Assos is known for premium road riding gear, but they’ve also dabbled more off-road since US investment a few years back. For 2019 they go all-mountain, mixing premium fit & finish with durable, protective fabrics and even impact padding – at a surprisingly affordable price point.
2019 Assos Trail all-mountain biking clothing
As Assos of Switzerland puts it, the new Trail Collection is designed for rider who “relish the soundtrack of roots and rocks under the tires” rather than just seeing who crosses the finish line first. What that means in practice is that the trail gear leaves aerodynamics and super close fits behind in favor of a relaxed fit and more use of protective fabrics.
2019 Assos Trail Cargo over & Liner under shorts
The new Trail shorts setup is made up of two parts – a lightweight liner short and a mid length outer short.
The $139 Trail Liner Short used their previous XC/gravel RallyBoxer short as a base, but gets updated with a more comfortable waist design. It still includes the same removable 8mm visoelastic hip crash pads & premium chamois pad in a light mesh undershort with men & women specific models.
Then on top of that you get the $149 Trail Cargo shorts a mid-length pair of trail riding shorts that stop just above the knee. They are a bit longer than the previous RallyCargoShort, with an all-new more flexible fabric and fit designed to offer more comfortable freedom of motion, with a waistband that will stay put in-and-out of the saddle, a crotch that won’t snag your saddle, and legs that work with or without pads.
2019 Assos Trail Jerseys in color block short & long sleeve variants
The trail jerseys maintain a slim fit so they aren’t flapping in the breeze, but get a cut designed for a relaxed fit on the bike, wide bars, and works with or without a hydration pack.
Both $119 short & $149 long sleeve variants use a circular-knit Triangle textile that claims to be tough, breathable, and good at wicking moisture. They also feature a new bi-stretch 3-Mesh under the arms that improves both freedom of movement and ventilation.
The long sleeve jersey starts to get a bit of special protection, with panels of Assos’ densely woven proprietary dyneRope fabric on the forearms that they claim weaves in a fiber stronger than steel to give it an armor-like function against the onslaught of brush, tree limbs, and the unexpected meeting of rider’s body and trail. The left arm of the long sleeve jersey also gets a small zip pocket to stash your lift pass for days in the bikepark.
2019 Assos Trail Arm & Knee Protectors, plus FF Gloves
Stepping up protection to the next level, the Trail series also adds a set of $75 Arm Protectors and $89 Knee Protectors. Again using that durable dyneRope textile, the protectors are something of a mix between arm& knee warmers and brush guards. And again the armies get a lift pass stash pocket.
There are no real pads here like you would expect from more active gravity elbow or knee protection, but these are meant more to end the scapes you get from riding through aggressive flora or the occasional crash that sends you sliding down the trail.
With that in mind the Trail Arm & Knee Protectors are much more flexible, and meant to be worn all the time while riding. They even offer UPF50+ sun protection thanks to their soft core Titanio fabric construction.
The full fingered Trail FF Gloves go down that same line of thinking with minimal padding but abrasion protection. The $79 gloves use a light durable mesh as a base with thin perforated synthetic reinforcements on the contact points with your handlebar, and silicone finger tips to grip the brakes. Then the outer gets dyneRope abrasion protection.
2019 Assos Trail Collection Availability
All of the new Trail Collection is being previewed now, with some of it getting tested as we type in Lenzerheide at the UCI MTB World Champs. We just got a couple of pieces in the mail to test out as well, and consumer availability is slated for the start of the 2019 riding season in late February or early March.
New Assos XC Collection for less extreme mountain biking too
If XC is more your thing rather than all-mountain, Assos has got you covered there too. While they alluded to it at the start of the year with their sponsorship of the Stan’s-Pivot pro MTB team and then also with BMC MTB Racing, the Swiss & USA MTB teams, Assos introduced a new XC Collection in mid-season as well. With panels made from their tough ripstop dyneRope fabric, the $229 XC Bib Shorts ensure #BMCMTB Racing Team riders remain protected and comfortable, and the $159 XC Short Sleeve Jersey focuses on breathability and a close fit. The XC collection is available now.
