Giordana just celebrated their 35th anniversary in 2015. That milestone comes with a long heritage of providing some of the best cycling clothing you can find, all with a deep Italian heritage. Originally started by Giorgio Andretta with a distribution company of Italian brands in Canada, in 1979 Giordana Sport was launched with a line of wool jerseys. The logo looked much like the Giordana Sport script above, only at the time it wasn’t really common to advertise the clothing brand. As pointed out to us in our meeting with Giordana, the logo was then sewn into the wool jerseys upside down so that when racers came across the finish line and lifted their arms, the hem at the bottom would flip up, revealing the Giordana logo. Pretty clever.
A lot has changed since those early days, but the quest to provide the best cycling gear remains the same. Now with a new factory of their own which opened last year, Giordana is in complete control of their production which shows with some retro-modern as well as ultra-moderns pieces with some incredible technology woven in…
To highlight their history, some super rad original wool jerseys were on display – and yes, they had the tags sewn in upside down at the hem.
And while the new Giordana Sport line uses modern fabrics and production techniques, there are still a few nods to the past like the tag on the 120g Elite Short Sleeve jersey($155).
While the Merino Wool Blend SS and LS jerseys take a lot of the styling cues from the past including flocked logos, the flocking itself is a totally new process due to how un-environmentally friendly it used to be in the past. Now the wool jerseys use an all over printing technique and use a polyester/merino wool blend with a textured finish to make it breathable while maintaining a loose fit. The SS ($180) and LS ($200) wool jerseys pair well with their new Giordana Sport bib ($195) which use HC50 Lycra, LoPro 0 straps, and 4.5cm leg grippers with the classic Giordana Sport script.
Flipping the script to the ultra modern Giordana collection (the ‘Sport’ denotes the classic collection), the NX-G kit is some of the most technologically advanced we’ve seen. There was so much fabric tech thrown at us that there was no way we were going to be able to digest everything in our short time with Giordana, but here is the short version. NX-G, or Next Generation, is all about new fabrics and new production techniques. These are not your average pieces with a retail of $300/$400 for the jersey and bibs, but most of that comes from the fact that in order to make them, Giordana can only make one piece from each sheet of fabric. Co-developed with an unnamed French company, Giordana is launching their NX-G bib with Gradual Compression – basically two different types of fabric, each with their own compression rating that are gradually woven into each other for one piece of fabric per leg with the only joint/seam at the IT band. You can actually see it if you look closely on the leg with the bands gradually changing color as they work their way up. This means that there is no abrupt transition from the compression cuff to the upper part of the short. Also, there is not really a compression band to speak of. Just gradual compression down the leg. This tech will be proprietary to Giordana for the next two years, after that we’re assuming other brands will want to get their hands on it.
The bibs also feature their new Cirro S (Cirro S-W for women). For men that means a shortened pad area with their “Copa Mondiale” or World Cup up front. I think you get where this is going, but this is a welcome trend for bib manufacturers as they add in a bit of extra room up front to keep the bits from being crushed. Underneath you’ll find the four layer construction includes a microfiber layer infused with Aloe Vera, a bonded 3mm thick open cell foam, then a 4mm thick 120 density open cell memory foam, followed by a 7mm thick non absorbent memory foam. At the thickest point the chamois is 14mm thick. Combined with their Core System ergonomic fit to the front of the bib, Giordana says the days of needing to “adjust” are over.
Created with Thermal Bonding Technology, fabric pieces are fused together rather than sewn for a totally smooth finish with better aerodynamics and comfort. The open mesh back has a UPF of 35 and the jersey feature aero sleeves, a cam lock zipper, all way stretch, a 3 pocket with fourth zippered pocket rear, and a whole lot more. If you can swing $700 for a kit, this is likely as nice as they come.
The same kit is also available for women, though with obvious adjustments to the anatomical fit.
Designed for long distance riders wanting a less aggressive, non race fit, the Lungo collection still offers a lot of tech for the dollars. The $250 bibs use the same upper and lycra as the NX-G bibs, but without the graduated compression. However they still include the new Cirro-S chamois and front “trouser treatment” for added room where it counts. As it’s meant for longer rides, the $160 Lungo jersey features a 6 pocket construction so if you can’t fit it in your jersey, you probably don’t need it. Or, the extra pockets which are basically on the side of the jersey can be used for storing nutrition to make it easier to access while riding.
Elsewhere in the line you’ll find a new Sahara collection for really hot days, the targeted compression EXO collection, Silverline, Fusion, Trade, and Partner collections. Basically the summer gear is 95% new while winter will see a complete revamp as Giordana rolls out fresh threads from their new factory.
