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Giro New Road Mobility Shirt

8
£99.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Smart, well-made shirt with tweaks to suit use on a bike, but like all of currently available smart shirts for cycling it's not cheap
Weight: 
360g
Contact: 

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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What we have here, ladies and gents, is a shirt. For One. Hundred. Pounds. It's not waterproof, it's not insulated, there are no reflectives and I can guarantee that it will not make you any faster. I suspect that for most people that is probably all the information you really need from this review. Move along, now.

There's a theme that's run through all of the Giro New Road gear that we've been reviewing lately. It starts with the shock of "how much?!", followed by a quick bit of googling to confirm that yes, the pricing of similar items from Rapha, Vulpine and (in this case) Ted Baker isn't much different. In the end it all comes down to how much you are prepared to pay for clothes - plenty of people will pay this sort of money for a shirt, but for a lot of people - me included - a hundred quid seems a pretty insane price for a shirt.

So for the purposes of testing we're going to have to park that - you're either willing to pay this sort of money or you're not - and move on t the question of whether it's any good?

Of course, it's a really nice shirt. Made of a fairly heavyweight blend of 97% cotton and 3% lycra, it's also got some give in the fabric. You wouldn't call it stretchy, but it makes it a bit easier getting in and out of it, particularly if you're a slob who doesn't always bother to undo the buttons first, like me. As you might imagine, the lycra also makes it pretty comfortable to wear on the bike (at least as far as shirts are concerned), while allowing it to be slim-fitting without being restrictive.

You might not think so from the pictures, but the chambray fabric is reasonably crease-resistant too. I've worn it at work quite a bit, although generally not having ridden there in it first; the hills en route mean that getting changed on arrival is pretty much a must. So it arrives at work folded in a pannier and emerges fairly unfurrowed, which is more than can be said for some of my other workwear.

If you do want to wear it on the bike, as surely you must if you're still reading this far down, then you'll appreciate the pleats at either side of the back. Together with the yielding nature of the fabric, these extra folds open up when you're reaching forwards to the bars, so you don't get the feeling of being constricted across the back.

The Mobility Shirt (I'm guessing in California the word doesn't make people think of wheelchairs and stairlifts) is available in two colours, the grey-blue China Blue that we have, and a darker grey, inaccurately called Jet Black. It comes in a wide range of sizes, from small to XXL. Here we have the medium, which is a good fit on me - like Mat in the pictures, I'm around 6ft 3in tall and somewhere in the vicinity of 12 stone. So if you're Quintana-sized, I'm guessing the small might be a bit on the big side for you. With a bit of hunting around online, I found Giro's sizing chart, but as ever, try it on in a shop if you can.

There are some interesting styling features, including the "hidden" pocket. Can you see it? Yep, that's right, it's under that flap on the chest. The popper holding this flap down is a good idea, preventing the contents spilling out as you sprint for the lights, and the pocket itself is just about big enough to hold a phone. The buttons down the front are concealed behind a fly-front placket (what I'd have called a flap), which gives a contemporary look. It's also a smart feature if you're going to use a bag while wearing this shirt, preventing you from accidentally ripping the buttons off with the strap. All of the buttons have tiny Giro branding around the edge; in fact this is the only branding visible from the outside.

One reservation when it comes to using this shirt for riding, though. When wet, the fabric darkens quite a lot. This shirt isn't meant as an outer layer, so you'd want something over it if you were heading out into the rain. Just don't forget your anti-perspirant on warmer days, if you want to avoid the Camacho.

Smart shirts for cyclists is a concept which a few of the high-end brands have got into recently. The Mobility shirt has competitors from Ted Baker (£95), Vulpine (also £95), and Rapha (£150). Giro have the Wind Shirt, also from the New Road range, priced at £149. This is made from Epic Cotton, giving protection against wind and water. Sadly, it appears that Howies have discontinued their Etape shirt, which was priced at only £59.

The Mobility Shirt is really well-made, fits well and looks pretty smart. It has some features which make it a bit better for riding in than most shirts, but for me that isn't really enough to justify that monster pricetag.

Verdict

Smart, well-made shirt with tweaks to suit use on a bike, but like all of currently available smart shirts for cycling it's not cheap

road.cc test report

Make and model: Giro New Road Mobility Shirt

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The men's Long Sleeve Mobility Shirt adds a bit of stretch to a classically styled chambray fabric for a durable, road-ready fit that's cut close to the body to move with you. Smart details like a hidden pocket on the chest and placket let it fit right''even when it's time to lock up the bike and join your party inside. Pair with Base Pockets for a combination of casual style and functional storage capability.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

97% Cotton / 3% Lycra, Stretch Woven Chambray, 189 g/m2, Ride Position Flex Pleats, Hidden Buttons at Placket, 1 Chest Pocket, Hidden Snap at Chest Pocket

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Very well made. Almost on a par, I'd say, with the most expensive shirt I've ever bought. That was for my wedding, and cost around £40.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

The 3% lycra and the pleats on the back mean that it's a better fit on the bike than most shirts. But let's not kid ourselves, we're not talking night-and-day here.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

Heavyweight fabric and good quality construction should mean this lasts ages. Good to see a couple of spare buttons included too.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10

If you have to ride in a shirt, then this is more comfortable than most. But probably less comfortable than a £20 jersey or a £10 t-shirt.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

A lot of people are going to be put off by the price tag, but it seems to be the going rate and it's not out of line with what you'd pay for a non-cycling featured designer shirt either.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Reasonably well, although I'd be a little concerned about arriving for my meeting with sweat patches under my arms.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Ultra discrete branding, reasonable ability to resist creasing.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Can't get past the price.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Erm, no.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Unlikely.

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

Not for the first time with this New Road range, it's tough to come up with an overall score for this. Giro have hit the mark in terms of making small but effective modifications to the design of a shirt, making it more comfortable and better fitting on the bike than most. Whether this justifies the price tag only - you can decide - it would put me off

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 190cm  Weight: 78kg

I usually ride: Boardman CX team for the daily commute  My best bike is: Rose Xeon CRS

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

Jez spends his days making robots that drive cars but is happiest when on two wheels.  His roots are in mountain biking but he spends more time nowadays on the road, occasionally racing but more often just riding. 

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1 comments

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Airzound | 9 years ago
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1p shy of £100 for this!

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