In the ever increasing madness of highly priced cycle wear there are but a few companies who are bucking the trend by offering low priced, good quality kit and Planet X seem to be one of those, have a read of what Phil thought about some of their kit!
Over the course of the summer I have been testing a little bundle of kit from Planet X consisting of their Pannello jersey, their Clubman bib shorts and their Merino socks (testing feedback on a base layer also sent will come in the winter).
Overall first impressions were great, neatly packaged and as described I was looking forward to getting out on the road and testing this kit out. But straight away I ran in to a problem! Having a body type that is probably more suited to Rugby than Riding, I was a little concerned about sizing (as anybody not the size of Chris Froome might be with the high variability of cycle kit sizing). I erred on the side of caution and went a size up in the bib shorts, but actually shouldn’t have! They ended up being loose around the tummy and very long in the leg. The customer service I received in changing these to a smaller size was second to none though. No problem they said and soon enough I had a size down landing on my door step.
On to the riding, and let’s start with the Jersey. Made from 100% polyester the Pannello is described as being cut for racing with a figure hugging construction, and this was certainly the case. It was not tight though, just a good comfortable close fit. The breathable material was perfect for summer riding and not once did I find myself overheating even on hard efforts. One of my concerns with a jersey at this end of the price spectrum was that the quality and weight might suffer, but this couldn’t be further from my experience. It has held its shape well, and is pretty light too. The 3 rear pockets (plus a zipped one for valuables) didn’t sag and were spacious enough for most needs. I even had a few admiring comments on the ‘Classic’ look of the jersey.
Moving on to the bib shorts with their multi-layered chamois I was initially as impressed as I was with the jersey. Once I had gotten the sizing right the fit was great, sitting nicely against the legs with the gripper doing its job well, the straps sat flush and the overall look was very good (only, perhaps a little on the shiny side for my taste). On an initial couple of rides I found them to be pretty comfortable with the breathable mesh bib doing its job well. However, once the distance crept up past 40 miles I started to feel discomfort in the saddle. The chamois was slightly too wide but more importantly did not seem to be stand up to longer distance rides. That’s not to say these aren’t worth a look, just perhaps don’t plan to use them for long days in the saddle.
Finally it would be remiss of me not to mention the fantastic looking, fantastic fitting and super comfortable merino socks. These are great quality made from 69% merino wool and they are indeed itch-free as described. I liked the look of these so much I ended up using them for rides a little too warm for such socks and did get hot feet, but that is my fault entirely. On the only occasion that it was actually the weather to wear these they stood up very well, keeping my feet warm despite being wet from the deluge I was caught in. At the price these are offered at, these are a must buy for winter riding.
For me all of these items prove that you don’t have to spend the earth to get good quality cycling kit that looks good too, with the jersey and socks in particular being very impressive.
Jersey – £29.99 RRP
Bib shorts – £39.99 RRP
Merino socks – £4.99 RRP
Review by @RolyRouleur