LE COL SPORT II

£95; £120 Complete summer riding gear

Le Col’s second-generation Sport line is designed to be durable training kit.

The fit sits well within Le Col’s racing heritage but the materials are a little more relaxed with comfort coming to the fore.

Both jersey and bibs are designed in the UK and manufactured in Italy. The polyester in the jersey is blended with a good level of elastane so it conforms and fits superbly well without feeling in any way restrictive. The detailing is good: the full-length zip has a proper metal pull with a long rubber logo’d handle that’s full-finger glove friendly. It also has a good-sized garage at the collar. The arm length stretches down to the elbow for sun protection on warm days and the high-stretch fabric and double-skin cuffs mean they don’t ride up. The hemline has a strong, stitched-in elasticated ribbon with a silicone grip strip running through it. On the back it’s as you’d expect with three pockets including a zipped, weather-resistant valuables stash pocket sewn into one of them. The pockets are generously sized and the meshlike material has plenty of stretch, although they can sag a little when full.

The matching Sport bib shorts have a fit that’s more comfort-orientated than most of the Le Col line. The trunk of the bibs is generously long before it transitions into the mesh braces, meaning it has a nicely supportive fit around your core. The light, 210g Lycra material in the legs gives plenty of free movement. The leg cuffs are deep and rely on material leg grippers, rather than silicone, which works very well. The pad is nicely shaped with multiple thicknesses and densities of pad and it’s well-suited to long training rides and epic days out. The embroidered Le Col logo on the small of the back is a nice touch but it did feel a little itchy at first, until washed.

This line proves that not everyone needs cutting-edge race wear, just good-quality, well thought-out cycling kit.

If it looks as sharp as this, well, that’s just a bonus.