Isadore Apparel

 
Given the high Merino wool content of the jersey, I knew it was going to feel good on and, unsurprisingly, it does. However, it is not wool alone as MerinoPerform Advantage is used, which is a knitted fabric that places 19.5 micron or finer Merino on the skin side and synthetic hydrophilic fibres on the outside. You get the comfort of wool but with extra wicking ability of synthetic fibres. It works too. I’ve had several long and sweaty rides in this jersey now and while it gets damp it doesn’t hold sweat like a traditional Merino wool jersey does. The fit of the jersey is close, but that’s no bad thing given that it uses sweat wicking material.
 
There’s also the added advantage of the wool/synthetic mix that the jersey is much easier to care for than a regular Merino one, this one has been through the machine on a warm wash several time now without problem.
 

 
What really makes the Isadore Asymmetric Jersey for me though is the detailing. It begins with the obvious bits like the branded silicon gripper along the bottom of the rear hem of the jersey, which stops it from riding up when you’re stretched out riding in the drops. Then there’s less obvious touches; the reinforced tabs next to the top and bottom of the zip where you grip the jersey while you pull the zip up and down and the neat metal logo on the tab at the top. That same metal badge also puts an appearance in at the back of the jersey on the middle of the three open pockets.
 
Those pockets deserve a bit of attention too. The left pocket has a reflective strip running up its outer edge, which if you ride on the right side of the road as they do in Slovakia, puts it in the line of car headlights as they come up behind you. Over in the right-hand pocket there’s a second zipped pocket inside. Now while this can be used to carry valuables in there’s more to it than that. Turn the jersey inside out and there’s a button hole at the back of that pocket to thread the lead from a pair of headphones through, allowing you can keep your phone or iPod safe in the zipped pocket and then use the small loops inside the jersey to keep you headphone’s lead tidy as it goes up along the back exiting at the jersey’s neck.
 

 
You have probably gotten the impression by now that I like Isadore’s products and you’d be right. In 25 years of serious cycling I have never worn such nice, well thought out and detailed kit. With Isadore you get classic design, quality material, excellent tailoring and while the price is not cheap, the Bib Shorts are 99 Euros and the Asymmetric Jersey is 105 Euros, it still undercuts the competition at this level, and as the old saying goes the quality is remembered long after the cost is forgotten. I can safely state that these two pieces of kit will not be the last Isadore clothing finding its way into my wardrobe.
 

 
Isadore Apparel