Since we initially put this story up, Gregor has got in touch with us from Sweet Protection with the good news that some of the prices have been reduced.
Sweet Protection is a Scandinavian name you’re going to be hearing more about in the coming years. It had its start in the world of kayak helmets and has turned its attention to mountain bike clothing, armour and helmets. Like another Scandinavian protection company (it begins with ‘POC’), the gear isn’t cheap, but it’s very well made and cleverly thought out.
Let’s start with the Misty Mountain jacket. It’s made of four-way stretch material that’s waterproof and breathable. There’s a slim hood, pockets, vents and that’s about it. Simple and great for winter. Matt’s been trying one of its predecessors for a year and really rates it. It’s £199.
And here’s the Hunter short. It’s bright and bold and blue. There’s a little lift-pass garage on the left thigh, a pair of cargo pockets and some Velcro volume adjusters. They’ll be £89 £79.99(or £129 £119.99 for the black full-length pants)
Sweet is coming out with a DH short called the Inferno and it comes in a suitably rad and eye-catching canary yellow. There’s a stretch rear panel for good fit on the bike and the minimum of features to keep it simple. £90
There’s also a range of jerseys, like the Chickamin 3/4 sleeve jersey. £69 £64.99
And then there’s the (where do they get these names?) Chumstick full sleeve top. It’ll be £79.99 £69.99
That’s actually the Mission jersey £54.99
And on to the protection that gives Sweet its name. There’s a new short-sleeve pressure suit called the Bear Suit. It features padded spine, shoulders and chest. The idea being that you probably have elbow pads, or you might want to keep them free. £199.99
On to helmets and this really caught our eyes. It’s the Fixer open face helmet. There’s big rear protection and a lot of venting in a pretty solid looking lid. Inside there’s a ‘MIPS2’ system that allows the head to rotate (and therefore decelerate) when the helmet hits the ground. The lining will move 10mm in 3-5 milliseconds, helping prevent rotational brain injuries. All this top drawer stuff comes at a price of £249 for the regular helmet and £299 for the full carbon shelled helmet. (‘MIPS2’ is only available in the carbon version)
Finally, lurking in a corner was a bit of kit we think is going to be a must-have for us for the winter. It’s called the Dirty Frank and it’s a vinyl based mesh bag for wet post-ride kit. There’s a giant zipped section ready to take your wet gear, plus a pull-out changing mat. One for the manky months. £59.99 £54.99
All this stuff will be available from Sweet Protection dealers in the UK. Or check out www.sweetprotection.com
www.facebook.com/sweetprotection
Comments (15)
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Ah, that’ll be one of those “aspirational” brands then. Shame, the kit looks really nice. Just not £200-for-a-riding-jacket or £70-for-a-riding-tshirt nice.
What’s with the massive peak?
Changing bag for 60 notes? Supermarket bag for life – 10p. Value rubber car mat – 99p. I wonder what I will do with the remaining cash now?
Those helmets look like something Keyop wore in Battle of the Planets 🙂
wonder if this’ll work
I have one of their helmets for kayak and they are excellent. However I would be surprised if drilling a few holes in the top will provide sufficient ventilation.
Changing bag- check out the frostfire moonbag if you want something like that, basically a fold-open bag with a foot pad at the bottom and a big drawstring. Very handy.
or big blue ikea bag for 89p?
Now I earn good money but a £1.99 collapsible crate from Lidl has served me well for dirty kit & the shopping.
+ a gardening sheet £0.99 from Aldi to stand on in shitty places
Lift pass garage? Catch yerself on boys.
It’s a pocket!
It wouldn’t make a very good pocket, Sandwich. For a start it’s upside-down… and then it has a retractable cord for your pass. Zips have garages, so I don’t see why a lift pass shouldn’t.
Nice looking products (POC too), that’ll mostly remain on the shelves or on the backs of journos as very few bike riders will pay that sort of cash for them.
However we may well receive them as Christmas presents…
Wow those Scandinavians are something else…material that stretches in 4 dimensions, time travelling gear would be great, put it back on before it got wrecked or filthy.
All a bit day-glo for me, and ridiculous prices.
Dirty Frank – £60
IKEA Bag – couple of quid…
The stuff is $$$ (sorry, no pound key on this Aussie keyboard, before you all get excited ;D) but having played with the kayak and snow gear, it is v v good.
Gore is not cheap: this is similarly good