First let me say these are some of the nicest looking kits I've been proud to wear. The design work was excellent. I don't know who to thank for that but I'm guessing it's a combination of Diamond Peak and Hyperthreads. Here it is on the Brian Head ICup podium; please disregard the stomach.
Since I spend many hours on a bike I spend many hours in jerseys. The Pro-model jersey is unique in it's "stickiness" where it is often difficult to put something in a pocket or take something out due to the jersey material causing my hand to stick or causing friction of some sort. This turns out to be a significant problem when there are only a few seconds available to grab food or put back food during a mountain bike trail section. And often times during a race there are few opportunities to eat so these times are at a premium. I never knew this could be an issue until I came across this jersey, and I happen to currently have more than 20 other jerseys of various brands that don't behave this way. I speculate the reason for this is the rubberized fabric.
Another byproduct of the fabric is its elasticity. Fill the pockets with enough food, supplies, and a large water bottle for a 50 mile race, and you'll find the jersey starts bouncing and stretching after a few hours, giving in to the weight in the pockets. I've experienced enough stretching that the back of the jersey caught on the back of my seat, forcing me to sit and change my pedaling style. I'm weird in a lot of ways, and maybe this is another one of my quirks, but I'd rather my jersey not play a role in how I ride, how often I stand, and what size water bottle I carry. I've now changed my plans to carry smaller water bottles to avoid this bouncing and stretching.
I am happy with the fit, the cooling, the look, the feel of the chamois, and all other aspects of the new kit. I am especially grateful for the sponsorship with our team, which is why I feel it is important to provide this feedback. I hope this helps Hyperthreads and others.
