All Arround MTB

The ‘drirelease’ fabric used on the front of this ION tech tee wicks well and dries quickly, and doesn’t have too much of a slippery, synthetic feel to it. It seems robust yet rides light. Extra features include a small zipped side pocket (best used for a single house or car key, emergency tenner or lift pass, but nice to have) and a lens wipe on the opposite side. The cut is casual but the Scrub Amp jersey doesn’t shift around when you’re on the bike and there’s plenty of freedom of movement in the shoulders. It’s not the cheapest tech tee but it fits well, the detail is well-observed and it feels like it’s built to last. The ‘Sanitized’ antibacterial treatment keeps pongs at bay too. If yellow and brown aren’t your thing, there are three other colour options. Price $82

This casual hoody-style jacket has slouchy appeal off the bike, but enough functional detail that it won’t let you down on it. The DWR-coated, windproof softshell fabric has four-way stretch, which enhances the easy cut so that you get good freedom of movement on the bike, and the relaxed fit means you can easily layer up underneath. It’s reasonably waterproof and breathes well but isn’t super-warm. The hood is especially good – it’s generous enough to go over a helmet and easy to adjust with one hand for a non-restrictive fit. There’s a single chest pocket and two hand-warmer pockets, one with a pull-out lens wipe. Other features include a slight dropped hem and Velcro adjusters on the cuffs. Our main gripe is that the sleeves come up a bit short when you’re in the riding position. Weight 457g Price $180

With winter in full swing, riding trousers make sense, especially if they’re as well thought out as these. Although ION call them ‘softshell’ pants, they’re lighter and stretchier than those words might have you imagine. This means that, although they add some warmth compared to a thick pair of shorts, they get nowhere near as stuffy as some softshell trousers we’ve tried. If you do start hotting up, there’s a zipped vent on each leg. They have a great fit too. The tailored, tapered legs are roomy enough to fit pads under and don’t get flappy when caked in mud. A zip at the bottom of each leg makes removing the trousers that bit easier. Velcro adjusters on the waistband ensure a snug fit, and there are two zipped hip pockets for essentials. The DWR coating helps keep water out for a time, but in torrential downpours the trousers will wet out eventually. Still, they’ll keep you protected from the odd heavy shower or persistent puddle splashes. Price $195

There’s no getting around the fact that ION’s Scrub_AMP shorts cost a lot of money, especially considering that they don’t come with a liner. There are two zip pockets at the front, which will let you stash the bare essentials while you’re out for a pedal. The right-hand pocket includes an inner neoprene sleeve to stash your phone in, which does offer a little more protection than just leaving it floating about in there with no protection whatsoever. It’s a bloody tight fit for your average smartphone though, so a bit of a faff to get it in and out. Thanks to the four-way stretch fabric the shorts are made from, they’re extremely comfy to pedal in. Two Velcro adjuster tabs at the waist make tweaking the fit easy enough, and the cut, which sits just over the knee, feels spot on, with more than enough room at the openings to accommodate knee pads. We can’t say we’re the biggest fans of the huge ‘S’ on the left leg though. Price $150

SO GOOD The cut, shape and fit of the Gats just feels right from the moment you slip your hands through the comfortable neoprene cuffs. We were dubious about the amount of gum-like silicone across the palm, but it enhances grip dramatically in the dry. The palm itself fits really well and doesn’t bunch up. There are small but handy conductive patches sewn neatly into the tip of the index finger and thumb.