Velobici PBP Tivoli Seamless Collar

The Tivoli Seamless Collar forms part of Velobici's Paris-Brest-Paris range (or PBP for short). This epic quadrennial brevet from Paris to Brest, on the western shores of Brittany, and back, requires riders to complete the 1200km route in less than 90 hours. Invoking the name of such a prestigious event sets the bar high, and the Tivoli Collar unfortunately fails to live up to this expectation.

The Tivoli Collar's claim to fame is that it is knitted as one single piece, and therefore lacks any seams (hence the name, obviously!) that could cause irritation. In terms of fabrics, the Collar is composed from a mix of Thermo-cool (51%), Merino wool (42%), Nylon (4%) and Elastane (3%). Given these two facts, one would expect the Tivoli Collar to be very comfortable, but I found that it was anything but. The wool content whilst 'only' comprising 42%, still makes it very itchy to wear, at least on my skin, and I also found the hems caused me some irritation.

In terms of warmth, the Tivoli Collar again fails to live up to expectation as the relatively open weave makes it very draughty indeed. On chilly morning rides, I found myself reaching for a cheap fleece neck warmer instead of this much dearer offering from Velobici. One of the great things about neck warmers is their ability to be used under the helmet as well as around the neck making them extremely versatile. Unfortunately though, the Tivoli Collar's tapered shape means that it doesn't really fit on the head, further limiting its appeal.

And then there's the price. Granted, the one piece construction adds cost over sewing two ends together, but the end result isn't that comfortable anyway. The 'made in the UK' label goes some way towards explaining the extraordinary price, but it still fails to justify it in my opinion.

Verdict

Expensive, and not all that warm or comfortable either. You'd be better off spending your money on a cheap fleece neck warmer.