dhb summer preview

We've been on our travels again, this time visiting clothing brand dhb who have some bright, distinctive clothing coming for the summer in their Blok range plus high-end Goldline kit that's about as understated as it gets.

The new Blok designs feature neon graphics and are inspired by jockey racing silks. You're probably going to either love them or hate them, we're guessing.

The main picture (above), for example, is the dhb Blok Jack Jockey Short Sleeve Jersey and, as you can see, it’s based on a Union Jack design. It’s a polyester top with an anti-bacterial finish and a full-length YKK zip. The list price is £49.99 although you can pre-order for £44.99 on the Wiggle website at the moment. The range will ship next month.

This one is the women’s version of the Blok Southern Criss Cross – DHB sell a lot Down Under too. A men’s version is available too. The prices are the same across the range for both men’s and women’s jerseys: £49.99, currently reduced to £44.99.

Arm warmers are available to match all four jerseys in the range. This is the dhb Blok Big Punkt design. The arm warmers are priced at £18.99, currently reduced to £17.09 a pair.

The Blok range also includes legwear with neon accents designed to go with all of the jerseys, in both men’s and women’s versions. The bib shorts, which feature CyTech Elastic Interface seatpads, are priced at £59.99 (currently reduced to £53.99) while the bib tights use the same pads and are £69.99 (currently reduced to £62.99). The tights are made from the same Action 205 Lycra as the shorts, so they’re not a winter weight.

dhb now organise most of their clothing into their Active, Performance and Professional lineups. The Active clothing is the most accessible in terms of price while the Professional clothing is for those who make higher demands: slimmer cuts, more technical fabrics, and so on. On top of that, dhb are offering a Goldline jersey and shorts in both men’s and women’s versions. Goldline is their highest spec, the women’s versions being used by the Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling team.

The slim-fitting jersey (£69.99) is made from five different Italian fabrics and has a whole load of different features. It comes with bonded (rather than sewn) seams at the back, for example, the idea being to reduce bulk and friction, and you get mesh panels at the centre rear and underneath the arms for extra ventilation. The cuffs are seamless mesh and the rear pockets are laser cut. dhb claim a weight of just 133g for the medium sized version, so this is very much a lightweight summer option.

The Goldline bib shorts (£89.99) come with a CyTech Elastic Interface Comp HP chamois that’s designed to keep you comfortable for more than six hours in the saddle. Again, these are made from Italian performance fabrics and they have flatlock seams, bonded bib straps and a mesh stretch back panel.

If you are still after winter kit, the 2.5 layer Cosmo Waterproof jacket (£59.99, currently reduced to £53.99) looks like a good option (we have one in for review here at road.cc at the moment but we're nowhere near publishing our findings yet). It has a waterproof rating of 20,000mm (that's high, if you don't speak the lingo) and a breathability rating of 30,000g/m2/24hr (so's that). It’s slim fitting, has 3M Scotchlite reflective details, and is available in men’s and women’s versions, both in various colours.

The dhb Vaeon Roubaix Pro Padded Bib Tights are currently £71.99 (list price £79.99, men’s and women’s versions are available). They’re made from a fleecy, elastic Lombardia fabric and the seatpad, usually the most crucial feature, is the Tour model from Cytech – and Cytech really do know how to make a good seatpad. If you’re not into the red panels shown, you can get white or grey instead. Some size/colour combos aren’t available at the moment although you can order them.

dhb also have a whole new hi-viz road range called Flashlight on the way. It’s aimed specifically at commuters and winter trainers, and it’ll be launched in the spring. We’ve seen a few of the items but we don't have any photos to show you yet.

The Flashlight clothing and features 3M reflective trims to provide 360° visibility. You won't be surprised to learn that it’ll be priced to compete with Altura’s Night Vision range with jackets from £59.99, jerseys from £34.99 and shorts from £34.99 too. Tights will start at £44.99. We’ll give you pics as soon as we get them.

For details on the whole range head over to www.wiggle.co.uk.