Frankly Men's Basic Crew Tee

Frankly are convinced that their Neobi fabric is "set to change the performance industry forever", according to their website. It certainly has impressive wicking qualities and in conjunction with a jersey of softshell jacket moves a lot of moisture away from your body quickly and efficiently. In more restrictive conditions, though, it tends to suck some of that moisture back in, and when it does it's fairly slow to dry.

Neobi is a similar concept to Sportwool, in that the Merino sits next to the skin with an outer layer above. In sportwool that's Polyester, here it's cotton; the mix is 65% cotton, 35% wool and the 200g weight fabric is at the heavy end of the base layer spectrum.

Putting it on for the first time the Frankly feels very comfortable and nice and snug. The neck is quite large; there's a half-zip version with a high collar available too if that's what you prefer. The flat seams don't rub and the whole top feels well made.

The Frankly website talks a lot about commuting, and the first thing i did was chucked a soft shell on, donned a rucksack and rode the five miles home. The last 2 miles is up a pretty big hill and I'm always, erm, glowing by the time I reach the top. It didn't help that I got into a race on the steep bit. Which I lost. The wicking qualities of the Neobi fabric are excellent. Take off the softshell and you can feel the dampness on the outside of the base layer from the exertion, but the inside was dry.

Well, almost dry. Left free to do its work the wicking of the Frankly base layer is up there with the best, but restrict the airflow - under a rucksack, for example, or a heavy winter hardshell jacket - and the wicked sweat starts to soak back into the fabric after a while and the fabric, being mostly cotton, is pretty absorbent. Frankly suggest that outdoorsy types could "limit the weight for their backpacks on a hiking trip so they can sleep and hike in their Frankly garment". Assuming you're hiking at a decent lick, and carrying a rucksack that makes your back sweat, you're not really going to want to sleep in your base layer. It's fine while you're moving but you start to feel the chill a bit when you stop.

I've worn it a few days on the trot and I can confirm that it's pretty odour neutral, about the same as a full Merino base layer. If you're the kind of person that mostly rides in breathable outer layers (softshells and jerseys) then this baselayer is well worth a look; The wicking qualities are up there with the best. If you favour hardshell jackets, or you wear a rucksack, or you're just really sweaty then you'll probably find that the fabric starts to get wet after exerted efforts, and you'd probably be better off with a synthetic baselayer that'll dry much more quickly. As an all-round performer it gets a 7, but if your riding attire is suited to the fabric then it's worth an 8.

Verdict

Comfy and well made baselayer that's best in conjunction with a softshell jacket