Before you start: what you actually need to know
Club kit orders fail for predictable reasons: unclear design brief, poor size collection, unclear approval process, or choosing a supplier with a 50-unit minimum when your club has 12 members. This guide helps you avoid all of those.
The whole process — from brief to kits in hand — takes 3–4 weeks if you run it cleanly. Most delays come from the club side, not the supplier. Here's how to run it right.
Step 1: Decide what you're ordering before you ask for quotes
The most common mistake is going to a supplier with "we want club kits" and no specifics. Before you request a quote, answer these questions:
- What kit types do you need? (jerseys only, or full kit — jersey + bibs? Vests? Accessories?)
- Rough rider count? (doesn't need to be exact at this stage, but within a range)
- What's the occasion? (club rides, racing, both?)
- Do you have a logo or color scheme already?
- Do you have a budget per rider in mind?
- When do you need them? (working backwards from an event or ride date)
You don't need all this locked in — but having rough answers speeds everything up. "We want jerseys and bibs for about 20 riders, our club colors are navy and orange, we'd like them for our spring century in 8 weeks" is enough to get an accurate quote and design brief.
Step 2: Submit your quote request
A good quote request takes 3 minutes. You'll need: club name, kit types you want, rough rider count, any design notes or references, and your timeline. That's it.
When you submit a quote request with Pave Sports, you get a response within 24 hours that includes a design brief (what we'll create), per-piece pricing, and a timeline. No obligation until you approve the design.
24-hour response with design brief + pricing
We review your request, ask any clarifying questions, and send back a structured brief covering what the designer will create and exactly what you'll pay. No surprises later.
Step 3: The design process
This is where most club orders stall. Here's how to run it cleanly:
Collect your design inputs first
Before the designer starts, gather: your club logo (any format is fine — even a photo of a printed logo works), your color codes if you have them (or just describe them: "navy blue and orange"), and 2–3 example kits that you like the style of. More reference = better first draft.
Set a single point of approval
The biggest time-killer is design by committee. Designate one person to approve the design. Collect feedback from your committee offline, then send consolidated comments — not individual emails from 5 different members. One round of consolidated feedback is all most kits need.
What's included in design revisions
You get unlimited revisions until you're happy. In practice, most kits land in 1–2 rounds. The designer produces a full digital mockup showing the jersey, bibs, and any other items exactly as they'll be printed — front and back. Nothing goes to production without your written sign-off.
Don't approve the design and then try to make changes after. Production starts the moment you sign off. If you're not 100% sure, send one more round of revisions. It costs nothing and saves a lot of heartbreak.
Step 4: Collecting sizes from your club
This is the operational part that coordinators usually underestimate. Here's how to run it:
Run size collection before design approval
Send out the sizing guide as soon as you get the quote. Don't wait for the design. Size collection is slow — give yourself 2 weeks to chase people down.
Use a simple Google Form or spreadsheet
Name, email, jersey size, bibs size, any other items. Send it to your club mailing list with a hard deadline — "respond by [date] or you won't be included in this order." Hard deadlines work. Open-ended requests don't.
Use the sizing guide we provide
After your quote is accepted, we send a detailed sizing guide with measurements for each kit type. Cycling sizing runs differently to streetwear — give this to your members, don't let them guess off their T-shirt size.
Dealing with late responders
Set your deadline 3–4 days before you actually need to submit sizes. When riders miss the deadline, your answer is: "The order is already in, you'll need to wait for the next reorder window." Holding up an entire club's order for one late member is how kit coordinators burn out.
Step 5: Payment and production
Once you've approved the design and submitted sizes, production begins. Standard timeline is 10–14 days from design sign-off to dispatch.
During production, you'll have access to a tracking portal to see where your order is. No more chasing suppliers for "any update?" — status is visible in real time.
Step 6: Receiving and distributing
Kits arrive individually packaged. If you asked for name labels, each bag will have the rider's name on it. Easiest distribution method: coordinate a handoff at a club ride or event, rather than posting to individuals.
Handling sizing issues
If a kit doesn't fit, contact us. We handle exchange and replacement issues on a case-by-case basis. The best way to minimize this is accurate size collection upfront — which is why the sizing guide matters.
Setting up for future reorders
After your first order, your design is saved. Future orders — for new members, replacements, or seasonal reorders — skip the design step and go straight to production. This is how kits should work: design once, reorder as needed.
Timeline summary
Working backwards from when you need the kits:
- T-0 (kits needed): The ride, race, or event date
- T-2 weeks: Receive kits, distribute to riders
- T-4 weeks: Design approved, production begins
- T-5 weeks: Size collection complete, design finalised
- T-7 weeks: Quote submitted, design process begins, size collection opens
Seven weeks is comfortable. Five weeks is tight but doable. Less than four weeks is stressful — contact us to discuss rush options before assuming it's possible.
Ready to get started?
The quote form takes 3 minutes. We respond within 24 hours. If you have questions before submitting, check the custom cycling kits page or the pricing page first — most common questions are answered there.