Last year, Assos surprised us with an exceptionally good Trail kit for mountain bikers, an unexpected treat from the traditionally road-going brand that earned it a spot in my Editor’s Choice roundup. Now, the line is growing, with some of the items becoming a great option for gravel cyclists, too. Here’s the details on those bits, plus new women’s items, and more fresh threads and shoes from Club Ride and Unparalleled.
In the top photo, you’ll notice a pair of bibshorts to the left of the upcoming Trail Hoodie. Those, along with the arm and leg covers to its right, all use Dyneema panels to protect the rider from scrapes. The hoodie gets Dyneema sections on the elbows, too, along with a glasses wipe on the inside. Those bibshorts are half of the new XC kit, which includes a fitted jersey coming in red, blue or green. Both of those have a more mountain bike specific cut and fit, but are definitely of the form-fitting XC variety. Look for those two, along with the arm/leg skins, to come out early summer. The hoodie will follow later this fall.
They’ve also added brightly colored vests to their growing women’s lineup, offering more hi-vis safety color options to wind- and water-proof items. Check out more recently introduced Assos women’s apparel in this post. Note the pass through pocket openings on the back of the vest, positioned to make it easy to get what’s in your jersey pockets, but still keep them protected. Lots more at Assos.com.
Get casual with the Club Ride
Club Ride Apparel just loves to show off their upcoming clothes way before you can get them, like this new long sleeve flannel and euro-hiking-style pant. All are cut for on-the-bike performance, but with a look and feel that makes them just as good hanging out after the ride. More details on these will be available later this year, but check out the wide range of colors and patterns. We’re diggin’ the adjustable waist and gusseted knees on those pants.
Perhaps the coolest (pun intended) new product is the Motive Jersey, which uses a dissolving fabric to create a massively ventilated garment without resorting to perforations that can damage long term durability. The fabric is woven with a dissolvable yarn alongside a traditional performance fabric. Then, after it’s complete, it runs through a special wash that dissolves the secondary material so you’re left with a shirt that’s super breathable and light. Available in Blue and Black, $89.95 MSRP.
They also have new colors and designs, including these henleys and cargo-style shorts, all in various thicknesses of performance material. The shorts shown here have a denser feel, but are very soft and breathable, making them a great shoulder season item.
If you’ve been a fan of their bibshorts, stock up now…they’re going away in favor of the padded undershorts shown here. For 2019, Club Ride’s Innerwear padded shorts get serious material upgrades – they’re softer and better wicking than ever, and the pad options are easily identified as 1 hour, 2 hour and 3+ hour options. I’ve been riding them for a few months now and they’ve become my favorites when bibs aren’t the right choice. But seriously, their Airliner bibs are still available for now and are also pretty awesome.
Unparalleled climbs into mountain bike shoes
Unparalleled was a new brand to us, but they say they’ve been in the climbing world for some time. So, it’s no surprise the outsoles on their new mountain bike shoe lineup are grippy. Shown directly above is the Up Link/Dust Up (left, with Velcro strap) and Roost (right, laces only). The Up Link is more of a trail mountain bike shoe and gets a clipless pedal cleat mount underneath, the Dust Up is a flat pedal version, otherwise both get thick rubber outsoles with a firmer 75-80 durometer perimeter and very soft 45-50 center tread. They call this design “virtual damping” and it’s designed to mitigate that trail buzz that can leave your feet fatigued after a day’s worth of runs. Sizes run from 5 to 13 for men’s shoes, and 5-11 in women’s.
The Roost falls under their commuter cycling line and has a unisex fit. It, too, gets a clipless version (not shown).
They also had a few upcoming products on display…like these XC mountain bike shoes that aren’t available yet. We like the looks of the aggressive tread blocks on the outsole and full coverage rubber across the middle. They’re looking like a great option for long days where you need to cover real distance but also need walkable traction.
For winter fat biking, they had these beasts, complete with built-in snow gaiter and dashing good looks. I’m thinking they’d make a great all-winter kick-around boot, too!
Gore x Cancellara bibshort collaboration
Gore has been working with Fabien Cancellara to create their latest and greatest bibshorts, the new C7. But there’s more than just one pair, it’s a collection of three different bibs, each with specific use cases.
Cancellara wanted flat, wide straps, so they all get that. And they’re all designed with flat stitching and minimal panels. What sets them apart are the pads and materials. The C7 Long Distance (shown above) is for longer rides and uses a smoother fabric to reduce drag. The C7 Race offers more compression and a bit of abrasion resistance, because rubbin’s racin’.
And the C7 Vent is designed for really, really hot days…and indoor trainer rides. Because we all know how sweaty and hot we get in our dungeons.
The pads will be connected to the shorts with minimal stitching, so they can shift and move with the rider and, Gore says, are less likely to get bunched up. Available soon, there’s also a matching C7 jersey to complete the look.
