Mavic clothing review arm and knee warmers and Relax jersey

When I found myself underdressed in France I stopped at the local Velo shop and found Mavic products were widely available. Having no clothing from the long time component manufacturer, I picked up some items and put them to task.

The short version is they were all winners. But who wants the short version?

I tried on a size large but didn't want it in black. The person at the shop came up with a medium in white, which, to my amazement, fit just fine. The jersey met my first requirement for a serious jersey, a full zipper. As a bonus, it has the best zipper pull I've ever used. Fit is very important and these have vegan arms (no sausages) and there is a high collar which I really like. I think a high collar gives a jersey a wider temperature range.

The jersey features a selection of fabrics. Mesh armpits vent just fine. The front provided great wind p rotection and breathability.

Subtle zippered pocket and the sweet zipper pull.

The pockets are deep enough and held everything they needed to. There is a weird 3/4 pocket on the left side in addition to the regular pocket which was great for wrappers and cleat covers. This has a small bonus zippered pocket for keys etc. I always think that is a cool feature, yet I can assure you I have never zipped a key in a short sleeve jersey. I will count it as a positive for this review..

Another positive feature was the jersey was way cheaper than anything offered by Assos.

Mavic makes some fine knee warmers as well.

The first test, and failure means game over, is do they stay up? These do. The color is a not quite black, a dark charcoal grey. The little piping and yellow highlights seemed alright in France and have come to grow on me. They are an ideal weight, keeping your knees warm without binding or bunching. They stuff into a pocket just fine. They manage moisture well and the final test, they bounce back for the next ride. Some arm or leg warmers are stretched out after a ride and must be washed or they are like yesterday's socks, droopy and saggy. If I peel off warmers early on a ride before I have sweated in them, I'd like to get another ride out of them before washing. These babies report for work the next day ready for duty.

Both the knee warmers and the arm warmers have a unique elastic on the upper ends. A lighter mesh with Mavic "M" printed in a rubbery material. The end result is a sleeker feeling and sleeker looking end of garment. I am not a fan or doubling the material and then sewing in a thick stripe of elastic and rubber. The resulting tourniquet may be what we are all used to, but this is an excellent alternative.

The arm warmers story is a near repeat of the knee warmers. They stay up, otherwise they don't even make it to the drawer, let alone on a ride. A good weight, long enough, cool accents and the neat mesh on the upper arm. High points on breathability, moisture management, the stuff factor and can be worn a few rides between washing.

Bottom line: affordable, top of the line quality, durable, high performance... Hey, I'm rambling.

Five of five Evos.

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