The new Eliel Del Dios cycling kit elevates the brand’s offerings to a new level, creating a premium jersey, bibshort, and vest combo with a price to match. Available in men’s and women’s versions, the unique and nearly seamless combination of fabrics and knits offers an ultralight, ultra-comfortable set for long days in the saddle.
With retail prices of $225 each for the jersey and vest, and $350 for the shorts, it’s worth a closer look at the design and tech. I’ve been riding them for the past couple weeks, look for my review and thoughts on the standout features at the bottom…
Eliel Cycling took five different highly engineered fabrics to create the Del Dios kit, and all of them offer 30, 40 or 50+ SPF, with pretty much all of the exterior-facing panels getting the highest rating. The materials are all extremely thin, too, and dry extremely fast, yet feel like they’re here for the long haul.
The Del Dios bibshorts’ legs are an abrasion resistant, Nylon-based material that has a slightly textured knit section across most of the thigh. They say this has a bit of a “wind cheating” property, as it’s found on the jersey sleeves and shoulders, too, while providing mild compression and promoting “micro blood circulation”.
The Del Dios jersey mixes a polyester main front panel with microstructures to provide a bit of space between the fabric and skin, which aids cooling and evaporation. It has a Smart Temp fabric treatment, which is a Bluesign-certified tech that further aids evaporation and claims to reduce temps by up to 4.5ºF.
Side panels have a striped internal texture and are a lighterweight material, which helps keep you even cooler. The back has four pockets (three regular, one zipper) with a gusseted pouch-like bottom that adds more volume. Not shown, the vest has a lightweight yet dense fabric on the front to block wind, with tufted fleece dots on the inside to add a bit of loft and create an air insulation barrier.
The women’s version uses all the same tech and materials. Laser cut bibstraps lay flat, with a big open section in the lower back to minimize the overlapping fabric layers. The women’s bibs come in a single length, but men’s come in standard (11″ inseam) and short (9.5″ inseam), which is a nice touch.
Eliel Del Dios review
At 6’2″ and about 187lbs with a more muscular build than most roadies, I’m usually an XL for kits. Same here, and it fit like a second skin. The zipper was right on the edge of comfort when full zipped up, so I usually left it slightly open.
Eliel worked some magic getting different materials and textures into the legs without seams. The gripper on the inside opening is minimal but effective, and it’s all very comfortable. There was a bit of bunching at the hip, but it only looks bad, and I only noticed it when I saw the pics…there’s no pinching or pushing or anything from it that creates discomfort. In fact, the kit and its chamois pad are exceptionally comfy on any ride, long or short. My longest ride in them was about 4 hours, plus time spent goofing off taking pics for this review and some other stuff on the bike.
Perhaps the most impressive part, which is saying a lot because I really like this kit, is the pocket structure. Normally, I’m snapping road bike gear reviews with my phone, because it’s impractical to bring my DSLR along. But here, I could easily fit my Sony A7S III in the middle pocket and it was completely cradled inside (Pro Tip: put it in a plastic bag so you don’t sweat all over it).
Even with that, my phone, and snacks, it was all held securely with minimal bounce…even when I had to bunny hop a speed bump. Very impressive, and I credit the extra bit of fabric at the base of the pockets for allowing expansion, combined with the stretchy material and double stitching for keeping everything snug.
If you’re looking for a premium road or gravel kit that won’t weigh you down, keeps you cool, and has plenty of storage, the Eliel Del Dios is worth a look.
