopinz. This option for a tall cut kit was something I had never seen in the years of discomfort with other mainstream cycling brands.

The days of kit-related issues, due to poorly fitting clothing, are over. The days of short straps rubbing the shoulders, jerseys riding up at the front or the rear pockets being too high to get your hand into have been solved with the option of a tall fit on all Nopinz clothing.

But what are the differences in the kit?

Tall fit measurements:

Speedsuit products are 2.5cm longer in the legs and 4cm longer in the sleeves.

Road race and tri suits are 2.5cm longer in the legs and 2cm longer in the arms.

Jerseys are 4cm longer in the body and 2cm longer in the sleeves.

Bib shorts are 2.5cm longer in the legs.

These differences may not seem like a lot, but it means shorts are in the correct place for chamois pad position and not leaving you wearing a pair of mini-shorts. Longer sleeves allow better positioning of the jersey over the shoulders, and the longer body allows for pockets to be in the correct position to have the functionality, and the jersey doesn’t ride up at the front. Skinsuits, being longer in the arms and legs, also have the same benefits but with the addition of allowing the aero design to be in the correct position to give the rider the same gains as someone who is in the standard cut kit.

Nopinz founder Blake Pond started the journey in 2012 and this was due to his own experience. Based in Barnstable in North Devon, the company has gone from a small unit to supplying the world with game changing gains. “not being able to access a better club skinsuit cost me a podium spot at the National 50TT, so when I started offering custom versions of my suits I was determined that no matter the size of your club my kit would be accessible to all, and that’s how Club Nopinz was born. Club Nopinz takes away the barriers of the traditional ordering process and makes accessing fast, quality, custom kits accessible to all,” said Blake.

With no minimum orders, short lead times on custom and collection kits, Nopinz are leading the way for racers and weekend warriors alike. With kit supplied to some of the world’s best riders, teams and record holders, products are tested not only by Blake and partner Tori, but also by a previous UCI World hour record holder and now Astana aerodynamic guru, Alex Dowsett. Lower down the order are a small group of athletes from endurance riders, TT specialists and triathletes. A small but niche group of athletes that I am stoked to be a part of.

In 2025, Nopinz took their established brand and logo and flipped it on its head with a full rebrand. Sustainability and a commitment to responsibility and transparency are the focal point, with the brand now becoming a B Corp business.

The brand is known for more than just its various ranges and fits. With indoor kits with built-in ice packs, cargo gravel bib shorts, and hypersonic speed suits, they really do cover it all. To think the whole business was started on the original ‘speed pocket’, allowing riders to have race numbers on their kit with no safety pins needed, allowing not only a better aero fitting kit, but also aesthetically better with no flapping around numbers.

Obviously, this blog is biased towards myself and people taller than 6 ft 2, but for a brand to even consider that, as tall cyclists, we need kit adapted to fit us. Cycling kit is stretchy, but that often leaves with rubbing on the shoulders or stretched so much it becomes see-through. So, to finally be able to have a kit that is designed to fit us is a game-changer.

Blake and team Nopinz broke the routine with their speed pocket, and now they are ending the discomfort for tall cyclists. Doing all this whilst still providing gains and aesthetics that compete and beat the mass manufacturer market, all out of a unit in North Devon. Having been to the HQ a fair few times over the years, the growth it has come since my first custom jersey in 2019, to where it is now, is incredible.

But the best thing of all? The kit is all still assembled by hand and printed on site, with care and attention before being posted out to you, all quicker than you can order other brands online from a shop across the world.

If you want to grab your kit, be sure to head over to www.nopinz.com and use code “aidan10” for 10% off. Be sure to say hello to any Nopinz athletes and Blake at many of the TT’s and events across the UK.

Photos by Tristian Kelsall-Spurr, Jeff Tomkins and Nopinz.