A few weeks ago, New Zealand brand Ground Effects sent over an intro by way of a little video about their trail building efforts around Craigieburn Forest Park in the foothills of the Southern Alps (NZ). They brought together employees and customers to help build 2km of singletrack to connect two popular trails. The result is a now continuous 30km of riding between Broken River Ski Field and Castle Hill Village. Oh, and they mentioned they make some pretty sweet merino wool cycling kit, too.
Being suckers for merino, we checked out the line and it’s pretty sweet. Not all of it uses wool, but considering the season, a few highlights stuck out. Above, the Baked Alaska and Berglar are long sleeve, light-to-medium weight merino tops. The Baked Alaska has a softshell windproof core with merino lining, and the Berglar is an all-season top that doubles as a natural fiber base layer when temps drop. The Frosty Boy is a standard microfleece technical material with full windproof front and shoulders. Women’s versions of all three are also available, and they offer several colors for each. They’ve even got a few kids pieces.
Check the bibs, tights and more, plus the video, below…
Ground Effects offers a massive selection of bottoms, you’ll have to hit both “Shorts” and “Longs” categories to see them all. The Snake Bites are a merino Lycra blend with soft lycra ankle cuffs and a long zip to make potty breaks easier. The Daddy Long Legs are full length tights with windproof knees. For commuting or really nasty mountain biking, the Helter Skelters are waterproof, breathable 3/4 shell pants.
Another note they sent was that they’re offering free shipping to the USA for a while. Oh, and new customers can knock $30 off their first order. All that’s on top of what we’d consider pretty decent prices for technical wool cycling kit. Check them out at GroundEffect.co.nz.
We’ve just received a couple pieces for testing and will report back soon. First impressions are good – shipping was quick, materials are nice and construction seems good. Sizing is a bit more American, so stick with your normal size…and if you’re waffling between them, you may actually want to size down unless you’re super tall. Full write up coming in a few weeks.
