Road Cycling Clothing

Reviewed: Fondo’s Honeycomb Cycling kit

Fondo have turned up the summer cycling heat with their racey honeycomb kit

You know summer is coming when you begin to gingerly paw at the hibernating summer cycling kit in your wardrobe. Perfect for sunny cycling adventures and for the rare heatwave the UK has to offer, Fondo’s road cycling collection is the perfect summer ride companion.

Not afraid to deviate from the idea that ‘pink is for women’, the Fondo brand has been built and nurtured by passionate female cyclists who struggled to find high-tech performance apparel which both protected and performed great in the scorching Australian sun.

Granted. Us Britain dwellers aren’t graced by the sun’s presence quite near as often as our Austrailian friends, but our rainy chilled island has its moments of glory and we like to travel off to stunning warm cycling destinations too!

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been pedalling through spring with summer on the horizon and what better way to get us in the mood than by testing the new Fondo Honeycomb kit.

Fondo’s Honeycomb kit

Fondo has a limited collection of cycling kits, with a choice of three feminine – but not girly – designed sets. They focus on performance by using quality Italien fabrics that work with the body to wick away moisture, regulate your temperature and improve comfort with a specially designed laser cut chamois pad.

You can really feel the quality of this kit when you pop it on. It’s ultra soft and cool to the touch with a high compression second-skin feel. The race fit style is designed to fit firmly offering improved comfort over other commonly used polyester and lycra combined fabrics that have a looser fit.

With lovely smooth laser-cut cuffs and waist that softly grip your skin, you feel confident that this kit won’t be twisting and wriggling its way around your body as you ride.

There are three well-sized cargo pockets in the rear and a full-length hidden zipper in the front. The longer sleeves on the jersey are a personal favourite of mine as they add a little more protection from the hot sun but also work well with arm warmers because they prevent any annoying arm-gap.

Fondo’s bib-shorts are constructed with an Italien made chamois pad and high-compression Lycra. The straps and thigh cuffs have been carefully laser cut to improve fit and reduce any riding up or rubbing from occurring.

Both the front and back of the bib-shorts come up quite high on the body with comfortable seams that don’t dig in as you’re bending forward. I quite like this style because it invokes a feeling of comfort and security when riding. I like how the Fondo bib-shorts ‘keep me together’ when riding and the intelligent design is actually really flattering to wear.

In addition to the jersey and bib-short kit, Fondo have recently added a gilet to their collection.

Made in Sir Lanka this gilet is incredibly light. It’s designed to be both windproof and water resistant, but what’s even better is how easy it is to roll away and tuck into a pocket without feeling like a bulky lump. There are two back pockets and another secured zipped pocket for stashing away your essentials.

The Verdict

After getting used to the second-skin nude feeling, I began to feel the benefits of this high-compression Lycra fabric. Whilst out riding, I didn’t actually think about my kit which is always a good sign. There wasn’t any pulling down of the jersey, adjusting the thigh cuffs or wiggling around of any kind. It all stayed in place, exactly where it should be.

On the hotter days, the thin temperature control fabric was amazing to ride in, and for the cooler mornings, I made thorough use out of the gilet. I was pretty surprised that the super thin gilet material was so protective and just enough to take the sting out of the chill. What’s even better is just how small it rolls away to.

As for the design, I do love the bold bright patterns that Fondo has to offer. They’re feminine without being girly and they look great with most helmet and shoe combinations.

Fondo’s cycling kit does come with a high-end price tag of £237 for the jersey and bib shorts, and £115 for the gilet. That’s quite a lot of money to part with for one kit, however, perhaps consider it as a summer investment. If you’re big on sportives or going off to cycle in sunny destinations, and performance is a big aspect for you then Fondo’s jersey and bib-shorts are the ideal companion.

Fondo Honeycomb jersey and bib-shorts are available here for £237.

Fondo Cycling gilet is available here for £115.