Over here on the east coast, it’s been a relatively warm fall. Until this season’s Hurricane Sandy, it’s been near impossible to garb long sleeved gear like the fresh Endura Urban Collection Shell jacket we received a little while back. Now, fortunately for gear heads, (and perhaps unfortunate for commuters), the weather’s here, and the transition to winter apparel is imminent.
Ever since Endura unveiled their Urban collection earlier this summer, it seemed a must-have for commuters that conform to any ranking of fashion. It’s a line of gear that’s promised to last through weather and endure the wear and tear of riding a bike around the city. All fabrics are black, which means the dirt from the road won’t show up easily. Regardless of the black material, there’s no danger of not being seen — Endura loaded the set with reflective materials so you’ll be hard to miss at night. The full collection includes a shell jacket (which we received in Large), a softshell jacket, a collared button down long sleeve jersey, pants, and leather gloves. Click ‘more’ for the full review…
With the Urban Collection, Endura created a line of apparel to look good on and off the bike, hopefully dispelling the “geekiness” associated with neon commuter garments. But the lack of neon doesn’t make this jacket dangerous or less functional. It’s sewn with reflectors, one on the rear of each arm and two on the back of the jacket, so the rider is visible to cars. It’s seam sealed (shown above to the right) to keep out the rain. .
The overall fit of the jacket is skinny, and compared to a standard cycling shell, the rear is not as pronounced and the front is not as drawn up. This lends for a more upright riding position, though I found the jacket extended to all the right places even on longer road rides. It compacts to 2.5L, which means it’ll easily fit in a jersey pocket.
The rear scrunches and the wrists scrunch to keep out the wind and elements. There’s a napoleon pocket on the chest with a media port that’s been a happy haven for my iPhone. Also, inside the napoleon pocket is a lens wipe conveniently attached to a stretchy cord for wiping fog and rain off the glasses.
Fabric is waterproof and lightweight with a subtle carbon pattern throughout. It’s sewn for a tight fit, yet just loose enough to fit over another small jacket. The hood has some adjustment options making it large enough to wrap around helmets, or snug on the head.
They’re sold in small, medium, large, xl, and xxl. Retail is about $130. There’s an Urban summer collection, too, that includes shorts and a collared shirt. Check everything out over at Endura.
