The Giro New Road LS Ride Jersey features a cozy Merino wool and polyester blend fabric and a comparatively loose cut - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Three rear pockets hold ample gear on the Giro New Road LS Ride Jersey but they could use a bit more structure to deal with heavier items - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Clever shoulder vents are built into the Giro New Road LS Ride Jersey - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Gripper elastic on the bottom of the Giro New Road LS Ride Jersey help keep it in place - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Stretch sides on the Giro New Road 40M Tech Overshort lend good flexibility while maintaining a relatively trim cut - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
A pair of small zippered pockets hold the essentials on the Giro New Road 40M Tech Overshort - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Giro New Road 40M Tech Overshort is designed to be worn with a separate liner - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Outerwear pieces are made overseas but most of the other autumn pieces in the Giro New Road collection are made in California - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Giro New Road Insulated Vest features a light fill of Primaloft insulation - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
A hidden pocket on the Giro New Road Insulated Vest gives you an inconspicuous place to store a few key items - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
An inner pocket on the Giro New Road Insulated Vest provides a little more storage - perfect for keeping energy bars warm and malleable - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Giro New Road SS Merino Polo is made of 100% Merino wool - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
With just a single zippered rear pocket, you'd be forgiven for considering the Giro New Road SS Merino Polo to be more a piece casual wear than cycling kit - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Giro New Road Neo Rain Jacket looks good and has some impressive features but it's also outrageously expensive - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Hidden zippered vents in the shoulders provide controllable airflow on the Giro New Road Neo Rain Jacket - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Ample storage is on tap with the Giro New Road Neo Rain Jacket thanks to both front and rear pockets - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
An adjustable elastic hem seals up the bottom of the Giro New Road Neo Rain Jacket - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Giro New Road LS High Neck Zip-Up is essentially a light wool/polyester blend outer layer for when you want just a bit of extra warmth - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Asymmetrically cut cuffs add a bit of refinement - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
A single rear pocket on the Giro New Road LS High Neck Zip-Up is just about the right size for a smartphone - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Giro New Road SS Merino Crew uses a nylon/wool/Spandex fabric blend called Nycore that supposedly imparts many of wool's benefits but with a lighter and airier feel - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Unlike most of the Giro New Road collection, the SS Merino Crew jersey includes three rear pockets - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Giro New Road Waterproof Jacket is built with an asymmetrical main zipper and hidden shoulder vents - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Giro builds the New Road Waterproof Jacket with a two-layer Pertex shell and taped seams - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
A small zippered pocket on the upper arm of the Giro New Road Waterproof Jacket is perfectly sized for your phone or wallet - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Giro New Road Ride Crew 3/4 is made with 3/4-length sleeves and a 35 wool/polyester blend - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Start your Giro New Road ensemble with the 3/4 Bib Undershort, built with a Cytech chamois, an overlapping front fly, and a just-below-the-knee length - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Giro launched its New Road clothing range last year to more than a little bit of confusion over its unique mash-up of casual styling and high-performance fabrics and features. Now that we've had the chance to use some of it over the past few months, however, the concept makes much more sense – and we've just taken delivery of a fresh batch of good-looking test pieces intended to carry us through from winter into spring. Impressively, most of it is made in California.
Headlining the recent arrivals is the $350/£TBD Neo Rain Jacket, which skips over the usual hardshell construction of other waterproof outerwear in favor of Polartec's decidedly softer and stretchier Neoshell fabric. Key features include hidden zippered vents up around the shoulders, an offset waterproof main zipper, and a mix of traditional zippered front pockets plus Giro's hidden 'Stowback' zippered rear compartment to maintain a casual look.
Those looking for a more traditional hardshell can instead turn to the Waterproof Jacket ($220/£TBD) with two-layer Pertex construction, taped seams, a small pocket on the sleeve, and waterproof zippers all around – including the clever System Zip rear panel that allows you to access your existing jersey pockets instead of adding a secondary layer of storage on the shell.
