Quantcast

Roach clothing

Kntr

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
7,526
21
Montana
I met Ingred in Fernie a long time ago. I dont even remember what year it was, but it was at a BC Cup race. I sure miss the old Roach clothing. My wife has a couple one-off jackets and Indy pants that Ingred made when she first started. They are still going strong. I still have a pair of shorts she made and they have no rips and still look like the day I bought them and they have seen a lot of miles. I sure wish someone made clothing like the old Roach stuff. It sure was bomb proof. The material wasnt the softest or most comfortable material, but it lasted. Anyone still have Roach clothing that they wear or just have in the drawer? Pics? Opinion?
 

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
I have the Indy pants new and the RF jacket freeride from 4 years ago and its taken hits many times as well as plenty of rain, cold, snow and just trekking around in that time and I coulnt be happier. The velcro wrist straps are ripping a bit and the logo on the left arm came off but no tears, still water proof and still providing me with a comfortable dry ride...
The RF and roach are all similair and the same company, the Indy pants have seen to hard cold wet DH days and with the strait knees under them were comfortable as well as I didnt notice a whole lot of bulk and pulling there. Id like them to be a little bigger in the legs but thats it...

Great products for sure...

My 07 TLD moto shorts were STOUT and stupid tough, the new ones are good but not like the originals...

Raceface/Roach makes some of the most comfortable and best fitting clothes Ive seen in the past, a smidge baggier and they would be perfect.....
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
Piece of crap Roach shorts only lasted 6 years of almost every day usage.

BTW, does anyone have any new ones for sale?
 

Demomonkey

Monkey
Apr 27, 2005
857
0
Auckland New Zealand
I came home from Vancouver with a bag stuffed full of Roach. Shorts, vests, pads. Most of it was good quality but pretty crap looking. A pair of their shorts lasted 2 years, five days a week and many wipe outs as a bicycle messenger.
 

Uncle Cliffy

Turbo Monkey
Jan 28, 2008
4,490
42
Southern Oregon
A little off topic, but I got a pair of Sombrio shorts in 2003 that will never die.

I don't know if they had a name, but they're made out of thick canvas rip-stop. They feel like they got dipped in pure starch. If I ever rip them, it's cause I crashed really bad on a bed of razor blades...
 

super

Chimp
Apr 1, 2011
1
0
Is there even an alternative? I havent found anything even remotely as awesome as roach stuff. I have a pair of pants i bought 11 years ago and they are still going strong. Miss that company.
 

dhr-racer

Monkey
Jan 24, 2007
410
0
A, A
they actually sent out a big email to every who attended BTAC (canadian interbike) if there would be interest in them bringing it back, that was in october, so they were looking into it lately. Hopefully the name gets rescued out of the raceface fires and brought back as the great brand it was, i still have one of the last generation roach stickers on the front of my snowboard
 

EastCoaster

Monkey
Mar 30, 2002
403
0
Southeastern PA
I'd be another customer in line. Two pairs of shorts and the jacket with the zip off sleeves here. Like everyone else stated.... still going strong. Actually, I just threw my sewn in Canada chainstay protector off of my old school Smorgasbord hardtail on my Gamjam since the stays are so thin. That protector is from waaaay back in the day and that material has lasted through years of chain rub. I think that some of the later ones were sewn overseas. I have an old stem nad protector around here too.
 

John P.

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2001
1,170
0
Golden, CO
We were just getting ready to proto some new Roach stuff when RF went bust. We were trying to work out a deal with Ingrid to contribute to the project, so it wouldn't surprise me to see her give it a go solo now that there's really no one around to enforce RF's ownership of the Roach brand name.

Keep your eyes open for the RF liquidation/asset sale too: we had a healthy amount of original Roach stuff in our warehouse, so that will likely hit the market for cheap at some point.
 

Kntr

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
7,526
21
Montana
Keep your eyes open for the RF liquidation/asset sale too: we had a healthy amount of original Roach stuff in our warehouse, so that will likely hit the market for cheap at some point.
Where would they be selling the Roach stuff?
 

DirtMcGirk

<b>WAY</b> Dumber than N8 (to the power of ten alm
Feb 21, 2008
6,379
1
Oz
I would stab someone, gladly, to get three more pairs of her XC shorts. They made it through Louisiana, Virginia, Florida, Nevada, Texas, Seattle, and Phoenix. Right now the left leg is stitched back together as I cut a pretty good hole in it in Reno, but I would kill a man for some more of these.

Ingrid did the Team Fat Kids jerseys for us some years back. Had to be five years ago since I was still married. They are still going strong today. I have two out of the three of mine, only one loss to a drunken float down the Truckee River in Reno as I wanted to tan my fat ass while I drank my way down into the heart of down town.

Ingrid, pretty please, with sugar on top, come back!
 

