Reviews

X-Bionic

By far the most technically advanced kit on the market today comes from this Swiss brand

It’s no exaggeration to call X-Bionic the most tech-heavy clothing manufacturers in cycling. If you like your bike kit to come with a good read, then get your hands on a piece from X-Bionic and you’ll be able to cancel your morning paper for the next few days while you digest the rush of technical terms that’ll be thrown at you.

The Swiss company have put so much research and development into their products it’s not completely mad to wonder what’s left to discover about bike clothing. But as every rider knows, what it says on the packaging doesn’t matter if the kit doesn’t cut it when you ride. Fortunately, X-Bionic’s kit lives up to the hype and more as we discovered testing it last year.

While we focused on winter-facing products during the, er, winter, we’re focusing on some of X-Bionic’s summer range for the RCUK100 and it’s no less engrossing than its cold-weather siblings. While The Trick Jersey’s bright orange colour might not be your first choice, the jersey may well prove to be with X-Bionic employing some of their smartest technology. The Trick is named after the temperature-regulating technology of the same name that keeps you cool by heating you up prematurely. If that sounds confusing, there’s a full explanation in our review of The Trick bib tights here.

It’s no exaggeration to suggest X-Bionic are the most tech-heavy clothing company in cycling. It’ll take some time to digest the rush of technical terms that come with their kit

That jersey is best paired with The Trick Bib Shorts – obviously – that employ the same thermoregulation technology to ensure you don’t overheat. In case you’re thinking this is just marketing hyperbole, we can assure you it most certainly isn’t, and what’s more, it might be the best feature on any piece of clothing we tested last year.

Don’t be put off by the fact X-Bionic’s kit looks knitted, either. The material is really comfortable against the skin – far more so than much of the Lycra used by many other brands – and the way it moves moisture away from the skin means it never begins to weigh you down, even when you’re sweating profusely.

Pricing:
The Trick Jersey – £120
The Trick Bib Shorts – £180
SphereWind Biking Gilet – £153
Website: X-Bionic

As a versatile outer layer, the SphereWind Biking Gilet is designed to keep you warm on those summer days when the wind picks up and has a few little tricks of its own. The first is the diffuser system on the collar which allows warm air to escape without making the collar uncomfortable. Second is the 3D Bionicsphere on the back – very obvious just looking at the gilet – and this is basically designed to trap warm air when you’re riding slowly, and allow for greater cooling when you’re working hard.

There’s only one downside to X-Bionic’s kit, and that’s when you buy such top-end techy clothing, it tends to come at similarly high-end prices. That’s no different here, and it’ll cost you close to £450 to get all three pieces we’ve featured. Is it top end? For sure. Is it worth it? That depends on how deep your pockets are.