Giro builds the new road waterproof jacket with a two-layer pertex shell and taped seams: giro builds the new road waterproof jacket with a two-layer pertex shell and taped seams - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Giro New Road Waterproof Jacket is built with a two-layer Pertex shell, taped seams, and waterproof zippers
We took the Insulated Vest ($180/£TBD) out on day one and have already found it to pack an impressive amount of warmth for such a compact package. Though at first glance it more resembles a micro-puff jacket than a traditional cycling vest, the Insulated Vest nonetheless features a very trim cut and highly compressible Primaloft insulation so you can (barely) stuff it into a jersey pocket when things warm up. And yes, there are other color options besides bright orange.
The giro new road insulated vest features a light fill of primaloft insulation: the giro new road insulated vest features a light fill of primaloft insulation - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
No, we're not going hunting, but drivers will certainly notice you in this color option for the Giro New Road Insulated Vest
Jerseys
The Giro New Road range of jerseys is dominated by Merino wool and polyester blend fabrics and very casual styling. The 80%/20% wool/polyester LS Ride Jersey ($200/£TBD) features a rather loose cut, a very soft hand, and subdued color options. Clever vents built into the shoulders enhance the material's already-excellent breathability but we've already found the three rear pockets to be a little lacking in support when even moderately loaded up.
Clever shoulder vents are built into the giro new road ls ride jersey: clever shoulder vents are built into the giro new road ls ride jersey - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Neat details on the Giro New Road LS Ride Jersey include these clever vents in the shoulders
Riders heading out on colder days might want to add the LS High Neck Zip-Up ($140/£TBD) with its more polyester-heavy Merino wool blend (20%/80%). A quarter-length front zipper adds a bit of ventilation control while Giro's 'System Zip' feature gives you easy access to the underlying jersey pockets.
The giro new road ls high neck zip-up is essentially a light wool/polyester blend outer layer for when you want just a bit of extra warmth: the giro new road ls high neck zip-up is essentially a light wool/polyester blend outer layer for when you want just a bit of extra warmth - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Layer up with the Giro New Road LS High Neck Zip-Up
The rest of our Giro New Road jersey collection comprises a smattering of very casual-looking tops: the Ride Crew ¾ ($99/£TBD) with a 35%/65% wool/polyester blend and ¾-length sleeves; the standard short-sleeved Ride Crew ($85/£TBD) with a more generous 75%/25% blend; the 100% wool SS Merino Polo ($130/£TBD) with the same shoulder vents as the LS Ride Jersey but with a notably slimmer cut; and the SS Merino Crew ($140/£TBD) with a lighter-feeling 89%/11% Merino/nylon blend called Nycore. According to Giro, the lighter Nycore fabric should combine with the traditional three rear pockets to give a sportier feel.
The giro new road ss merino polo is made of 100 merino wool - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Cycling clothing doesn't get much more casual looking than this
Shorts
Giro doesn't yet offer full-blown winter clothing for your lower half so our test samples right now are limited to more 'cool weather' gear.
The 40M Tech Overshort ($120/£TBD) takes a page from mountain bike apparel as it's a fitted shell designed to be worn over separate liners. Four-way stretch fabric with extra-stretchy side and crotch gussets maintain a trim cut but with good flexibility while a DWR coating lends some protection from rain and road spray, too. The fitted waist can be worn with or without a belt and there are two zippered pockets on hand to stow your gear.
The giro new road 40m tech overshort is designed to be worn with a separate liner: the giro new road 40m tech overshort is designed to be worn with a separate liner - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Like mountain bike shorts, the Giro New Road 40M Tech Overshort is designed to be worn with a separate liner - except these are mainly meant for road use
Designed to be worn underneath is the somewhat curious ¾ Bib Undershort ($200/£TBD). Giro builds three rear pockets into the bib section to provide more discreet storage options (many of the matching jerseys have zippered access panels) while a traditional overlapping fly up front facilitates nature breaks. Inside is a stretch chamois from Cytech.
Start your giro new road ensemble with the 3/4 bib undershort, built with a cytech chamois, an overlapping front fly, and a just-below-the-knee length: start your giro new road ensemble with the 3/4 bib undershort, built with a cytech chamois, an overlapping front fly, and a just-below-the-knee length - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Giro New Road 3/4 Bib Undershort features an overlapping fly for easy nature breaks
We wish the cut extended a bit further than just-below-the-knee but nevertheless have already found the 48%/40%/12% nylon/wool/Spandex material to provide good warmth in very cool conditions.
Stay tuned for more in-depth reviews as the season progresses.
