MTB

Reviewed: ION’s Scrub Jersey and Traze Shorts

We took to the trails wearing ION's latest summer trail collection

While mountain biking is truly an all-weather sport, you just can’t beat a dry dusty day on the trails with the sun beckoning for you to stay outside. As with any sports, you get hot and in summer regulating your body temperature is key, so you need to find clothing that’s functional and that doesn’t compromise on super slick style.

Reviewed: ION’s Collision pants and Shell Amp jacket

Fortunately, for us mountain bikers, and more specifically, female riders, we have seen waves of awesome MTB kit come crashing into the market. However, there’s one brand that has made a big splash, and that’s ION.

After great success in the surf industry, ION ventured onto dry land to extend their action sports apparel into mountain biking. Usually, when a brand ventures into new sports, it takes time for trial and error to rotate through until kit is where it needs to be for the market, but ION appears to have hit the nail on the head.

Known for their bright colours, understated designs and feminine fits, we take the new Scrub jersey and Traze shorts out on the trails to see if they live up to their predecessors.

Tee SS Scrub_Amp WMS

The short-sleeve Scrub jersey is your go to jersey for warm trail days. It’s slightly thicker than most other summer jerseys that we’ve seen this year, but it’s just as breathable and comfortable to wear.

The jersey is constructed of DriRelease® jacquard mesh fabric which although is very soft, it dries four times faster than classic cotton. The back of the body section and sleeves are made of light and very breathable pique mesh jersey with a Sanitized® finished to keep you dry and fresh all the time for freshness.

There’s an integrated goggles/glasses wipe and lift pass pocket built in which really come in handy, especially safely clearly dirt from your eyewear without worrying about damaging the lenses.

The regular fit keeps it loose but shaped to a women’s natural body shape. It really does fit like a comfortable t-shirt, only it’s packed with functional tech features.

ION’s Scrub Jersey is available in sizes x.small to x.large here for £50.

Traze_Amp shorts

To finish off the ION outfit, the Traze shorts perfectly compliments the Scrub jersey in colour and style.

These shorts are designed for summer with 2way stretch fabric and 4way stretch inserts. The fabric feels thin and breathable, yet strong, durable and totally not see-through. Laser cut ventilation dots line the inside of the leg to help improve the airflow as you ride, keeping you cool in the process.

Flatlock seams and flush pocket zips give these shorts a clean and flawless look, uncluttered by unnecessary features.

Velcro waist tabs help get the fit spot on, although, like with any other velcro tabs on the waist, it can cause your jersey to snag and wear if it gets caught. While this method of fit is most commonly found, for this reason, it’s not the most practical as no one wants to ruin their awesome jersey.

ION’s signature phone pouch is integrated within the pocket but it doesn’t fit my phone, or most phones if they are bigger than a Nokia 3310. Instead, you can always use it for keys or passes but it’s still not the easiest to get your hands into.

The Traze_Amp shorts are available in sizes x.small to x.large here for £75.

The Verdict

ION’s Traze shorts and Scrub Jersey are in keeping with ION’s reputation for producing stylish mountain bike wear that works with you as you ride. Both garments are breathable, durable, and their flat simplistic designs are visually striking – Less is more after all.

I’m a sucker for versatility and what I love about the Scrub jersey is that it’s cut and styled similar to a regular t-shirt and without in-your-face features to scream “I’m a mountain biker”, you can easily get away wearing this to the gym and even casually.

The Traze shorts are designed with a resemblance to surfer’s board shorts. The flat colour and faff-less features make them ideal for mix ‘n’ matching with a variety of jerseys and jackets. No one likes a thigh-gap from their knee pads, and with the Traze shorts, I didn’t find any areas of exposure – yay!