Trip to Brighton

Trip to Brighton 9-10^th September 2006

I set of from Hinckley, Leicestershire, around 8 o'clock on the Saturday morning to head to Brighton for the weekend. This trip is mainly motorway riding and takes maybe 2 hours.

I was wearing my thermal jacket with trousers, with just the undergarment beneath these. I found the garment very comfortable, with no bunching at all. It also held well round my ankles, and didn't ride up as many undergarments, for example climbing undergarments which are available at all camping and climbing shops, often do. I didn't feel at all restricted and had full control of the bike at all times, including gear changes and general movement whilst riding.

What I found interesting during this trip was that because I was wearing a thermal jacket, which keeps you warm, and normal trousers, which can often leave a rider feeling cold after a short while of riding, is that this undergarment kept my legs warm and at a nice temperature, and my upper body cool and sweat free underneath the thermals. The garment eliminated perspiration in all places, for example the lower back, where i had been carrying a rucksack, and i found the garment to be cool and provide an airflow around my body. I did notice that the only place I was sweating was on my chest, where the garment wasn't touching my body at all times while riding.

By the second day the weather had warmed up a lot, and i was walking round a show for a lot of the time. I was wearing the undergarment with just the trousers on, and i found that it was comfortable and cooling when used for this purpose, as well as looking a lot like a regular t-shirt, which you could also unzip if needed. It had pockets on the arms for my phone and cigarettes, which came in handy while walking around in the trousers with no pockets.

I did find that when I went to the toilet the zip could do with having a two way zip, so you can unzip from the bottom of the garment rather from the top, therefore making it easier in service stations!! I'm sure this is easy enough to do though.

I will be riding to Germany in October, using a ferry crossing, and when i get back will be able to give a more detailed account of how the garment performed, as it will be used for longer periods over a greater distance.

Overall i will definitely be wearing this garment again, whether it be summer or winter, as it does exactly what its meant to do. It keeps you cool and dry when its hot and warm when its cold.

I would also suggest, as a future product, a balaclava or scarf made out of this material, as it does an excellent job of making you feel cool and dry, and would be ideal to wear under your helmet.

Gaz Moore, Burbage, Leicestershire.