Sumattory is a Spanish brand based in Girona, and so, almost by default, at the centre of professional cycling.
The clothing we have on test is from the signature series of their sponsored rider, Jose Antonio Hermida, 2010 world cross country mountain bike champion, but the collection we’ve been sent for test is unmistakably for the road.
We called in a full ensemble of winter garments from Sumattory, including a full-length bib tight, long-sleeved base layer, long-sleeved jersey and jacket.
We”ll be using this kit in the final weeks of December and early January, to test its resilience to the depths of the British winter. Check back soon for a full review.
Winter long bib tight
We’ll start with a look at the Winter Long Bib. It’s a full-length tight with multiple panels, and a pad from Elastic Interface, supplier to many premium brands, Assos and Rapha among them. The bib is made from a perforated polyester, which, unusually in our experience, has plenty of stretch (given a choice, we’d have Lycra bib straps every time). The legs are lined with fleecy Super Roubaix fabric at the front and a lighter, vented Thermo Roubaix fabric at the rear, but only in the panel below the knee. The hem simply folds over and relies on the natural stretch of the material to remain in place, so it’s unlikely to constrict the ankle, but we’ll let you know in the following review.
The Sumattory Winter Long Bib Tight is available in black, in six sizes from S to XXL, and costs £105.
Winter Jersey UW
The Winter Jersey UW is a long-sleeved base layer fashioned from Prolen, a synthetic fabric with claims to be half the weight of cotton. It’s cut in the manner of a compression garment i.e. extremely small, with sufficient ‘give’ in the fabric to overcome our initial concern that it might be better suited to Santa’s elves.
The other immediate impression concerns the softness of the material, which can honestly be described as luxurious. The hem and cuffs are finished without elastic or silicone: they simply fold over. We’re fans of this approach in other garments, but in one with a fit so close, we wonder if something is required to hold it in place. We’ll find out in the weeks ahead. There are perforated panels in the chest, the centre of the back, and the front of the elbow joint. Sumattory recommend it for use in temperatures below 12 degrees, something we suspect Blighty will have little trouble in supplying in December.
The Sumattory Winter Jersey UW is available in white, and in three sizes: XSS, ML, and XLXXL. It costs £48.75.
Winter Stripe Jersey
The Winter Stripe Jersey is one of the most attractive garments we’ve seen all year, though quite how suited the white chest and back panels are to a British winter remains to be seen. The material should be: Sumattory recommend its use in temperatures from minus five to nineteen degrees. It’s made of the same Thermo Roubaix fabric used in the Winter Long Bib Tight, and features the same ‘fluted’ panel used at the rear of the tight below the knee in the sleeves and side panels. The jersey has a full-length zip, and three rear pockets, though not of equal size; the centre pocket is ‘taller’ i.e. higher and narrower. We have our reservations (pulling a gel from the bottom of such a deep pocket might prove difficult) but we’ll reserve judgment. The hem is held in place with an unbroken silicone band.
The Sumattory Winter Stripe Jersey is available in the black, white, and royal blue pictured, and also in white, with a black chest panel and orange stripe. It costs £108.75 and is available in six sizes from S to XXL.
Winter Stripe Jacket
The Winter Stripe Jacket is another very attractive garment, but one that also boasts a series of features which bode well for its function. It’s made from Windtex for a start, and Sumattory recommend it for use in a temperature range from minus five to 12 degrees. The rear of the jacket has three pockets but not in the traditional configuration. The tops of two deep pockets, equally sized, are covered by a flap, trimmed with reflective piping. A third, slim pocket on the outside of the deep, right hand side pocket, looks the right size for a mobile phone.
Both side panels of the Winter Stripe Jacket have a short, 10cm zip for ventilation. Two more of the same length can be found on the front of the jacket: one either side of the full-length zip. The hem is elasticated: not a favourite at RCUK Towers. In our experience it has to be tight to be effective and can therefore be constricting, and cause the fabric to bunch. We’ll see. There’s no elastic at the cuffs, which are secured with a Velcro tab; what looks, at this early stage, like a nice touch. A deep, 7cm panel of reflective material runs across the chest, and “continues” in a Rapha-style band on the left arm.
Internally, the collar is lined with a fleecy, Roubaix-style fabric, and there are two toggles, one either side, positioned at the kidneys, to ‘pull in’ the material. Puzzling. The jacket has a close fit, and toggles are difficult to use when the jacket is being worn: the only state in which its possible to judge how much the material should be adjusted.
The Summatory Winter Stripe Jacket is available in grey and white, and in six sizes, from S to XXL. It costs £168.75
