MTB

Trail Test: Flare Clothing’s New Roost Downhill Kit

The new women's MTB kit from Flare is here, and we gave it a trail test

Since launching in 2013, Flare Clothing has transformed women’s MTB clothing with their range of stylish and functional kit options.

The brain child of the talented, Hannah Myers, the Flare brand is passionate about supporting and showcasing the women of riding, in style.

Each year, we’ve been blown away by the dynamic designs, flattering fits and non-girly colour-ways, and this year is no different.

With Flare’s new enduro, downhill and cycling wear being released, I was more than excited to get a first-look trail test with the Roost Downhill hit whilst in North Wales.

Save

Flare Roost Downhill Jersey

From the range of new women’s MTB wear, I was lucky enough to take the stunning purple Roost downhill kit around the trails of Llandegla in North Wales.

The long sleeve jersey is constructed from a Coolmax polyester, providing a soft feel and texture to the fabric which assisted with temperature and moisture control. The subtle texture of the fabric helps with those annoying snags and abrasions easily suffered in mountain biking.

The Roost downhill jersey is everything I would expect from Flare clothing. High quality fabric, stitching and an awesome eye-catching design.

The fabric is soft against the skin, and the fit was spot on for being feminine, but loose. It has the perfect versatility for layering up on cool day rides, or wearing alone on hot days.

A hot day on the Llandegla trails were the test conditions and I felt very comfortable in the Roost jersey as it provided ample breathability and great coverage from the baking sun.

For me, the only issue I had with the jersey was the sleeve cuff which isn’t elasticised. When I’m too warm, I naturally hike up my sleeves, and with these jersey I couldn’t. The restriction also made it difficult for me to find my watch, and pull down over my gloves for wind protection.

Sizes: X.Small – X.Large

Available here for £40

Save

Flare Roost Downhill Shorts

Accompanying the purple Roost jersey, I adorned the Roost downhill shorts which finishes off the perfect purple Power Ranger look.

Being made from a 560 denier Nylon Cordura, the shorts are thicker and the Flare enduro kit. This heavy duty fabric is great for gnarly riding as they offer abrasion resistance whilst still offering comfortable and ample movement around the bike.

With a Velcro and loop lock waist function, theses shorts are great for dialling in that perfect fit. Other features include a zipped pocket and open pocket with a wide enough leg to accommodate padded shorts and knee protection.

I did find the pockets a little difficult to get one with, mostly owing to the small zip pull which was a little fiddly to locate and use with gloves on.

Despite the heavier and thicker fabric, these shorts didn’t get restrict my riding in the slightest. They’re really comfortable to ride in, and they look awesome when tearing up the trails.

Sizes: X.Small – X.Large

Available here for £70

Save

Verdict

I love Flare’s new range of women’s MTB wear, it’s fun, functional and made to an great quality standard.

With only a zip pull and sleeve cuff criticism, the Flare Roost downhill kit is still reasonably priced, and extremely well made, and these drawbacks are hardly deal-breakers.

When chatting with Hannah Myers from Flare Clothing, I asked what her inspiration was for the 2016 line. She replied: “Graphics-wise I wanted to do something more adventure-inspired. All of our graphics have taken inspiration from nature. For 2016 we have played with the image of a tree-line in different scales and the different colours you might see when looking at a tree-covered horizon.”

The 2016 is shaping up to be a bright and colourful one with brands releasing their new lines of women’s MTB wear.

It’s great to see Flare Clothing, passionate about women’s riding and dedicated to producing an extensive collection of sizes and function for the market.