Fresh out of the postman’s bag at RoadCyclingUK HQ, a jersey and bib shorts from Canadian firm Sugoi’s Racing System collection.
Sugoi, who last year celebrated their 25th anniversary, say the RS range “combines intuitive design with technical materials for peak performance”. We’ll head out on the road to find out.
But first, let’s take a closer look at the technical specification of the jersey (£54.99) and bib shorts (£99.99) before testing begins.
Sugoi RS jersey
The Sugoi RS short sleeve jersey is a lightweight summer piece made from two fabrics, named Gobi and Vector Stretch by Sugoi.
Gobi, a 85 per cent polyester and 15 per cent spandex mix, makes up the majority of the jersey (the red parts in the photo above). It’s a super-light polyester microfibre knit in a diamond-shaped pattern designed to offer improved breathability and ventilation. Look closely at the jersey and the fabric has a thin, mesh-like structure.
Vector Stretch, meanwhile, is a 90 per cent polyester and 10 per cent spandex mix. It’s the black sections on our photos – on the shoulders, underarms and on a small panel at the rear of the jersey – and is a lighter, two-layered fabric. The mesh sits next to the skin to move moisture away from your body, while the outer, windowed fabric is designed to allow air to move freely in and out of the jersey.
The jersey has what Sugoi describe as a ‘pro fit’, with a slim, tapered body, dropped tail and ergonomic sleeves. An initial test ride reveals that sizing is accurate, with a medium fitting this reviewer to a tee.
Otherwise, the RS jersey has a full-length zip and three rear pockets, plus an additional zipped pocket. The jersey is available in five colours (black, red, blue, green and grey) and seven sizes from S to XXXL for £54.99.
Sugoi RS bib shorts
The RS bib short, meanwhile, is also made from two fabrics. The first, dubbed Ultra Aero Fabric by Sugoi, makes up the majority of the shorts. It’s a 3D knit with a dimpled surface, which gives the shorts a significantly different texture to the brushed lycra most commonly used. Ultra Aero Fabric is designed to create less friction, improve aerodynamics and, perhaps most significant for everyday riding, provide a supportive fit.
The fabric continues to the bottom of the bib straps, from where Mobil Mesh takes over. It’s essentially a stretchy mesh fabric which continues over the shoulders and on to the back panel, designed to offer improved breathability.
The shorts have a ten-panel construction, obvious by the contrasting flatlock seams, while the inside of either leg is lined with a thick Sugoi-branded silicone gripper. On the rear of the jersey there is a race radio pocket; less useful for you and I, unless perhaps if used to hold an iPod.
The shorts use a Formula FX chamois, which has multi-density padding and four-stretch panels. It’s also perforated – Sugoi call it ‘micro ventilation’ – with small holes at the front of the chamois, and down the central channel, to improve ventilation.
The RS bib shorts are available in two colours – black and black/white – and seven sizes from S to XXXL for £99.99. We found the shorts to come up a little small and swapped our regular size, medium, for a large test sample.
That’s the key details covered. We’ll report back with a full review on both the RS jersey and bib shorts.
Website: Sugoi
UK distributor: Cycling Sports Group
