ALTURA NV2 ELITE JERSEY & BIB SHORTS
£79.99/£99.99
Altura made its reputation with the affordable Night Vision range, which was aimed at commuters and majored on visibility, durability and value. More recently, Altura has expanded on this to include higher performance garments to become the NV2 Elite range. It combines its original visibility goals with very subtle high-vis touches.
Jersey
We wouldn’t usually describe an essentially all-black outfit, save for the pin stripe geometric graphics on the jersey, as high-vis but the NV2 certainly does its job. A fabric called Darkproof is used on the cuffs of the jersey and bib shorts. The 2in-deep detail appears slate grey in colour, but in the dark in the light of car headlamps it’s eye-squintingly bright. That’s not the only thing to recommend the NV2 kit. The jersey combines a tightly woven front panel with a more open mesh back. We’ve used it in 25°C-plus temperatures and it worked well, wicking away moisture fast. The fit is comfortably close without being race-whippet restrictive. It has all the usual features you’d expect – flat seams, laser-cut arm cuffs, three large rear pockets, plus two extra pockets, one of which is zipped, silicone grippers on the hem, and it also looks good with it.
Bib shorts
The matching NV2 shorts have the same Darkproof detailing and use multiple grades of Lycra to create a nicely supportive fit. The Altura pad, with its golf-ball patterned surface, feels like an old-school Assos pad, though we did feel the tramline pattern stitching on the pad’s edge after a few hours of hot weather riding. The lightweight mesh bib is well shaped and the braces broad enough so as not to roll. There’s a small rear pocket set centrally above the waist, which is nice detail. Overall these shorts pack a lot of performance for the price.