A box full of Race Face clothing turned up at the office the other day and here’s what we found in it…
First of all apologies for our skinny model, he’s our tea boy you see and we don’t really feed him. Anyway, here he is kindly modelling the Ambush Jersey which is made from fast drying recycled polyester. The material also feels good against your skin and comfort is increased even further thanks to flatlock stitching throughout. The cut is good too with a slight drop at the rear and a lot of riders seem to be into the 3/4 sleeve thing these days. The hidden zipped pocket is already a nice touch but it’s made even better by the fact that the back of the lining is a suede like material which is perfect for cleaning your goggles. Of course it’s available in a whole load of sizes and you get a choice black, white or blue.
Price: £46.95
The next one expertly modelled is the Bi-Winning Jersey which is a pretty simple T-Shirt style affair, but instead of being made from cotton like a regular T this one is made from fast drying polyester, so it feels and performs like a proper cycling top. Colour wise it’s a choice of blue or gravel.
Price: £34.95
The final jersey for today is the Dither Jersey which has a slightly more tailored cut than the previous one, but it’s still very much in the ‘relaxed’ camp. The ‘Chitosante’ fabric has a good feel to it and has the added benefit of being anti-bacterial, so hopefully it’ll stay smelling fresh for a little longer than usual. Again it is quick drying and comfortable, but this time the colour is either gravel…or gravel.
Price: £29.95
These Ambush knee pads are definitely our favourite ones from Race Face. The d3o shock absorbing foam pad is well shaped so that it sits well on your knees, and because they don’t have a hard shell they’re surprisingly comfortable for a pad that is clearly going to offer decent levels of protection. Talking of protection, it’s also good to see some foam pads on the sides too as it’s not always the front of your knee that gets hit. One thing we really like about them is the fact that they completely undo down the side so you can easily take them on and off without having to take your shoes off. Having a strap in the middle also helps to tailor the fit as much as possible. Top all this off terry lined inner for wicking and comfort, plus some good looks, and we reckon you’ve got a great set of pads.
Price: £69.95
Now we have to be honest, we’re not entirely sure what these Charge pads are about. To say they’re minimal is an understatement. To give you an idea, these knee pads weigh just 117g for the pair! There are no straps, they simply slip on like a ‘second skin’. Silicone grippers help keep them in place and basically once on you hardly notice you are wearing them. As for how much protection they will offer, well the stretch kevlar cover should help stop you losing skin, but the padding itself is so thin that any benefit it brings is going to be very small indeed. So who will want them? Well I suppose if you hate wearing pads on a trail ride because you find them uncomfortable then these will be better than nothing, and as I said before you don’t really notice you’re wearing them. Also, some races now dictate that you have to wear elbow or knee pads and for those that really don’t want to wear them these have to be the best way of abiding by the rules.
Price: £31.95
As you might have guessed these Charge elbow pads follow the same principal as the knee pads, i.e. they’re super light and comfortable, but yet they’re probably more about saving skin than protecting you against impacts. I’m guessing there must be some riders looking for a product like this, and here it is.
Price: £21.95
The final Race Face product for now is these impressive Trigger gloves. Crucially they’ve got a really thin palm for great feel and the combination of the Amara material and silicone detailing makes for great grip. The heel of the palm is reinforced with a protective kevlar section, so despite being thin these should withstand crashes far better than most gloves of this nature. The back of the glove is equally minimal with just some ultra-light stretch mesh (which helps give a good fit), and it’s good to see that Race Face haven’t forgotten to include a good old snot/google wipe area. As for colours, it’s blue or black.
Price: £28.95
