The beauty of the zippered Ibex Giro bike-riding top is, quite literally, its beauty. This bike top is one good-looking piece of clothing, gorgeous while zipping along a country road and equally stylish over a T-shirt for running errands on a chilly spring day.
The long-sleeved shirt has a zip front, ribbed color and cuffs, and set-in sleeves. The Giro has the close fit of a classic cycling jersey, and is available in three color combinations – green and pale gray, light violet and dark violet, and black and white, all with the contrasting color striped along the sides, under the arms and across the chest, for a flattering and slimming effect.
Though good looks are nice, they’re not the reason to buy a bike jersey. The Ibex Giro delivers – it’s wind-resistant, warm, breathable and comfortable. There’s no arm constriction, even for riders who switch hand position often. And it boasts features that are useful to cyclists, including a reflective logo in the center of the back (a stylized head of an Ibex) and two zippered back pockets, ideal for a cell phone and ID.
Giro, Ibex’s jersey-weight wool, falls in the midweight category and is designed especially for quickly-changing conditions. It’s ideal for a spring or autumn ride, which can start cold, but tends to get hot and sweaty once a few hills have been climbed.
The material is soft and keeps its shape. It’s also machine-washable. Ibex recommends washing it on the machine’s “delicate” cycle, using gentle soap and laying it flat to dry. Also, it doesn’t hurt to brush off the mud after a ride, and maybe empty the pockets to help the shirt keep its shape.
images/IbexOther nice features of the Ibex Giro is the easy-to-grasp plastic-coated pulls and lockdown tabs; the zippered side pockets have little pouches that hold the pulls when the pockets are zipped close; the ribbed collar is just high enough to provide warmth, without hitting the back of the neck. (MSRP $150)
Karen Nitkin likes to run, hike, bike, camp and swim. She spends as much time as possible on these activities, while juggling a writing career, family life, and doing errands like laundry and going to the grocery store.
Nitkin lives in Maryland, where the relatively mild climate allows her to run and bike year-round. She also spends at least a few weeks each year in New Hampshire, camping and hiking in the White Mountains. She has set a goal of hiking all 48 New Hampshire peaks that are above 4,000 feet. As of the fall of 2010, she is at number 20, following an epic rain-drenched four-peak overnight in the Pemigewassetwilderness over the summer.