Helen Lloyd kitted herself out for her marathon trip to Australia, before COVID cut things short and forced her to return to the UK. But her T.ur clothing did start to prove itself…
I got these gloves and jacket for a trans-continental long-distance ride, which was unfortunately cut short by Covid-19. But based on a 1,500 mile ride through the UK and Spain, my initial impression is that this is a great-looking, highly functional 3-in-1 jacket offering good fit. Being a size 12, I found the ‘medium’ suited best.
It’s made of a highly resistant polyamide with Cordura reinforced shoulders and arms, and comes in a cool blue with off-white and red trim (or black with fluorescent yellow if you’d prefer). It has an adjustable neck fastening, which was initially fiddly to do up with my gloves on until I got used to it. Having no Velcro around the neck is a major plus for women with long hair! Velcro straps around the waist, bicep and forearm however, enable a snug fit and ensure the armour inserts will do their job if needed. There is also Velcro around the wrists, although I found it unnecessary and caused the leather trim to bunch up. My only criticism is that it is hard to fit my gloves on without undoing the wrist poppers, which are then fiddly to do up with gloves on.
The J-ONE comes with breathable, removable CE-approved shoulder and elbow protection as standard, and a pocket to fit an optional back protector. From the front, there are zip openings under-arm, across the top of the chest and on the lower arms for ventilation. The back has a panel that can be unzipped along each side, or for maximum ventilation, opened completely with the flap tucking in neatly below. For trail riding in extreme heat, the jacket is too warm even with all vents open, but that is true of most textile jackets I’ve used.
The two side pockets with fold down flaps, one watertight with a zip, the other a magnetic hold, are a decent size to hold a wallet or small tool kit and phone. There is also an additional wide chest pocket.
The high loft thermal padded liner zips into the main jacket and can also be worn separately as casual wear without looking like a liner. I’ve found it great for cooler evenings in the tent. The ultralight breathable waterproof outer kept me dry through long wet days on Welsh and English roads, whilst the fluorescent yellow markings made me more visible in the poor conditions. When not needed, it stows conveniently and discreetly in the back pocket of the main jacket.
As for the G-TWO gloves, they are great for warm weather and also trail-riding. Before I left for the trip the ladies version of these gloves was not available, so these are the mens, which is probably the reason for my only criticism; that the thumb is too long for me. Otherwise the fit is good (small, size 8).
The mesh on the back of the hands provides great ventilation, whilst the suede and goat leather is durable and comfortable. The anti-abrasion inserts on the palms and rubber injection knuckle moulds offer good protection. They are ‘touch screen compatible’, which proved very useful for navigating some Spanish trails with my phone. Both gloves and jacket will get a more thorough workout after the lockdown, when I can resume my travels, and I’ll report how they perform under extreme daily use.
J-ONE Lady jacket £399.99
G-TWO gloves £69.99
T-ur.com