Italian Clothing. How the heck do they do it?
They say that there are only three face types in the world: Horse, Bird, and Bun.
My whole body is a bun.
Yet the Clover gives my torso a distinct "V" look, topped off with broad, muscular shoulders. Nice. All the stitching is absolutely perfect and perfectly finshed. No loose threads, and perfect straight lines, all accentuating what are obviously lines pencilled by a fashion designer. The panels on the jacket are all sewn and detailed in a way that manages to make even the most starchy somatype look a little less like brioche, and more like a bageutte.
Every zip is hidden behind a flap of some description including the wallet pocket. I've owned 3 or 4 jackets over the last few years and have had varying degrees of success in keeping my wallet dry, ranging from slightly damp to staining plastic notes black. The vent zip protection actually keeps water out. In fact the vent zips and wallet pocket zips take some searching to find.
There are vents at the biceps, two at chest level and a corresponding vent at the rear. They WORK! I was dubious about the bicep ones, but they actually pick up a huge amount of air. The front to rear ventilation works too, with a constant stream of speed cooled air passing through the jacket. No way as good as a mesh type jacket, but much better than any other cordura or leather ventilation system I've used.
The elbow and shoulder armour is kept perfectly in place by two adjustable velcro straps on the sleeves, and the fit at the shoulders is absolutely perfect for me.
It's basic black (which I prefer - silhouette works better than bright colours IMO) with reflective panels at the rear, a now de rigeur zip out thermal liner, and there are drain holes at the end of the sleeves and around the bottom of the jacket, to stop that water running down the waterproof membrane from soaking the fabric at the hem and end of sleeves. The cuffs are easily adjustable velcro tabs, meaning you can wear gloves outside or inside the jacket, depending on weather.
It has a fantastic back protector built in, a full length segmented ABS plastic jobby, not just a piece of impact foam.
I've crashed it (first time I wore it - doh!) - not a mark. Not a single indication that it's met tarmac.
I've worn it in sleet - not the warmest jacket I've owned, but then I have a temperature regulation issue anyway, so it all averages out.
I've worn it commuting in an absolute downpour - not even slightly damp underneath.
Every time I buy a bike product made in Italy, I marvel at how well it is styled and finished. Products from other markets may provide the same levels of functional protection, but by golly it's nice to think that your bike clothing would help you leave a good looking corpse.
Thanks to Kerry for selling it to me (I quote, "I'm not trying to sell it to you mate, but you look good in that." - boom, tish!). Best bit of bike gear I've owned yet.
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Originally Posted by Hitcher
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