When the quickly growing Seattle based brand PNW Components first launched their apparel line they kindly sent over their Ozone Trail Jersey and Shuttle Shorts for review. At time, it was getting cold here, so I’ve had to delay my review over the winter. Now that the snow has thawed and we’ve had a few months of good riding here in Northern Idaho, I’ve been wearing this understated combo regularly. Read on to see how it’s been working out…
Ozone Trail Jersey
The “jersey” itself is made from a wool/polyester blend, which is aimed at comfort and breathability. PWN calls it the “overachieving lovechild of a technical riding jersey and your favorite old T Shirt”.
First up, the seams are all very well reinforced, but they move nicely and completely an afterthought – in other words, you don’t even notice them.
The closest the Ozone gets in the “technical” aspect is the perforated armpit area. It’s a feature that’s simple and although hard to gauge in terms of effectiveness, probably a great call.
Another nice touch is the tail drop. The longer back area prevents loam, crud and mud from getting down into your shorts.
This is about as branded as it gets. I’m down…
Shuttle Shorts
The Shuttle shorts aren’t quite as gravity oriented as their name might imply. Really they’re a straightforward all around offering that would make appeal to most riders between the margins of XC and DH…With a 13″ inseam the length is just about right, providing ample coverage over the kneepads. The shorts are constructed with a tough, water resistant and highly stretchy material.
The waist band features two chinches which help you get the perfect tension in the event that you’re between sizes, like me.
The main pockets are slash style in the front – just like a pair of jeans. The inside material is mesh, for breathability.
If, for whatever reason you wanted to accompany the Shuttle shorts with a belt, you can do that – although personally I felt that the chinches had that task well covered.
As the sides, there are two generous zipper pockets.
Last, but not least there is a proper button closure. I applaud this decision as nothing is worse than a snap style closure that pops open when you’re huffing up a climb.
Starting with the jersey, I found the sizing to be perfectly accurate. At 6′ tall, I tested a Large and it fit great. I appreciated that the arms and midriff were a touch longer than some other brands in this size. The proportionality between the collar, sleeves, and core were all just right, and thus – all in all it was very easy to move in. The material is extremely comfortable and soft to the touch. I found that while there are some airier, more technical jerseys out there that could be better in super hot weather this blend worked very very well in cool to warm weather. It wicked moisture nicely and dried quickly. Personally, I love the understated styling and feeling like I’m just out for a rip in a comfy tee shirt…
As far as the shorts were concerned, I really liked the material as well. They are highly flexible and easy to move in – like board shorts but a bit more heavy duty. I haven’t worn the Shuttle shorts in abundantly wet weather, but on some slightly rainy days I did appreciated the water repellant coating. That said, it is just a coating so if you want to preserve it you’ll have to find a spray bottle and re-apply it every so often after the shorts have been broken in and washed a few times. I liked the combination of a slash pocket and a zipper pocket but did find that it was a little difficult to get my hands in the slash pockets *while riding*. That said, this inspired confidence that nothing would fly out of them. Generally I relegated keys and snacks to the zipper pockets as I wouldn’t worry about them getting damaged by a slide out, and I mainly kept my cell phone up front. As mentioned earlier, I was definitely a fan of the button closure and cinches to keep tension at the waist band. On that note, I think PNW could take a page from the Ozone jersey’s book and extend the height of the waist up a touch at the rear. While it didn’t exactly come up short, I think it could be a little higher for slightly improved comfort while hunched over the bike and diminished likelihood of having trail matter end up getting into the shorts.
All told, I’ve been really happy with this simple and comfortable kit. As always, I put a heavy emphasis on value in my reviews, and at their respective prices both pieces of apparel are excellent offerings for the money. They’re simple, comfortable and thus far have been very durable. I’ll be happily rocking them both all summer.
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