-BB-

I broke all the rules, but somehow still became mo
Sep 6, 2001
4,254
28
Livin it up in the O.C.
Wow, I'd love to see Roach back up and running. I have a pair of the original Roach leg pads and despite the elastic being all stretched out, they are still pretty solid. And this is even with them living in my truck-bed between rides!!

Shoot, they are at least 10 years old. Probably more like 12years!!
 

zahgurim

Underwater monkey
Mar 9, 2005
1,100
12
lolAsia
I still use my Roach jacket/vest I bought off her back in 94 or 95... Fookin indestructable.
All my favorite riding gear has been old-school Roach, and it's all still going strong.
 

broadbean

Chimp
May 28, 2012
1
0
I met Ingred in Fernie a long time ago. I dont even remember what year it was, but it was at a BC Cup race. I sure miss the old Roach clothing. My wife has a couple one-off jackets and Indy pants that Ingred made when she first started. They are still going strong. I still have a pair of shorts she made and they have no rips and still look like the day I bought them and they have seen a lot of miles. I sure wish someone made clothing like the old Roach stuff. It sure was bomb proof. The material wasnt the softest or most comfortable material, but it lasted. Anyone still have Roach clothing that they wear or just have in the drawer? Pics? Opinion?
yeh hi have had a roach shirt for twenty years now showing signs of wear now though any idea where i can get one from ?
 

4130biker

PM me about Tantrum Cycles!
May 24, 2007
3,883
448
Took a RF survey about Interest in roach if they were to re-start it a couple months before RF itself went down. I wonder if roach is still in the cards? Maybe when this racerboi kit fad dies down a bit ;)
On a side note- psyched that RF is back!
 

Kntr

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
7,526
21
Montana
Took a RF survey about Interest in roach if they were to re-start it a couple months before RF itself went down. I wonder if roach is still in the cards? Maybe when this racerboi kit fad dies down a bit ;)
On a side note- psyched that RF is back!
Also known as the PJ Fad... :)
 

DirtMcGirk

<b>WAY</b> Dumber than N8 (to the power of ten alm
Feb 21, 2008
6,379
1
Oz
I'd be more excited than Ross Perot on a viagra rip in a whore house if Ingrid would bring back Roach. Best pair of XC shorts I've ever had.
 

Huck Banzai

Turbo Monkey
May 8, 2005
2,523
23
Transitory
Still have some angie wear. The big boys pushed her out price wise. She closed up shop a few years ago.
I have some of her shorts, that feel like you're wearing a diaper, but never caught a seat or gave any issues!

Also a padded TT thingamadoo.


I had some Roach knees and elbows (the ones 661 copied) but they wore out years ago. They did last longer than any others, just hot as hell.
 

xy9ine

Turbo Monkey
Mar 22, 2004
2,940
353
vancouver eastside
for those old enough to have ridden in roach clothing (which is probably most of us, the gentrified bastards we are) - Ingrid Doerr, the founder of the company, just passed away. she was a strong supporter of the vancouver scene, and i had the privilege of meeting her multiple times over the years. a great human. like many others, roach soft goods were an essential part of the wardrobe back in the day, and it lived up to the motto - "can't kill a roach". ride in peace, Ingrid.
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,192
19,158
Canaderp
Damn. RIP.

Roach clothing was brought up on the lift last weekend. And I know of one person who still has/wears some Roach pant/shorts combo.
 

djjohnr

Turbo Monkey
Apr 21, 2002
3,001
1,693
Northern California
Couldn't find my regular elbow pads last resort day, wound up running my 15+ year old Roachs. Still one of the best pads for protecting from forearm rash.
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,538
5,470
UK
RIP Ingred :(

I still have (and occasionally wear) 2 pairs of Roach indy pants (one black, one grey) I must have bought them back in 1998/9. over here 24SEVEN bikes the UK Dirtjump/DH bike company distributed them (Anyone remember them?) and they had a lifetime "if we can't fix them we'll replace them" warranty. I tore a massive L shaped rip in a pair after a few years wear and contacted 24/7 who I used to deal with regularly when I worked in bike shops kinda expected them to refuse to warranty them as the rip was entirely my fault. Instead the dude (I forget his name) asked me to send them back. A week later they arrived back repaired (Really carefully hand sewn back together).

Think I'll wear a pair on my morning ride tomorrow.
 

CheetaMike

Monkey
Jul 17, 2016
229
57
Whonnock BC Canada
for those old enough to have ridden in roach clothing (which is probably most of us, the gentrified bastards we are) - Ingrid Doerr, the founder of the company, just passed away. she was a strong supporter of the vancouver scene, and i had the privilege of meeting her multiple times over the years. a great human. like many others, roach soft goods were an essential part of the wardrobe back in the day, and it lived up to the motto - "can't kill a roach". ride in peace, Ingrid.

So sorry to hear , she was a sweet heart , made my son a custom set of pads for him and his bike , he was 4yrs old at the time. I still have a few items of her,s . The shorts are too short to ride in , but still in killer condition.