Product Review Nukeproof Ride Wear range

Mountain bike riders are very spoilt for choice when it comes to wearing quality apparel. It seems like each company tries to do something more elaborate each season with comfortable materials or a finish that will last more than a few crashes. In a very welcome addition to the apparel market, we are very pleased to say the Nukeproof Ride Wear range is now available to get your hands on exclusively from Rotorburn sponsor Chain Reaction Cycles & Wiggle. I’m super stoked to have spent a ton of time wearing two kits from this range, read on to get the lowdown.
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Item: Nukeproof Blackline shorts

Purchased From: Chain Reaction Cycles (click here for the Nukeproof Ride Wear range)

Purchase Price (approx): $94.95
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The Nukeproof Blackline shorts are an amazing all round pair of shorts. Most importantly to me, the size is spot on and they are packed with features that some other brands lack. You’ve got a polyester material stretch fabric with the DWR finish repelling water splashes and random mud scrapes. They are not a tight fit and you have great mid knee length that covers the top of your knee pads and doesn’t ride up over the pads when you’re in the heat of the moment.

Features wise, the stretch material feels great, super comfortable and does not bind anywhere that will create an issue. Keeping the shorts tight around your waist is done via the elastic strap hidden in the waist that is attached to a velcro pad on your hips. That velcro is tough too, I never had the shorts come loose nor have the velcro decay after washing. Inside the shorts is the great addition of the almost sticky gel strip that binds to the surface it touches to reduce the chance of your pants slipping and it works. If those features aren’t enough to tighten it how you want it then you can also run a belt through the loops around your waist.

Performance wise, these things are now on the top of my pile of favorite shorts. The length is great, the finish of the stretchy material is very nice to wear, the placement of the pockets is versatile and above all else, I feel good wearing it! At under $100, this is a very big chance at being the best value shorts you can get. The only downside to some may be the lack of liner but including that would take away from the comfort of the shorts.
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To match the Blackilne shorts, I chose a jersey from the Blackline range that would suit; the short sleeve Nukeproof Blackline.


Item: Nukeproof Blackline short sleeve jersey

Purchased From: Chain Reaction Cycles (click here for the Nukeproof Ride Wear range)

Purchase Price (approx): $59.95
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Is a short sleeve for summer your choice? Short sleeve for winter to shed some of that sweat? Either way, you’ll love recycled polyester and it’s moisture wicking. I typically wear something under a jersey in winter to keep warm but a T shirt usually traps the sweat and makes the efficiency of a good jersey somewhat useless. The bulk of my testing of this gear has been done in rides under twenty degrees celsius (yeah, thats cold when you live in the tropics!) and most of them have been done without anything underneath this kit. Yep, it’s a cold start but suffering through a sweaty T shirt ten minutes into a ride is not ideal but just wearing the Blackline jersey on it’s own has worked a treat! I did not have a choked up sweaty jersey covered in patches of moisture, instead I had a fresh looking kit that I was totally comfortable in.

The Blackline short sleeve jersey has a zip pocket on your drive side for a lift pass or your phone and comes in a few colours. I ran the Khaki grey which shows more of the cool Nukeproof graphics gleaming in brighter light, looks really cool. The length of the jersey is excellent, covers the top of you waist nicely and falls over your shoulders. The fit around your neck is not tight and doesn’t offer too much in the way of an opening to get the dreaded sunburn on the top of your chest. The fit for me was a little tighter on the bottom half of the jersey but saves that extra material flapping and creating an opening that blows the jersey up your back when moving.

As a kit, the Blackline range is pretty vast and allows you to match several jersey and short colour combinations. You can also get long sleeve jerseys in the Blackline range to give you more options. I chose to wear the Blackline range on trail bike rides but have spent heaps of time wearing the Blackline shorts riding downhill and longer days in the saddle climbing and walking up steeper lines to ride enduro trails. They feel as good as they did when I unboxed them and have not faded or deteriorated whatsoever.
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To highlight the expanse of the Nukeproof Ride Wear range, I grabbed a second kit to use for my gravity exploits. I am typically a black jersey and shorts kinda guy as I don’t fancy too many of the pyjama looking kits you can get from other brands. When looking at the Nukeproof range though, the Nirvana long sleeve jersey in maroon seemed to grab me and further clicks had me on adding the marron Nirvana shorts to my basket. I had an idea in mind that it’d match my black and red downhill bike quite nicely.


Item: Nukeproof Nirvana shorts

Purchased From: Chain Reaction Cycles (click here for the Nukeproof Ride Wear range)

Purchase Price (approx): $139.95
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The Nirvana range is aimed as high performance mountain biking gear. Sizing is exactly the same as the Blackline range with great length shorts that fit your waist relaxed enough to keep you comfortable yet not baggy enough to flap around when you hauling along. The Nirvana shorts have a robust 4 way stretch fabric as well as the DWR finish that laughs at water splashes and the mud you’re flicking up from a sloppy turn. The seams of these shorts are noticeably robust with triple stitching in the inner leg when you’re rubbing on everything in sight.

The waist band is just as good as the Blackline shorts with an elastic strap pulling it tight and binding it to a velcro panel on the side of your hips. This is a snug fit, not tight but very adaptable to the size of your waist. You don’t get the option to run a belt on the Nirvana range and honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever need it, the waist system is great.

The Nirvana shorts kick some goals by adding a goggle pouch in your leg pocket. What is the point of a goggle pouch you ask? Think of how many times you’re on a chairlift or you’re riding back up and you have your goggles flapping around your neck or falling off the chairlift to the bear infested forest below, you want a spot to store them! The Nirvana shorts have you totally sorted! You have a goggle pouch that can be unclipped from inside the pocket that you can keep clean inside the zipped pocket and use the pouch to clean your lenses, its not something totally new but geez it’s a nice addition to a good fitting pair of shorts! You can chuck your goggles in the pouch and leave it hanging out of the pocket between runs or you can shove the goggles in the pouch and back into your pocket. It does pull your shorts tighter but keeping your goggles clean is pretty awesome.

