Details
Reviews
What Mountain Bike - Dec 09
"What's not to like? Every girl's crazy about a sharp-dressed man"
Technically, the ZZ Top is a long-sleeve summer jersey, but we've used it all year round with great success, both under a gilet or fleece in mild or chilly conditions, or under a waterproof shell in the wet. It's always worked well.
The Intercool fabric is soft to touch and one of the best wickers of sweat we've found in any base layer. We wore our test ZZ Top in the Alps recently and it quickly became a favourite, drying in the breeze as fast as our climbing effort was getting it damp.
The jersey is cut with raglan-style sleeves for a casual feel and the contrasting colourways make it great off-bike wear too, which doubles its usefulness. Only the small, discreet zip closure on the lower back gives away its cycling credentials.
Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars
By Justin Loretz, What Mountain Bike
UnderGround - Dec 07
Keeping Your Cool...
Dressing down in the heat of summer is riddled with contradiction. You want to stay cool and dry but also need to avoid being fried through the hole in the ozone layer. The core fabric of Ground Effect's summer range is Intercool - a clever bi-component honeycomb knit coupling an inner layer of quick-drying polyester with an outer layer of cotton. The polyester pushes sweat away from your body while the cotton draws the moisture to the outside. Hot weather combined with the wind generated as you ride along fuels evaporation, keeping you cooler and drier. The weave is sufficiently porous to let the wind cool you, but rates a SPF of 30 plus - plenty for the longest day in the harshest sun.
Our first Intercool top back in 1995 was the short sleeved Slingshot. The fabric was an instant favourite - although sadly the Jade Green is yet to make a comeback. While the Slingshot and its siblings are vastly different today, the Intercool fabric, long front zip for venting, less-than skin tight fit and stand up collar for UV protection still feature on most of our summer tops. The imaginatively named Long Sleeved Slingshot followed a year later in the summer of 1996. Long sleeves negate the need for sun block on your forearms. They also add warmth when tearing downhill, or at the crispy start of a long day. Yet you can still yank them up when you overheat. Jade Green was sidelined in favour of Agent Orange, and the promptly renamed Rock Lobster has anchored our range of summer riding tops ever since.
Frase,
Ground Effect Product Designer.
Summer fabric combining the functionality of synthetic fibres with the familiar look and feel of cotton. A bi-component knit couples an inner layer of polyester with a textured cotton outer to help manage hot-headed moments. The polyester wicks sweat away from your body while the cotton draws it to the outside, ensuring super-efficient evaporation to keep you cool. Developed by Ground Effect and knitted for us in New Zealand.
- Composition: 33% Polyester; 67% Cotton
UPF 50+
Intercool's UPF 50+ rating extends your no-burn time by 50 times over bare skin. Designs with a stand-up collar and long sleeves maximise protection from the sun's UV rays. Yank 'em up if it gets too stifling.
Relaxed Fit
Intercool™ tops enjoy a looser fit with no-elastic hems... a good look both on and off the bike when matched with baggy shorts. Plus fresh air can blow up ya kilt so you don't lose your cool.
Sizing
This chart is a guide only – if you fall in-between sizes, the right size for you will depend on your body shape and how loose or tight you like to wear your clothes. It's no hassle to swap it, if your first choice is not the best fit.
| Unisex | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
S |
M |
L |
XL |
|
|
Height |
163 -
172 cm |
169 - 178 cm |
175 - 185 cm |
183 - 191 cm |
|
Chest |
91 -
97 cm |
98 - 104 cm |
105 - 111 cm |
112 - 118 cm |
|
Waist |
73 - 79 cm |
80 - 86 cm |
87 - 93 cm |
94 - 100 cm |
|
Hips |
87 - 95 cm |
96 - 103 cm |
104 - 111 cm |
112 - 120 cm |
Unisex vs Women's Sizes
Most Ground Effect designs are unisex. The jackets, tights
and baggy tops generally fit both men and women equally well.
Fitted garments like cycle shorts and some tops are more gender
specific so there is generally a women's version in the Outskirts
range.
A soul mate for your baggy cycle shorts. Its loose fit and Intercool fabric keeps you cool. The ZZ Top's uncluttered design makes it mandatory attire for backcountry junkies and those enduring the morning-after-the-night-before ride.
> Raglan sleeves with contrasting flat seams.
> Articulated elbows.
> Long sleeves shield your arms from the sun and the cold.
> UPF 50+
> Loose fit.
> Single rear zipped security pocket.
> Hazard! reflective rear label.
> Made by us in New Zealand.
> Intercool tops enjoy a looser fit with no-elastic hems... a good look both on and off the bike when matched with baggy shorts. Plus fresh air can blow up ya kilt so you don't lose your cool.
> HyperActive tops feature a closer multi-panel performance fit with flat seams. There's less flappin' at speed and the rear pockets are more stable when loaded with cargo.
What's the SPF Rating for this top?
> UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) is a rating for sun protective textiles and clothing. Unlike SPF (Sun Protection Factor) that measures only UVB, UPF measures both UVA and UVB.
> Both our Intercool and Hyperactive fabrics have been tested as providing the maximum UPF 50+ protection. In practical terms this extends your no-burn time by 50 times over bare skin. Designs with a stand-up collar and long sleeves maximise protection from the sun's UV rays. Yank 'em up if it gets too stifling.
Washing Instructions?
> Intercool and HyperActive tops enjoy a warm machine wash. Try to avoid cold-water detergents and those with bleach. The cold-water varieties have little enzymes that are super-charged to brave the cold but can damage technical fabrics and cause skin irritation. And bleach rots natural fibres like cotton, strips the dye and may also cause irritation. As a rule of thumb, product that is easy on the planet is also easy on your body. Plant based soaps like 'Ecover' or specific sport wash formula are recommended.
> Hand washing is sometimes the only option on tour, but a washing machine rinses more thoroughly and is preferable if you have the choice.
> Intercool and HyperActive tops will be almost dry out after the spin cycle of your washing machine so using a dryer is unnecessary - if you must then choose a warm (not hot) cycle.
