ION Sports began as a surf inspired company, and with great success dominating the market, the sea-lovers came on land to share their rad colour-ways, bold patterns and super tech fabrics with the rest of us adrenaline junkies.

After being very impressed by their women’s summer trail wear, I was keen to get my hands on their winter waterproofs. I first saw this kit at Eurobike, and felt immediately drawn to its bold colour-ways – a step away from the traditional teals and pinks we see. The pants and jacket feel super stretchy in the hand, strong and oddly thin which had me question ION’s “waterbomb proof” claim.

Shell Amp Jacket

Starting off with the Shell Amp jacket, I’ve totally fallen in love with it. It’s super light, stretchy and waterproof which not only makes it great for riding in, but stylish and fitting enough to wear casually too.

The hood is hood adjustable and helmet ready, as is the hem which has built in toggles to really pinch in the fit. The ventilation zips allow for a quick cool down when you’ve been pedalling hard and working up a sweat, but one of the best features of this jacket has to be the fabric. It’s light, breathable and moves effortlessly with the body, so that there’s no restriction – or loud rustling “waterproof” noises.

While the leg cuffs are zipped to offer adjustability, caution is needed to prevent excess fabric from getting caught on your chain ring, which happened to me. I’m a little gutted that even when the ankles closed off, the excess material snagged. Perhaps the non-flex protective material should come up a little higher on the leg to help prevent damage.

One of the best things about these trousers is that they are perfect for layering with. I wore these when snow biking for the Snow Bike Festival, and they were great for providing that additional water resistance protective layer when I needed it most.

Verdict

Having worn, washed, re-worn and thrashed around in the snow and mud… I can honestly say that I love this kit from ION. More so the jacket for its effortless protective, comfort and attractive qualities, but the trousers also hold their value as a great outer-layer for when you need that little extra coverage.

As with all good things like quality kit, it comes with a high-range price tag. The Shell Amp jacket is available here for £215, while the Collision Pants are available here for £125.

It’s a reassuring feeling that not only is women’s mountain bike kit becoming more varied, accessible and generally awesome, but more consideration is being made towards its function – especially important for us rainy climate dwellers.

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