The Blok Dasher jersey and Fluro bibs offer decent value for money, with smart looks to boot. A lack of wind protection means they can be chilly at times though.
Dhb Blok Dasher jersey
£44.99 (US$68 / AUD$74 / €49.99 from Wiggle)
Part of Dhb’s Blok range, the Dasher certainly looks dashing, and is a departure from Dhb’s usually utilitarian looking kit. Looks aside, it has the kind of close, racy fit you’d expect from an Italian brand, only without the price to match.
The elasticated cuffs easily fit under gloves, and the hem has silicone grippers so the great fit at the waist isn’t wasted. There are three pockets at the rear, with a fourth zip pocket in the middle.
The lining is a soft, fleece polyester, which does a good job of wicking away sweat, but you’ll probably want a windproof base layer to take care of moisture management, because the Dasher has no wind protection. It’s warm enough, but once you get moving, the wind pierces through it.
Dhb Blok Fluro bib tights
£69.99 (US$99.87 / AUD$99.99 / €84.07 from Wiggle)
The Fluro bib tights are part of the same Blok range as the Dasher jersey. They’ve been given similar flashes of colour, around the ankles and bibs. Sadly these get lost under a jersey and overshoes, but if it’s dry and warm enough to avoid overshoes, they look smart.
There’s more to them than looks because the fit is nice and tight, and there's no excess material that could bunch up and start chafing.
They’re made from Action 205 lycra, which Wiggle claims offer light compression, although we didn’t find them particularly compressive; they’re simply as form-hugging as you’d expect a pair of good bib tights to be.
Both the bibs and jersey offer a good fit, with no excess material. The downside is that the fabric of the bibs is quite thin, which means they can get chilly in wind
It’s quite a light material as well, and there’s no warm fleecy lining, which is noticeable when it’s cold; we found that it took a long time for our legs to warm up, and once warm, they were susceptible to the wind.
The ankle zips lock down to keep them from moving around and the elasticated ankles are held in place effectively with silicone grippers.
To aid breathability, the rear of the bibs are mesh and they come quite high up the back before separating off into non-mesh straps. DHB has chosen to use a Cytech Elastic Interface ‘Giro Air’ chamois, which proved comfortable.
- Jersey: three stars
- Bibs: three stars
- Overall score: three stars
This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.
