Designing The Mechanic: Clock Out, Clip In

Every riding group has an unofficial mechanic. We made them a uniform.

The Mechanic is the newest of our jerseys in disguise. From across the street it looks like a navy workshop shirt with a name patch and a shop badge. Up close it's a full-zip, race-fit cycling jersey with three rear pockets. Here's how it came together.

The idea: the shirt everyone recognizes

You know the shirt. Dark navy, a stitched name patch, a shop logo over the pocket, a pen clipped where it's always clipped. It says "I can fix that" before you say anything. After The Lumberjack turned a flannel shirt into a jersey, the work shirt was the obvious next job.

The rule for every jersey in disguise is the same: the joke has to be printed, never sewn. No real collar to flap, no real pockets on the chest to catch air, no buttons to dig in when you're down on the drops. The shirt is the artwork; the jersey underneath is a normal Corbah jersey.

The palette: four colors, no noise

Work shirts aren't busy, so this jersey isn't either. It uses four colors:

• Deep navy for the front and back body panels.
• Charcoal for the raglan sleeves, side panels and collar, and for the placket strip down the zip.
• Cream for the badges, buttons and pocket stitching.
• Rust for two small accents: a pen tab on the left chest pocket and a dash under the back badge.

Every panel is one solid color, so nothing has to line up across a seam. That keeps the print clean on every size from XS to 4XL.

Panel by panel

Collar points

Two charcoal collar tips, outlined in cream, are printed on the chest just below the real cycling collar. From a few meters away your brain fills in the rest of the shirt collar.

Placket and buttons

A charcoal strip runs down the front around the zip, with five cream buttons printed beside it. The zip is real and runs the full length. The buttons are not, which is the point.

Chest pockets and badges

Two printed pockets with stitch lines sit on the chest. Above the left one (as you wear it) is the oval CORBAH CYCLE WORKS shop badge, with a rust pen tab on the pocket below. Above the right one is the name patch, which reads CREW.

The back

The back keeps it simple: one large cream CORBAH CYCLE WORKS badge between the shoulder blades, a short rust dash underneath, and three plain navy rear pockets for your tube, levers and a gel.

Put your name on the patch

CREW is the standard patch, for the rider who keeps everyone else rolling. If you'd rather it said your name, or the name of the person you're buying it for, that's free. Personalization is free on every Corbah jersey: place your order, then tell us what you'd like on the patch (up to 10 letters).

It makes a good gift for the friend who always has the right tool. If it's for Christmas, order by Friday, November 13 for US delivery by December 25. More on timing in our Christmas ordering guide.

On the road

We pictured The Mechanic on early roll-outs past brick warehouses and on the ride home from the workshop. It's a jersey for coffee stops that turn into roadside repairs.

Pair it with plain black bibs like the Men's Classics Midnight Bib Shorts ($139.95). Buy bibs with a jersey and you save 10% on the bibs, taken off at checkout. The bib shorts in these photos are sold separately.

Get yours

The Mechanic Work Shirt Cycling Jersey is $99.95 in sizes XS to 4XL. Like everything we make, it's made to order and takes about 5–6 weeks. Personalization is free.

Check the size guide before you order. We can't take returns or exchanges on made-to-order kit, but if the size is wrong you keep the jersey and can order the same one in another size within 15 days of delivery for about 20–60% off that new order.

Looking for more jerseys in disguise? See Designing The Lumberjack, the Tuxedo, or our funny jerseys roundup. CORBAH CYCLE WORKS and CREW are design lettering, not a real shop or sponsor.