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X-Bionic The Trick
X-BIONIC CLOTHING is
unlike anything else you’ve
seen. For a start, it’s knitted
by robots from a mainly
proprietary material; there’s no Lycra.
But the difference begins with the first
concept. The inventor and lead designer
is Professor Bodo W. Lambertz. In 2000
he created a think tank to engineer the
function of sports clothing using all
available technology.
Lambertz took inspiration from how
animals in demanding climates regulate
body temperature. All X-Bionic
clothing is designed to help control
your temperature through built-in
airflow ducts and channels that move
sweat from where it is produced the
most (ie armpits) to where it can face
airflow to provide evaporative cooling
(ie the chest).
It really works. You feel dry and very
comfortable. The fit is close but it sits
Middle The underarms
feature ‘Sweat Traps’
which rapidly move
moisture away
Above The spine has an
insulation area to trigger
sweating early for better
body temperature control
PROS
CONS
VERDICT
Excellent temperature
control; very light and
soft feel; arm/leg
warmers are ace
Narrow pad doesn’t
suit all saddles; low waist
cut is odd to start with,
not for the hottest days
A leftfield choice and
expensive but The Trick
is very effective and
comfortable
Odlo Telegraphe jersey, Galibier bib
Price £80, £125 >> www.odlo.com
IT SAYS A lot about how
quickly we have become
used to aero-fit clothing
that our first thought upon
trying on this jersey was, ‘It’s huge.’ We
admit that this magazine has embraced
aero gear as readily and as completely as
the professional peloton and, as a result,
we probably feature aero-fit gear with
a frequency that is disproportionate to
what is bought and worn by non-pros.
We’re not just following a trend,
though. Each of us on Procycling would
prefer an aero jersey because it’s more
comfortable. Still, not everyone wants
to be shrink-wrapped so here we go.
Outdoor brand Odlo is new to road
cycling kit and, to be frank, it shows.
The cheesy product names are the first
hint; this is actually a matching set, sort
of. There are four shades of blue at work
here and while the short looks crisp and
vibrant – and a little FDJ-like – the jersey
falls short. The top also comes in grey/
black and white/grey; the bibshort only
comes in black as an alternative.
In general, the bibshort is good. The
bib is well shaped, the cut is sensible and
the use of a high-spec pad by Cytech
ensures you are comfortable for long
very lightly, despite being described as
‘mid-compression’. Earlier in the year
we tested X-Bionic’s Effektor kit in
long-sleeve and bibtight form, and were
very impressed. It’s also available as a
short-sleeve jersey and bibshort, and
that’s your compression option.
The short is also knitted and the pad
is stitched in as a panel, not as an insert,
so it can’t move on a layer of Lycra. It
looks odd but seems to work; I did a
four-hour ride with no complaints. The
pad itself is quite narrow though, and
was less comfortable on wider saddles.
The seam of the pad also cut in a bit
sometimes when shuffling in the saddle
and the cut is oddly low at the hips.
The jersey comes in five colours, the
short three. We also tried X-Bionic’s
seamless arm and leg warmers. They’re
not windproof but ideal for 12-15ºC
and their seamless ergonomic shapes
are very comfortable. Jamie Wilkins
rides. Our only niggle is the thin and
overly tight leg grippers, which cut into
even my drinking straw-like legs.
The jersey is extremely light thanks
to the meshy F-Dry fabric which allows
lots of airflow and wicks effectively, but
only when it’s in contact with your
skin. The loose fit is flappy and a bit
annoying, and the rear pockets are
poorly supported. For the price, and
given Odlo’s experience, we expected
better. Jamie Wilkins
PROS
CONS
VERDICT
Very light jersey;
well-shaped bibshort
and good pad
Loose fitting jersey;
pinching leg grippers
on bibshort; poor
colour matching
Not bad but nowhere
near as good as it needs
to be at these prices
Photography: Joseph Branston
Price £138, £208 | €159, €239 >> www.x-bionic.com