Good-looking pro level kit at an astonishing price? While $80-$90 for a jersey may not seem that great, the dhb ASV Professional kit is good value for money. When you add just another $80 for the compression-wear bib-knicks, the package starts to look pretty attractive. And it’s not only the price that looks attractive; detailed graphics, lightweight construction, attention to detail, and high performance technical Italian fabrics make this kit stand out. The Wiggle Honda professional team wear them, and you certainly won’t look out of place in the club race peloton.
The Sizing
Being a rangy 185cm tall and mid-70kg when I’m fit, I fell in between the large and medium sizes. Wiggle warned us that the size came up slightly small and I should go up one size from my normal selection, but being stubborn and going off the sizing chart I still elected to go for the medium. Wiggle sent me the red-and-black short sleeve jersey in the medium with matching knicks and socks, and the long sleeve blue-and-black jersey in large, again with matching shorts and socks.
Fit in the medium was tight as expected, however I find I prefer to err on the tight side, so they felt good. There was no restriction of movement in the riding position, and the sensation of tightness of the shoulder straps soon melted away once the cranks started to spin and everything started to slip into place as my body moved. The only differences with the large size were that it felt slightly less tight, and the long sleeves were a little looser and longer than expected. Given that my high school nickname was “Stick Insect” I suppose the arm issue is not a surprise. The torso was a snug fit and the knicks still did their compression-wear job. The length was more appropriate for my height.
The Jerseys
Both long and short-sleeve jerseys feature full length zippers. There are the customary three drop-in pockets for carrying tools, spares, and nutrition, and the right hand pocket has a small cable port to allow you to thread your phone’s hands-free headset up the inside of your jersey. A matching cable loop is fitted inside the right side of the collar. There is an additional secure zip pocket in the centre with a water-resistant lining.
Overlock stitching is used throughout. I liked the way the stitching has been organized to allow the bottom of the pocket to expand to accept thicker items such as wallets, phones, and carbohydrate bars without over-stressing the stitching at the corners. A 3M reflective tab has been sewn into edge of the pocket panel at the left and right sides and is supplemented by reflective logos. The waist hem has silicon grippers to discourage riding up. These thoughtful details indicate the jersey is targeted at the experienced cyclist who favours longer rides.
The short sleeve jersey uses a particularly lightweight fabric that I found delightful to ride in during warm conditions. The pattern of small tiny holes in the fabric was particularly effective for evaporation of perspiration. I was initially concerned about the UV resistance of such a light fabric but did not experience any issues with sunburn in normal use.
What struck me was the way my skin felt the passage of the air in ways I’ve not experienced previously. The sensation of the air vortexing and lightly stinging the skin around the rear of my shoulders when descending at speeds over 50km was new and unusual – it could have interesting uses for biofeedback when time trialling! It certainly enhanced the sensory stimulus of the act of riding and the best way I can convey it is as being similar to the sensation elite swimmers describe when they rub their forearms on the edge of the pool to enhance their sensitivity to the flow of the water to improve their ability to minimize drag as they swim.
I doubt I’ll ever be able to take advantage of that feature, but if it’s a deliberate result of design rather than me talking out of the top of my head then it’s an impressive example of the way clothing technology can be used to enhance athlete performance at the elite level.
I asked for the long sleeve jersey as a guard against the predations of the ozone hole-enhanced southern hemisphere sun. I find sunscreens are not as effective as I would like for longer rides. With fair skin and a family history of melanoma in common with most Australians of British heritage, there needs to be more offered by way of summer weight long sleeve jerseys.
While slightly warmer to ride in than the short sleeve jersey, it is my go-to choice when I know I am going to be out closer to the middle of the day. It wicked and breathed very well, although perhaps not as outstanding in that regard as the short sleeve jersey.
The dark colours with high contrast panels fit with the current fashion trend towards blacks and dark greys, with enough visibility to catch the eyes of other road users. The white cuff strips will help drivers see you indicating turns when light is less than ideal. Dark colours do ride hotter than lighter tones when exposed to the full radiation of the southern hemisphere sun and perhaps the graphic artists may wish to consider offering a light coloured kit for the Down Under market.
It would also be welcome if the long sleeve design could be made available in the same material as the short sleeve jersey.
The Bib-knicks
I’ve been a committed user of bib-knicks for several years now, even when mountain biking with baggy shorts. There’s simply nothing like them for comfort on long rides, nor for avoiding the irritating folds in the chamois and other areas that will eventually rub holes in you.
Overlock stitching is again used throughout for longevity along with brand name Lycra Sport 210g 4-way stretch fabric from Italy. Not only can you brag about your carbon fibre bike, you can now legitimately claim that bling for your shorts. A light CF mesh is incorporated into the fabric to improve temperature regulation and provide additional compression.
A key point of interest for me with any prospective bibs purchase is the quality of the chamois, both from a comfort and longevity perspective.
Inevitably for me they fail before the rest of the garment. It seems to be common practice to secure them in place with a single zig-zag stitch around the outside, which quickly wears and falls apart in the washing machine. A majority of bibs in local bike shops seem to sport this questionable “feature” and it is a constant source of frustration that I am unable to purchase reasonably priced kit from local outlets that is built to a decent standard.
It is therefore gratifying to see that the Endurance Chamois sourced from Elastic Interface in Italy is secured around the edge with multiple layers of overlock stitching. This puppy isn’t going to get loose in the washing machine and start to bite us in uncomfortable places. It comprises two 10mm thick perforated half-saddle shaped foam pads with a gap down the middle between them to take pressure off the sensitive part of the perineum, and 3mm foam in the areas that don’t interact as much with the saddle. My roadie has a particularly hard Specialized Romin carbon railed saddle and it handles this well for rides up to 4 hours (I haven’t yet attempted anything longer with these knicks).
The laser cut leg gripper panel is about 30mm wide and covered in small silicon dots. It does the job very effectively and leaves no constriction marks on my legs even after long rides. The edge on the red shorts has shown very slight signs of wear but these have not progressed further since I first noticed them.
While not as euro-cool sophisticated as my Italian bibs, on a comfortable-kilometres-per-dollar basis they are really hard to beat. Getting light compressionwear built into a high performing set of bibknicks for just $80 is pretty impressive.
The Socks
The ASV socks are a snug fit that complement the rest of the kit nicely. Thin, highly breathable, with a well-constructed toe box, heel, and mid-foot support band, these socks provide high end performance at a budget price.
Conclusion
Normally at this price point you’d expect to qualify the praise with three little words “…for the money”. There is no need to do so with the dhb ASV Profssional kit. With the only exception being the fit of the long sleeves on the large size jersey, it ticked all the boxes. Well made, stylish, robust (so far), high performance and comfortable, it is comparable with much more expensive product.
Likes:
+ Moisture wicking properties
+ Excellent attention to detail in the design
+ Robust construction
+ Simple but highly effective chamois pad
+ Good for rides up to four hours
+ Attractive graphic design
+ “Pro” looks for an outstanding price
Dislikes
– Fit on sleeves of long sleeve jersey a little loose
– Lacks the snob value of brands with longer heritage but makes up for it in price performance
– A light colour jersey option would be welcome
The dhb ASV long sleeve jersey, knicks and socks (as picture) retail for $188,58 at the time of writing and are available individually. Likewise the short sleeve jersey plus professional Roubaix bib knicks and socks are $223.23 and also sold separately. The dhb ASV range of cyclewear is available online exclusively from Wiggle.
