You see Wiggle’s own brand dhb clothing riding around on bodies all over the country, and having tested out the kit and examined the price tag, it’s clear to see why it’s so popular.
Kit from dhb has long been considered fantastic value for money, with padded tights available from around £30 and jerseys at £10. However, the addition of the Blok range gave the brand an extra string in their bow: stylish designs in bold patterns and colour schemes that match across an array of accessories.
This year, dhb have proudly unveiled an ASV range of pro-rider tested performance cycling apparel for women, which promises exceptional cold weather protection with a comfortable price tag. However, we chose to test their performance/value kit, to see how well it would stand up for the price.
dhb Blok Women’s Meso Lightweight Roubaix Jersey
This jersey has clearly been created from the ground up with autumn and spring conditions at front of mind. With short sleeves, it’s designed to be paired with the marching arm warmers on chilly mornings, and features a very light fleecy Roubaix fabric that offers warmth, but won’t cause overheating on a sunny day.
Roubaix fabric is often employed for much thicker, winter items – but in this case the material is still very light and feels like a summer item until closer inspection reveals the brushed surface on the inside. It’s this treatment that really sets the item apart as a purpose designed shoulder season garment.
Made from an 83 per cent / 17 per cent polyester and elastane mix there’s still plenty of stretch in the fabric, which provides a flattering fit, and a sort of light sheen which catches the light and adds a little extra style. I wore this jersey for my local bike shop’s ‘Torture Tuesday’ hill reps session, and though my legs were far too warm in the tights I’d opted for, the jersey offered all the wicking properties I’d expect from a quality brand.
At £40, the Meso jersey still sits in dhb’s ‘performance’ category, and has a comfortably close fit that a road cyclist after a sporty look will appreciate. There is a silicone gripper along the hem, though no arm grippers, but at the price point expecting this more luxury treatment would be quite a big ask. There are three rear pockets, plus a zipped compartment, and a cool colour contrast full zip.
The matching arm warmers (£18) and neck warmer (£10) are constructed from a bi-elastic micro brushed jersey fabric, which is comfortable and flexible. The arm warmer grippers do their job holding the tubes in place above the sleeve – always an important test for an arm warmer – and these offer a fairly high degree of warmth. The neck warmer is thinner than some other brands out there, handy if you find you overheat with heavily lined versions, but not ideal if you feel you need a lot of extra protection.
If you need more warmth still, there is also a long sleeved softshell Roubaix version of the jersey for just £65, and we’ll be reviewing that when the temperatures dip further.
