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| Independant Customer Reviews |
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Reviews of Prowik Moisture Management Shirt Posted on www.bikeradar.com
Hey folks.
well the folks at dryshirt.co.uk sent me one of the free shirts they were talking about in at the start of this thread.
So here are my thoughts on it.
I was given a choice of two colours...yellow or green and opted for green.
When i opened the shirt, the fabric felt very light and silky. It felt the same after a good thrashing too, staying cool feeling, light and comfortable after 2 laps of Inners XC (well you need to do 2 don't you ;o)) I also wore it on the way to work the day after that thrashing and it stops the smell just as well as my merino base. You could probably wear it for at least 2 or 3 days before feeling like it needed washed.
I think merino wool is really comfortable, but at the point where you first put a merino on i think you can tell it is wool. Not itchy as such, but a just a light grip... The prowick felt exactly like it did on my hands when i took it out of the bag, and the closest thing i can compare it to is the feeling of silk. Very Comfortable.
I did have a couple of negative thougts as well though but these were to do with the styling. It was quite loose fitting (which I don't mind) but some folks would prefer a more fitted feeling. I thought (and have responded to dryshirt with this) that it could be tailored a little more at the bottom and be longer at the back to suit the cycling market, but it seems they have more af a 'one shirt for all sports' approach.
The Styling of it will not suit everyone either. I held it up and immediately thought 'Golf'. It just looks like that kind of garment. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, just not to everyones tastes. As I said, I got a green one and it was a deep, full block, bright number. As I say, maybe a little 'Preppy' for some.
There is a prowick logo on the left breast and on the promo versions a big prowick logo on the back (both in white). Kevin at dryshirt tells me that on the retail version, there is no logo on the back.
So....if you are looking for a wicking layer with classic t-shirt stylings, that is super comfy, and stops smells really well, the prowick by dryshirt.co.uk is worth a look.
Cee
Mine was exciting grey/beige. I did say to send me whatever there was most surplus stock of!
As synthetics go, the antibacterial is top draw - and the silkiness comment is right on too. Wicking seems very good. I don't know how the antibacterial will last though - with merino its a feature of the fibre; with synthetics its usually the result of a treatment which can often fade. The anti-pong didn't impress me as being at the same level as merino, but as I said, it was up with the best synthetics I've tried, which cost quite a bit more
On my weightlifter shaped torso, the shirt was a good fit. I suggested a neck zip for ventilation control, although the wicking ability might make this irrelevant
What I'd add to this is that this feels to me like a pure wicking top rather than a baselayer. Merino offers very sophisticated temperature management to cool you up or down (it breaths, while the fibres are hollow and insulating). The nylon fabric of the DryShirt felt cold and conductive, as if it was sucking heat away. So my impression is that this is a hot days only shirt; I wouldn't want to wear it even as a baselayer in cold weather. (Its interesting that UK companies like Montane have taken the approach of combining merino and high wicking synthetics to maximize versatility in this sort of shirt - we really do have one of the world's trickiest climates.)
That said, the UK price is excellent compared to other products that do the same job. (Twenty something pounds?) I'd definitely choose light merino for commuting, because of its ability to cope with the fast changing UK weather and stop/start at moderate effort levels. But as a racing aid, where heat output will be constantly high, the DryShirt could be very effective. It might be a also be a summer commuting option for people who ride in the warm London micro-climate and who run hotter than I do.
Oh - and I was wearing it when I had to do some Extreme Emergency Plumbing, digging up our stopcock. So I can say that it cleans very well.
So overall:
- A good shirt to wear when removing sweat and keeping cool is your main aim
- Good "odour management"
- Not something I'd wear as a layer in cold weather or when I needed a versatile shirt that can wick, cool, and keep me warm
- Excellent UK price
- Good fit for mesomorphs, probably baggy on typical roadies
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