District Vision’s Move into Cycling Is Everything We Could Have Wanted

District Vision is a running brand focused on mindful performance. Does its sporting vision translate to the cycling world? We found out.

By Will Porter

Published April 9, 2023

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Updated April 9, 2023

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When District Vision first launched in 2016, its proprietary Japanese-made sunglasses had been tested by a group of seasoned runners in lower Manhattan, who put the shades through their paces on the traffic-laden streets and avenues. The result was a lineup of feedback-driven performance sunglasses perfectly tailored to the running community. The brand has since expanded into a full spread of running apparel and accessories all designed as tools for the mindful athlete — one whose mental well-being is intertwined with their sporting well-being.

As the brand’s offerings expanded, DV’s sunglasses naturally made their way into the cycling world — any cyclist knows that sunglasses are one of the most important pieces in their kit. District Vision’s shades are light, feature impressive lens technology and simply put, look damn cool. This made the frames a natural fit for runners and cyclists alike. What was missing, however, was a full District Vision cycling kit that could be worn along with the brand’s sunglasses. Just a couple of months ago, DV changed that with the launch of its first-ever cycling line, which features cargo bib shorts, a short-sleeve merino wool-blend jersey, an ultralight wind jacket and a Primaloft insulated gilet (vest). Oh, and a one-off $30,000 custom titanium touring bike handmade in Japan by Yoshi Nishikawa of Kualis Cycles.

An homage to the off-road cycling traditions of Japan and California, the kit is intended to aid cyclists in their exploration of new terrain and a higher state of being. The idea is to get out and go, leaving behind the pretentiousness many cyclists have seen come into their sport and finding something new; to recapture the essence of adventure on the bike. By now we’ve all heard the term “gravel” in the bike world, which DV rejects as a concept, seeing as the term was mainly generated to sell more bikes and apparel. The brand had this to say upon the launch of its cycling gear, “Long before the term ‘gravel’ was invented by the cycling industry to sell more bikes and market highly competitive races, there existed a world of experimentation, exploration, camaraderie, and the pursuit of a transcendence that can only be achieved by moving through a landscape on two wheels under one’s own power.”

a man riding a bike through the snow — This bike costs $30,000.

Obviously, a cycling kit alone can’t do all that, but why wouldn’t we want our tools to reflect the spirit of the activity we’re pursuing? We got our hands on a kit and took it out for a spin to find out if DV’s commitment to crafting performance running gear translated to the bike.

District Vision Cycling Kit Review

What’s Good About the District Vision Cycling Kit

The Little Details Are Everything

The kit, as a whole, has so many delightful little details that really take it a cut above your standard cycling gear. The jersey features a snap-in microfiber lens on the left-side rear pocket that comes in super handy when your sunglasses need a quick wipe down, while the zipper pocket adds an extra secure spot for keys, credit cards or anything else you want to be protected. All-in-all, the sportwool jersey has four pockets, which is exactly what is required on a long, contemplative cycling journey.

cycling attire — Here you can see the DV logo at the top left, the four rear pockets and the clip-on cloth that stows in the left pocket.

The bib shorts have cargo pockets on either side of the legs, which I used for stashing gloves and a handkerchief on my cold training rides in the New York City area. The beauty is, they could be used for anything you want — a snack, your phone or any other little bits you like to have available to you on a ride. The Primaloft-insulated vest also has three pockets, which I’ve never had on a cycling vest in all my years of riding. This adds even more precious storage, a welcome sight for any cyclist.

Finally, the kit just looks extremely good, down to the finest details. The branding is well-considered and subtle; there’s nothing flashy about it. It blends black and blue hues that are not only easy on the eyes but give the kit a ton of versatility. While many kits only look good if you wear matching tops and bottoms together, the DV kit wouldn’t look out of place mixed with any number of other brands or apparel. (I love to just rock a t-shirt with cargo bibs, you should try it.)

The Materials Are Second to None

Each piece of the kit, be it the jersey, vest, jacket or bibs, is made from some of the finest materials you’ll see on any cycling kit, even when compared to top-tier cycling brands like MAAP or Pas Normal Studios. This comes with a heavy price tag, especially if you buy every piece at once, but, in my mind, the quality easily justifies the dent it’ll put in your wallet.

a district vision cycling shirt on a blanket — A close-up of the Sportwool jersey, which shows the DV-branded grippers on the bottom and the rubber logo on the left chest.

My personal favorite is the jersey. The sportwool material District Vision used is a proprietary, non-mulesed merino wool blend made in Denmark. It has some heft and feels great on the skin, plus it also touts all of the features that make merino wool such an excellent material for athletic apparel: it’s thermoregulating, anti-microbial and odor resistant.

The cargo bib shorts are made with signature Italian-milled tights fabric and utilize a premium, Italian-sourced chamois that offers antimicrobial and odor-controlling properties along with superior cushioning. No matter how many miles I rode in them, I never felt any unusual discomfort and had no issues with saddle sores. The jacket and vest are both made with ultralight Italian micro-ripstop and the vest uses Primaloft synthetic insulation that is warm even when it’s wet. Plus, the jacket and vest pack down small enough to easily fit in a jersey pocket or frame bag.

What’s Not So Good About the DV Kit

The Sizing Can Be Tricky

The District Vision website is clear about the sizing — each product page clearly states that each of the different bits fits small. While this absolves them of any guilt, it still must be stated that you’ll want to size up on every piece of the kit. I’m somewhere between a medium and a large in just about every cycling brand and the medium bibs and jersey are slightly small on me. While the stretchy properties of the jersey and bibs make this manageable, the vest and the jacket are not stretchy at all, meaning you’ll absolutely have to size up (I am a large in the vest and jacket. For reference, I’m 5’10 and ~180 pounds). Again, the brand has stated this on its product pages, but third-party sites do not and, as a shopper, we all know how easy it is to blow by the finer details in our efforts to place the order as quickly as humanly possible.

It’s Expensive

As I said earlier, I think the quality justifies the price. This, however, doesn’t mean that everyone should go out and spend this much on a cycling kit. If you can afford it, do it, by all means. For the average cyclist, though, this may be a big ask. If you buy all of the pieces together, you’ll be dropping a whopping $1,005, and that just won’t work for many of us.

District Vision’s Cycling Kit: The Verdict

District Vision has surpassed my expectations with its first venture into the cycling world. The materials are insanely good and, once I got the fit dialed, I found myself eager to reach for this kit over many of the others I’ve accumulated through the years. When it comes to quality, I have no doubts; after a couple hundred miles and a few washes, none of the pieces show any signs of wear.

As someone who is interested in the mental and the physical aspects of sport, I’ve always loved the ethos of District Vision — nothing excites me more than a brand that puts mindfulness at the forefront of any adventure. The addition of cycling to its offering is a natural one for the brand, as cycling is a spiritual sibling of running — both ask a lot of the individual athlete, be it strong mental fortitude or simply an ability to push oneself. Plus, it’s no secret that runners and cyclists tend to be partial to high-quality gear. If you’re an avid bikepacker, love long days in the saddle or are just a fan of District Vision, I would definitely recommend picking up at least one of the brand’s cycling pieces.