GripGrab Summer Wear

GripGrab Summer Wear – for when the sun also shines!

When it comes to braving winter’s chilly conditions, I’ve often turned to Scandinavian brand GripGrab to protect my extremities. Their gloves and booties let me cope with the coldest, wettest rides. However, now the GripGrab Summer clothing launch takes their brand into the summer days.

GripGrab have been designing and riding for over twenty-five years, “combining their technical excellence with the joy of cycling.” Their products always have that classic Scandinavian look; clean lines, muted colours, nothing disco! Along with that look, their products are always well designed and tested in some tough conditions.

“What”, however I hear you ask “do GripGrab know about summer?” Well, now’s our chance to find out. This new GripGrab Summer range has six short-sleeved jerseys and shorts, three pairs of gloves, two hats and shoe-covers and one pair of socks. That should get you through a wide variety of summer riding. There’s clothing for racing, training, commuting, touring or just plain ol’ riding around.

Featured products from the GripGrab Summer range

As we said the new GripGrab Summer range covers a wide range of cycling styles, so let’s take a look at some of them

Grinta Short Sleeve Jersey

GripGrab have called this jersey Grinta after the “mental and physical toughness, resilience and strong-
willed attitude that cyclists exhibit, especially when facing challenging conditions, difficult terrain or intense racing situations.” To help you deal with these conditions the Grinta uses a textured, woven fabric, with micro-channels on the front and back panels. GripGrab say these enable “thermo-regulation and moisture management”, allowing you to ride without a base-layer.

Other details in the Grinta include snug fitting sleeves and a compressive body, for an aero fit. The sleeves are Raglan-cut , which means no underarm seam. The Grinta has a low collar with a zip placket to prevent any rubbing and UPF50 sun protection.

Airflow Lightweight Short Sleeve Jersey

The Airflow is made for those high summer days, when the sun and pace are hot! This super-light jersey incorporates sun protection on the shoulders, back panel and sleeves. These are the areas most exposed to the sun and consequently are made from a UPF50 fabric. Meanwhile the front uses an open textured mesh, which is only UPF15.

The sleeves have a raw-cut finish to them, while the collar is cut low to promote a cooling airflow. The are three open pockets and a fourth, zipped pocket at the rear. The minimalist logos are reflective, so when the sun starts to settle on your long summer ride, you’ll still be visible.

Endurance Bib Shorts

The Endurance shorts are “high-performance cycling bib shorts” and are “ideal choice for epic summer rides”. They are made from a warp-knitted fabric that, GripGrab say offers “significantly higher level of
compression and power compared to other traditional cycling wear fabrics”. The fabric also gives the shorts UPF50 sun protection. The bibs and rear panel are made from a mesh fabric to help with “moisture management”.

Moving to the inside and GripGrab have chosen an anatomically shaped Paris HPS pad
from Elastic Interface. These have high density inserts, designed for long distance and off-road riding. The pad also has a central channel, again to relieve saddle pressure. The whole pad is covered with EIT RHOMBUS fabric, which is made with a Carbonium thread. Carbonium thread has natural antistatic and
bacteriostatic properties. All this pad-tech should keep you feeling comfortable sweet-smelling on your summer jaunts!

Adventure Cargo Bib Shorts

GripGrab’s Adventure Cargo shorts are designed for long-haul experiences, off-road adventures and multi-day rides. They have top-entry mesh pockets on each thigh and one back pocket. These allow you to carry items if you eschew a traditional jersey for a t-shirt. Alternatively, they allow you to carry even more on a trip, or just make it easier to access your snacks.

The Gravel Performance HCS pad – again from Elastic Interface – is designed for extended gravel rides. The padding and top fabric have all been chosen to keep you comfortable on long off-road rides. Again the pad has antistatic, bacteriostatic and quick-drying features. The bib features mesh panels on the back and leading up to the straps, which are a solid elastic.

Summer Gloves

Of course we couldn’t do a article about GripGrab without mentioning gloves; so here are their latest short finger summer gloves. There are three models available, the Rider RC Lite, Proride RC Max and and Expert RC Max. All three models feature recycled material in their construction, up to 90% in some cases. This is part of GripGrab’s sustainability approach, which includes using classic designs and colours. The idea is to keep their products looking timeless and thus reducing the desire to buy new products as fashion changes. Let’s take a look at one of them.

Expert RC Max Padded Short Finger Summer Gloves  

The padding in the Expert RC Max Padded Short Finger Summer Gloves is designed to “maximise comfort in multiple handlebar positions.” A combination of high-density foam and memory foam should provide a comfortable ride on long days. The palm features a perforated mircro-suede for breathability, while also offering abrasion resistance. A silicone pattern on the palm is there to help you keep your grip on the bars.

Meanwhile the back of the gloves use an elastic mesh to help with cooling. The thumb has a thin micro-suede layer, perfect for wiping the ‘sweat’ from your brow! Apparently this layer can also be used to clean your glasses. They’re available in four colours and six sizes, so you should be able to find your fit. Head over to the GripGrab website for more info and to see the entire range. Take a look at our other GripGrab articles here.