At this price we’d expect a fairly basic garment. The OneTen Intimo, however, has plenty of technical features, which make it a highly competent base layer for the price.
It's a lightweight option, intended to help keep you comfortable in mild conditions. It’s a style that’s designed to deal effectively with sweat and keeping you dry rather than bringing any additional thermal qualities. The large grey front panel is highly wind-resistant, though, making it a great choice for cold days.
The fabric is very wearable – smooth both against the skin and also on the outside, which makes it easy to layer over. It’s also very effective, with airier mesh sections to both disperse heat quickly and dry fast. The micro fibre polyester is very lightweight and doesn’t hold onto moisture for to long.
Despite wearing this on rides that became very warm we didn’t ever get uncomfortably waterlogged and it maintained its lightweight feel. The fit is snug and structured, with the back being shaped to hold firm with mesh panels to allow perspiration to draw away from the body.
The cut is designed for riding, with a long tail, long arms and a neckline rotated forward so it fits when you’re on the bike. The panel construction makes for a very good fit through the body – but for some reason, not the sleeves, which didn’t articulate as well as they might.
We’ve tried the short-sleeve version and that doesn’t suffer the same problem. It’s a detail though, and this is very efficient at keeping your skin dry. We’d use it to prevent chilly clamminess in colder weather too by pairing it with a more insulating mid layer.
This article was compiled from reviews published in What Mountain Bike and Cycling Plus magazines.