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Assos SS.Grandprix Jersey_evo8 review

In this SS.Grandprix Jersey_evo8 review discover how Assos bring F1 inspired materials and style to a comfortable, durable & highly breatheable hot weather cycling jersey that outperformed any other summer jersey I’ve ridden in

Bold styling to suit hot summer riding

My first recollection of the Assos brand was learning about their prodigious reputation as a maker of some of the best cycling shorts available anywhere on the planet. With this reputation for excellence they were also renowned for durability and I remember being told my many cyclists that Assos shorts lasted longer than many cheaper shorts.

Founded in 1976 by Toni Maier, Assos has been an innovator since the beginning, producing the first carbon bike, the first lycra shorts and the first sublimated jersey to name just three. Assos clothing has been ridden to World Championship Medals, Tour de France and Monument wins.

Whilst the Maier family sold the company in 2015, the company has continued to focus on innovation and this get us towards the ss.grandprix Jersey_evo8 I’ve been riding over the last 18 months.

This particular jersey (with a long and complicated name) emerged from the Assos partnership with the Works_Team at Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1.

The core to this garment is that it features a new fabric called Hill Tex, which as well as being light weight, also boasts an open circular knit structure to help improve breathability and stretch.

The styling of the Grandprix jersey makes more than a passing nod to motor racing with the chequered flag inspired design across the chest and was released in a number of colourways. I rode the green variation as you can see in the images.

Pleasingly the jersey featured a full length zip, which is my favoured solution for any time of the year in a jersey but particularly in the summer. One might argue that if a jersey really is highly breathable that you wouldn’t need a full length zip, but to me it’s simply nicer to wear when they do.

 Assos described this range as regular fit, which in reality meant, a touch less form fitting than their racing lines. In reality, I found the fit of the jersey pretty racy. The first jersey I received was a size small (which I normally wear in most cycling brands), however this was too tight and I swapped it for a medium, which was much better. If you’ve not ridden Assos before you might need to try a couple of sizes.

Riding a medium made the jersey a touch longer than I was used to but overall it’s a very good fit for me. The core colour of the SS.Grandprix Jersey Evo 08 is white, which makes perfect sense for a hot weather garment (shorts excepted obviously!) as white is a great colour for hot weather. I rode this jersey through last summer in the UK where we had exceptionally high temperatures also rode it in the south of France in temperatures into the mid to high 30’s Celsius. I found this jersey to be absolutely superb to wear in hot weather. The breatheability of the Hill Tex fabric was very good indeed. Not only that I found that the jersey seemed to give excellent temperature management. I felt comfortable in this jersey from temperatures in the late teens through to the mid 30’s and having lived in the UK for over 20 years, I struggle with hot weather (even though I love it), so this performance was very welcome.

The Hill Tex Fabric looked unusual but is a fantastic performer in hot weather

I can’t really explain why it works so well other than to point at the knit of the Hill Tex fabric and concur with Assos’s claims about the material. It’s really very impressive in use.

The other point to note about the colour/style of the jersey is that the white colour looks great if you’re in good shape. However when I was riding last summer in France after some more unplanned time off the bike, my belly was a bit rounder than I would have liked and this jersey did seem to highlight thanks to the white colour. Perhaps it’s Assos’s way of encouraging you to slim down… by riding more!

Hold your gut in mate! 🙂

Another impressive aspect of this jersey is how well it’s stood up to a lot of washing. Having been through my washing machine many, many times, the SS.GrandPrix Jersey Evo 08 still looks like new and is my first experience of that Assos durability.

The Assos SS.Grandprix Jersey Evo 08 is the best hot weather cycling jersey I’ve ever ridden in. It has excellent breatheability and temperature management and was a comfortable ride well into the 30’s (Celsius). For hot weather riding, this is the first and only choice in my cycling wardrobe. The Hill Tex Fabric does a terrific job. The only downside for this reviewer is that the white colour that makes up the bulk of the jersey is not kind if you’re carrying a few extra pounds on your belly.

For my first experience of Assos, it’s a successful demonstration of a brand that delivers a top quality performance in this case in a warm weather cycling jersey.

To find your own Assos jersey, visit https://www.assos.com/

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