Kitsbow wove itself into the mountain bike scene last year with two premium pieces of apparel, the Sustans Jersey shown above, and the Softshell A/M Shorts. I’ve been testing both and they’re amazing.
Now, they’re expanding and updating their line with a softshell jacket, various shorts, polo shirts and a merino liner short. Like the first two items, they’re made with very upscale materials and packed full of nifty features. The Sustans has a new light blue color, and it’s now available without the quilted shoulder panels (shown on the dark blue model). The zipper has also been extended from the original 1/3 length to about 1/2 length.
Zip past the break for more…
Their new merino wool blend technical polo shirt will be available with or without rear pockets and come in two colors.
The chest pocket has a pass-through slit and sleeve for your sunglasses that’s wide enough to accommodate most sports shades. Snaps, rather than buttons, make it easy to open and shut both the pocket and collar while riding.
The Mixed Softshell jacket uses Schoeller softshell fabric for the main body and Schoeller USP (Ultralight Soft Protection) on the sleeves. This lighter material is also a bit more abrasion resistant. Both are highly flexible, stretchy and are windproof and water resistant. The main zipper is offset at the neck to improve comfort and has a zip garage at the top. Two nearly full length vent zips have zippers at top and bottom so you can open them up as much or as little as you want.
They’re backed by a tough, stretch mesh so the jacket will hold its shape even when fully open, and they house two small zippered media pockets, too. The sleeve cuffs have two-position Velcro tabs so you can snug them down over your gloves to keep cold air and rain out. Retail is $369.
The padded Merino Base Short liners are top end, blending New Zealand merino wool with Lycra and Nylon. They use an Italian CyTech EIT chamois that’s specifically shaped and positioned for mountain biking. The pad’s surface has carbon threading to help it dry faster and has natural antimicrobial properties. Leg openings use non-binding compression band to support the muscles and help keep them from riding up.
The inside of the waist band has a terry cloth feel to avoid chafing, and a gripper section on the outside keeps the shell shorts from slipping down or twisting around. Retail is $215.
The A/M short, left, originally came in fitted waist sizes, offering 1″ increments so you could get the exact size you need. Now, they’re adding an option with tabbed waist adjustments (below, right) to dial the fit even more. Those will come in S/M/L/XL sizing.
They’re also working on a completely new short (left) that’ll have more pockets and a slightly different fit. The tailbone pocket is a nice touch.
The jacket and liner short are available now on their website, others will trickle in over the coming months.
