Eurobike 2012: Sweet Protection – Updated.

by 15

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.

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This colourway is either 'Pele for President' or 'Farmer John Deere'

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)

Can't go wrong with some Caribbean blue.

 

A little school-trouser-ish perhaps?

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

Mountain Rescue will spot you in no time

 

A small loop on the back means you can hang them up and jetwash them. Obviously the Sweet guys know UK riding conditions.

There’s also a range of jerseys, like the Chickamin 3/4 sleeve jersey. £69 £64.99

The Chikamin jersey

And then there’s the (where do they get these names?) Chumstick full sleeve top. It’ll be £79.99 £69.99

 

Another DH jersey with a photographic print

That’s actually the Mission jersey £54.99

Can you spot the Sweet logo in the swirls?

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

Short sleeve and with big armpit vents to hopefully delay the 'pressure suit smell'

 

Or just wear it under a T-shirt to make you look chunky

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)

Comes in white or red - or full naked carbon.

 

There's also a swanky pisspot helmet that'll come in at £69.99.

 

Full carbon Fixer

 

 

 

And here's our Matt in helmet model mode

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

 

 

Chipps Chippendale

Singletrackworld's Editor At Large

With 22 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)

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