# What I check before a jersey goes on the site
Every jersey, gilet, jacket and pair of bibs that ends up on Pedalling Wears goes through the same routine before it gets photographed and listed. Nothing about the process is glamorous. It's mostly me, a strong lamp, and time. But it's the bit that matters most, because it's what separates "second-hand kit" from "second-hand kit you can buy with confidence."
I get asked semi-regularly what "honestly graded" actually means in practice. Here's exactly what happens between an item arriving in the box and going live on the site.
## The first look
Before anything else, I take the item to natural light by the window and look at it. Not for damage yet — for general impression. Does it feel like the brand and era it's meant to be? Does the fabric weight match the model? Are the labels and tags consistent with what Rapha (or Castelli, or Assos) actually used in that production year? This catches the small handful of fakes and mis-listed items that come through. They're rare, but they exist.
## The seam-by-seam pass
Then I work the item inside-out under a lamp. Both sides. Every seam, every panel.
What I'm looking for:
- **Pilling on the surface fabric**, especially under the arms, on the inner thighs of bibs, and across the lower back where rucksack straps catch.
- **Loose stitching at the seams** — particularly around the shoulders and the gripper hems. A small loose thread is fine. A failing seam is a reject.
- **Stretched or sagging gripper bands** on jersey hems and bib leg openings. If they don't snap back, the kit won't sit right on the road.
- **Sweat staining**, which usually shows as a pale ghost across the lower back and under the collar. Sometimes it washes out, sometimes it doesn't.
- **Fading**, especially on dark blocks of colour where logos sit.
## The hardware check
Zips get tested four or five times in both directions. Pull, push, pull again. I'm looking for snags, missing teeth, or jumping. A zip that catches once is a zip that'll catch every time you reach back for a gel mid-ride.
Pop poppers, press studs, magnetic phone-pocket closures — all tested. Reflective trim gets checked under torchlight to make sure it's still doing its job.
If there's a chamois on bibs or a base layer with seamless construction, I check the chamois face for compression, edge integrity, and that there's no breakdown across the surface.
## The size and tag check
Last thing: I match the size tag to the brand's published sizing chart for that year, because brands change cuts. A 2019 Rapha Pro Team jersey in M is not the same as a 2024 one in M. The listing has to reflect the actual fit, not just what the label says. Original tags get bagged, photographed, and noted in the listing if they're still attached.
## What drops an item to Well Loved
About one in eight items I look at doesn't make the expected grade. The usual reasons: a hidden tear in a panel that the seller hadn't noticed, a chamois that's compressed past the point of being comfortable on a long ride, sweat staining that won't shift, or a brand claim that doesn't add up under closer inspection.
Items like these become **Well Loved** — the lowest of our six grades. They still function and they're ideal for a training ride, or for the days you don't want to spoil your best kit.
## The honest part
I'm one person, doing this in my own time, by hand. Despite the routine above, I will occasionally miss something. A pull I didn't see under the lamp. A faint stain that looked like a shadow. A sizing chart from a year I don't have full notes on.
If you receive an item from me and it isn't quite as described, tell me. The 14-day return window exists for exactly this reason — no questions, no awkwardness, just send it back. I'd rather refund and reassess than have you ride in kit you're not happy with.
That's the whole process. Boring on paper, but to me it's the most important part of the work.
— Mark