For some reason, many of us have a problem with wearing technical upper garments for anything but racing and steer well clear of what we should wear in favour of a nice T-shirt that was ultimately designed for anything but mountain biking. I’m not saying riding in a cotton T-shirt is wrong, far from it, but there are options out there that will meet your strict ‘no jersey’ criteria while also meeting the needs posed from a day sweating and exerting yourself on a wooded hillside. In this review, we take a look at two options from Fox that are both technical and aesthetically not your average cycling jersey. The Tech Tee, which is exactly that, a technical T-Shirt and the Attack Jersey, a laid back and highly adaptive short sleeve jersey that we really think hits the nail on the head when it comes to riding jerseys that look anything but…

Words: Olly Forster | Photos: Nathan Carvell

Tech Tee.

It looks like a regular Fox tee and even feels a lot like a regular Fox tee, but the Tech Tee is designed for sports and includes a whole host of innovative “jersey like” features that you need to know about. The biggest advantage to the Tech Tee over a regular tee is that it is made from both synthetic and natural fibres that are woven together to create a material that Fox describe as ‘Dri-Release Fabric” – although nothing new in the technical apparel market, what this essentially does is keep you dry by transferring sweat from the inside to the outside of the garment and being built into the fabric, won’t wash out. How many of us have taken our cotton tee off after a long days ride, or struggled to take it off, with it being full or absorbed sweat? Nice huh?

For all intents and purpose, the Tech Tee looks like a regular tee and that’s the idea!

There’s more than just ‘dry release’, Fox have also gone further and have added what they refer to as ‘STR’ or ‘Skin Temperature Reduction’ to the fabric, which is designed to keep you 6 degrees cooler, a built in ‘Fresh Guard’ that doesn’t retain body odour, ultra violet protection up to a factor of 22 and the tee itself, dries up to 4 times faster than a regular cotton T-shirt.

Attack Jersey.

Unlike the Tech Tee, this is a proper cycling specific jersey, but where it’s differences start, so do it’s similarities begin. The Attack jersey for me, represents the kind of technical riding garment that could be worn far away from the bike track. Taking the technical T-shirt style approach one step further, the Attack jersey is crammed with neat features that should hopefully tick the box’s of many a rider, and keep those who don’t want to look too much like a ‘cyclist’ more than satisfied.

You can’t beat a plain black top with a good bit of logo placement on the front and I think it’s fair to say Fox have a pretty smart looking logo. The Attack jersey is a great complimentary jersey to match any short, Fox or not and one that has had more than its fair share of use over the last few months.

Like a lot of Fox MTB jerseys, the Attack features a discreet pocket on the right hand side by the hem, designed to hold an MP3 player and using the ‘audio interface’ – a small hole for you to direct the headphones cable through, allowing you to comfortably listen to your favourite tunes while deep in the wilderness. The Attack also features a hidden optics wipe on the inside of the hem too, should you need one.

The Attack’s main body is made from 100% moisture wicking Polyester and has integrated front and rear mesh paneling to maximise airflow and keep you cool while on the move.

While the cut has a very relaxed and casual feel, the Attack does feature a ‘drop tail’ design which increases rear coverage in the ride position, preventing it from riding up while hunched over the bike or getting wild with your “body English”.

Conclusion.

Both the Tech Tee and the Attack jersey represent a solution for riders who don’t adhere to some of the louder and more race orientated designs on the market, but ultimately still want the technical qualities associated with cycling specific jerseys. The Tech Tee at £25 is bang on the money, especially considering it looks and cost about the same as a regular tee, while being packed with all the neat stuff you need to keep comfy on your bike. As easy as it is to throw a T-shirt on, they get pretty grim after a few hours sweating in them don’t they? Like the t-shirt look and want some technical clout? Here’s your ticket!

The Attack jersey is great, it’s as simple as that. It looks good, has a great fit and doesn’t have any of the unnecessary pockets, zips, buttons or other stuff you really don’t need in a riding jersey – this is bare bones style and packed with the right amount of tech that your ever going to need. At £44, it’s a bit dearer than the Tech Tee, but it more than makes up for it when the going gets tough as the venting certainly comes into its own.

Spot on stuff from Fox as usual and right on the money! For more on the products tested here and for everything Fox, tap the logo below and take a look. Happy trails!

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