PRODUCT TESTED: SkirtSports Skort and SkirtSports Jersey

ABOUT ME: 5’5, 128lbs, 30 year old female. I love all kinds of riding but Mountain Biking is by far my favorite!

TESTING GROUNDS: Fullerton Loop, Mt Sac, Aliso Viejo, and other Orange County and LA Trails

Likes
I ran into SkirtSports back at Interbike and they sent me home with a set to test out on my rides and racing. This set gets three BIG LOVE IT’S from me!!! Love, Love, Love it! Just look at the set. What is there not to like? I immediately fell in love with the idea of mountain biking in a skirt!!!!

The skirt features a mesh short with a pink padded chamois, and it turned out to be the perfect length for my height. But like everything else, the true test is on the trails. To be completely honest I wasn’t sure if this little duo could hold up under trail conditions. Well I am happy to report that after over 6mos of wear, this skirt is holding up strong and it is still in excellent condition. What I loved about wearing a skirt out on the trails is the feeling of wearing spandex shorts but without that spandex look. Not all of us should be wearing spandex out on the trails and I enjoyed that I had the benefits of wearing spandex but with so much more modesty. They did a great job with the fit of this skirt also. I NEVER worried about the skirt lifting in the wind. It always stays in place while riding.

I have to add that this skirt is incredibly comfortable. In fact I have added it to my bike commuting wardrobe lately because the fit and the material feel so good. It’s also cute and modest enough to wear in my casual office environment. The mesh short is also very breathable but more on that later. No tears, fading or shrinkage. It held up to all the washing.

Dislikes
Well the con of the skirt can also be a plus, just depends on how you look at it. The mesh short of the skirt, is just that - mesh. It leaves you a little exposed under the skirt. Nothing to really fret over as the chamois conceals all your unmentionables, but you can see the color of your skin under the skirt. Again, the skirt stays in place though. So you don’t have to worry about it whippin’ up in the air while riding so I really didn’t care. It just made for a more “breathable” ride. lol.

The other item to keep in mind is the chamois. While it did offer some relief from the hard saddles, I wouldn’t recommend this skirt for an epic ride. The chamoisis is a little on the thinner side. Perfect for my trail riding under 20miles.

Sleevesless Bike Jersey

2nd Place win at the Fat Tire Classic 07′.

Product Overview

Often referred to as your “favorite jersey of all time?”, the TRIKS sleeveless jersey is as close to perfection as you will find. So what did we do to keep things exciting? We added more options! You asked for more colors, you got em! Black, Black/Smooch, Pink Crush and White. This jersey is out of sight! Timeless, classic, Skirt-fect (Skirt Perfect!!!). The Sleeveless BikeJersey has a slim-fit and is complete with a flat mandarin collar with a locking center Skirt zipper. It hits at the hip but is longer in the back, complete with 3 lower back pockets for gels and tubes. The COOLair fabric provides long lasting breathability and supreme moisture management.

Fabric: COOLair (50% Coolmax, 50% Polyester)

Special features: reflective locking center Skirt zipper

Suggested uses: cycling, triathlons

Like/Dislikes

First off I have to say overall I really dig this jersey. Skirtsports offers a great collection of cute, and functional attire for cyclists. This jersey is beautiful. It still looks brand new after many, many bike rides and washes. The material proved to be very breathable. I appreciated the small details in this jersey such as the reflective front zipper and the back pockets. I also loved the feminine colors. If pink isn’t your cup of tea, that’s a-ok. They also offer black, white, and a few printed jerseys. The jersey also fitted well. Their sizing seems to be right on target. I don’t really have anything negative to say about the jersey. My only issue may be with the elastic in the bottom of the jersey. It wasn’t uncomfortable or anything. It would just be nice sometimes not to have to think about pulling down the jersey, but that’s just a personal preference. Most jerseys do have a bottom elastic.

Overall, this skirt and jersey combo has become one of my favorites. I don’t want to look like the other boys when I am out on the trails! This functional skirt allows me to ride my best and to do it in style. Every girl should have one of these babies in their closet. Check out there website. I believe this particular skirt is no longer available but they do have another style cycling skirt available as well as cycling shorts. They have skirts for all kinds of sports - running, triathlons, cycling - something for everybody!

Popularity: 13% [?]

PRODUCT REVIEW: TIFOSI DOLOMITE: Product Tested: Tifosi Dolomite T-V390 BACKCOUNTRY ORANGEâ„¢ (VARIABLE TINT TECHNOLOGY) 45-15% light transmission.