The material breathes very well doesn’t bunch up in any situation. You’ve got some extra venting via some small holes in several crucial spots plus a neat zipper on ach hip side. All in all, these have a few more features than the Blackline shorts and fit just as well but are a little dearer. Still, having more options means you’ve got so many choices in grabbing some quality gear at a very nice price.
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The Nukeproof Nirvana long sleever jersey I chose is named the grunge and has a maroon sleeve with a cool grey and black back and chest feature with detailed print across it, such a well panelled jersey!


Item: Nukeproof Nirvana long sleeve jersey

Purchased From: Chain Reaction Cycles (click here for the Nukeproof Ride Wear range)

Purchase Price (approx): $133.49
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As I mentioned, I chose the Nirvana jersey for my downhill exploits. I’ve had five occasions where I’ve worn this kit from dawn to dusk and not had an instance of being uncomfortable once. I did wear it on two windy days riding some trail rides out in the open and had a pack on my back as well so was interested to see how the various materials used in this jersey faired. The main body of the jersey is a Polyamide material with the stretchy elastane in it and the sleeves feel to match the comfort with polyester material. There are a few cool patches on the sleeves too made from cordura and surprisingly even that stuff stretches with the great feeling elastic effect of the range. I didn’t know it until I unwrapped it but the lack of stitching makes this thing look super sleek, the neck, cuffs around your wrists and the hem at the bottom of the jersey are all welded and has no bulky material around any extremity, it is pretty foreign to see that on this type of gear.

Size wise, this is more of a loose fit than the Blackline range but keeps the length in proportion without seeming like it is a size bigger. I really love the welded seams and wearing it is great.

In regards to wearing a pack with the jersey, I did find the material was still wicking sweat away but was bunching a little due to the lack of ventilation with a heavy pack on your back, you won’t avoid that with any material but I did notice it. Still, it didn’t show any sweaty patches to allow your mates to think you tried extra hard to keep up on that last climb. Truth be told, this material works best when it’s ventilated by the air moving around it and stays super dry when you’re working hard.

I was a little reserved about trying the maroon Grunge line in the Nirvana range but I reckon it looks ace. The small effects created by the yellow highlights are a nice touch and the cool print on the chest gives it a modern touch. I had some people ask me about the colour in a shuttle car and said they’d never seen a kit in that colour and asked all sorts of questions. The guy nearest me felt the material on the sleeves and was pretty impressed, I ended up having ten random riders all rubbing my clothes before we dropped into the next trail!



As far as reviews go, this was a breeze. The things I want from my riding apparel are a comfortable fit that feels good both standing in the car park and when I’m riding. I also want material that doesn’t stick when it gets damp and lets face it, you want it to look cool. The Nukeproof Blackline and Nirvana range kick those goals. They are most certainly priced very well in comparison to companies that have been at it for a long time. On many rides I ended up wearing this stuff to a cafe or somewhere for a drink and didn’t feel like the odd guy out at a table of guys that have obviously been out riding, the gear just looks good.

The Nukeproof Ride Wear range isn’t limited to just the Blackline and Nirvana range though, the choices in the apparel range are huge and you can pretty much select a kit for any type of ride. The Nukeproof range is a very welcome addition to the rider and knowing the gear is a good fit makes it so easy to pick something based on the colours you like, chuck it in your basket on the online store and wait for the delivery tracking updates.

I was tempted to not write this last little but you want an honest review right? Yeah, me too. I’ve been through every vintage of apparel since the late eighties, I’ve bought and worn so much stuff and I’ve looked back at old photos wearing hockey jerseys, singlets, bright billboards that sell too much space, tight fitting stuff for performance etc etc. It’s all appropriate for that time and place but it can age pretty quickly in this game. I’m sure the gear we’re choosing to wear now may look dated when we look back at it but I will say this; the Nukeproof Ride Wear range is the most comfortable apparel I’ve worn and it kicks arse over the top of the line gear that to me does not now compare. The materials used on this stuff are second to none and throwing a jersey on that cost me almost double the price from a 2018 range of other brands now seems like I’m riding that dated gear I spoke of.

There, I said it. The Nukeproof Ride Wear sets the benchmark by allowing you to get into better apparel at a better price.
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Comments

Looks like decent kit....but the price on the Nirvana gear is pretty steep. NP have generally been the affordable alternative, but $134 jersey in a competitive market is optimistic....but then, Sam Hill.
 
What are the inseam measurements on the shorts? Being a tall person, I am always on the lookout for shorts with a 15-16" inseam.
 
What are the inseam measurements on the shorts? Being a tall person, I am always on the lookout for shorts with a 15-16" inseam.
I'll check tonight SDA but know this; they are quite long and when seated on my bike and wearing knee pads, the end of the shorts is still crested over my knee, they'd be my longest shorts in my collection for sure but not the daggy 3/4 looking junk. ;)
 
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I'll check tonight SDA but know this; they are quite long and when seated on my bike and wearing knee pads, the end of the shorts is still crested over my knee, they'd be my longest shorts in my collection for sure but not the daggy 3/4 looking junk. ;)
Hey Dozer, any update on the inseam length? Thanks
 
Cool. Hope everything is ok
Long story short; I regularly have a vertebrae pop out of place in my lower back and it is not a fun experience, this time around was pretty brutal but a sensational chiropractor is worth more than a box of fresh donuts. Thanks pal.
Here are some images I got last night, have a look at the measurements and hopefully they kick some goals for you.
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