As described on their website:

Weight: 26 grams
Fit: Medium to Large Faces

Frame Features

* Lifetime Warranty

Lens Features

* Enhanced Visual System [EVS] Polycarbonate Decentered Lens for Optical Clarity
* Glare Guardâ„¢ Glare Reducer to Decrease Eye Fatigue
* 100% UVA & UVB Protection
* Ventilated Lens for Increased Airflow & Anti-fog
* Three Lenses Included for Various Light Conditions
* View Lens Chart

Eclipse Case header
All Tifosi Eyewear include case & microfiber cleaning bag with purchase

Our buddy Shannon Haslam sent me the Dolomite a few months ago and I’ve pretty much used it everyday and on every ride since then. The Dolomite not only works great on the trail by protecting my eyes from harmful UV rays and from dirt and debris, but it also looks good enough to wear with business attire.

They offer a wrap around design where it does prevent dust, gravel or any little particles to come in contact with your eyes while riding down the trail. The lenses are also vented on the upper and lower corners to prevent fog up.

The selling feature about the Dolomite is what Tifosi calls “Fototec.�

Here’s a description of it:

Fototec
Lenses with Variable Tint Technology (V.T.T.)
These polycarbonate lenses are blended with microscopic photochromes that alter the tint of the lenses when exposed to UV rays. The results of this process is a family of lenses that adapt to your individual needs regardless of outdoor lighting condtions.

They actually offer about 29 designs with the Fototec technology. So you’ll easily find something you like.

Anyhow you’re probably wondering how well this Fototec works, well I’ll tell you this, I can easily go indoors to out and vice versa without having the need to take the Dolomite off. In fact when I walk in from a parking lot to a grocery store, the lenses goes from dark to light in a matter of about 8 seconds. When I’m in the store, I can just keep them on if I wanted to. But I don’t because I’ve always thought that people that wear their sunglasses indoors are dorks.

Here’s a shot of how light the lenses are. I just pulled them out of the shade and set them down in the sunlight.

Then here’s a shot of them going dark after I placed them under the sunlight.

Here’s what I liked about the Tifosi Dolomite:
I like how they actually fit my big head. I’ve always had issues of sunglasses that are too small. But the Dolomite are pretty comfy, snug and did not fall off my face at all. I also like how they change tinting once I got into the sun. At first it wasn’t so obvious, especially with these amberish/orangey lenses, things are always going to be brighter. But one thing I did notice about the Dolomite is the fact that I wasn’t squinting once I got out.

I’m not scientist or something, but I’ve read that UV rays have an effect on people that causes them to squint. Since all of the Tifosi’s eye wear offers 100% UVA and UVB protection, I didn’t squint at all when wearing them.

In the past few months that I’ve been wearing them, like I said I wear them EVERY day. The scratches are to a minimum. Now I do know how to take care of my eyewear so that means I never left it lens side down or put it in the same pocket as my keys or change. The scratches I’ve had are from stupid mistakes I’ve made such as dropping them on the ground or just not being careful where I set them down. Other than that, the lenses are pretty durable.

What I didn’t like about the glasses:
For some weird reason, the left lens would fog up more than the right. I don’t know if my left eyeball was a bit more moist than my right, but I even had a friend try them out, and sure enough they fogged up on the left lens…kinda weird.

Don’t worry, almost any pair of glasses you’ll ever own will some way or another fog up on you, there aren’t any exceptions. What’s cool about the Dolomite, it does have those vents on the upper and lower corners that I mentioned earlier. If I did fog up, its because I was stopped after climbing a mondo, epic hill and the sweat from my face and the heat generated from my pulsating muscles…hey I have some…created some hot steam that would fog the Dolomite up. But! Once I got rolling again and the air hit it, the glasses would be clear again.

Price: Depending on where you buy them, they can cost anywhere between $49.95-$59.95.

Based on what you’ve read, you may have already noticed that I do like the Tifosi Dolomite. What’s there not to like? They look great, fit good, work awesome when in the sun and they are pretty affordable. Here’s the thing too, they have a lifetime warranty. I absolutely dig the Tofisi Dolomite. I’m sure would too if you had a pair. Heck, even Bryan from Evomo has a pair!

Contact Info:
Tifosi Optics
1051 Industrial Blvd. Watkinsville, GA 30677
phone: 866.310-0996 (toll free) / fax: 800.229.8122 (toll free)

Popularity: 4% [?]