GE Zest Womens Jersey

Ground Effect Zest Jersey:

New Zealand’s Ground Effect has been around since 1994, and has long held the reputation as the crunchy granola of the cycling apparel industry. That’s to say, their products are functional, comfortable and non-fandangly. Their ‘no nonsense’ ethos flows onto their sales model, cutting out double handling and offering direct sales through their website, with their products all made in NZ.

Their popular women’s lycra jersey, the Zest, is no exception to this down to earth approach. Touted as their road and XC-oriented offering, the Zest is their lightweight, summer jersey in their women’s line.

Initial impressions of the basic ‘Goldrush’ yellow jersey sent for us to test, were that the fabric was remarkably soft and lightweight, and quite different in quality and texture to standard wicking fabric of most cycling jerseys on the market. In fact, Ground Effect’s ‘Hyperactive’ fabric, a polyester outer and nano-charcoal polyester that sits against your body, acts to disperse sweat, accelerate evaporation and is anti-microbial; all good things for apparel that is made to sweat in.

It’s also UPF 50+, meaning the fabric extends your ‘no burn’ time in the sun for 50mins.

Flat-lock stitching, and multiple panels with inverted fabric (ie: nano-charcoal on the exterior), a longer rear section for coverage when in an aggressive position, three quarter length zip and the two rear lateral pockets and middle zipper pocket are all nice touches that ensures the zest ‘means business’ without failing to accommodate the differences between men and women’s bodies. More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that it’s not offered in magenta, fuchsia, pastel or flamingo pink, and we have looked very hard and can confidently state there are no hidden flowers or sparkles.

There is, however, a hidden patch kit in the zipper pocket of the rear. Just in case.

In terms of our experience of the Zest, apart from feeling like a bit like a gold nugget and fighting the desire to get over to Castlemaine and do some prospecting, overall user experience was good. We would have enjoyed a full-length zipper, and size was perhaps a tad on the large side (it is, after all, their slim-fit option), but we were impressed with the quality of the stitching, especially through the zipper area and flat-lock sections.

We had some reservations about whether the hyperactive fabric would stand up to the test of time, having noted a small section of pilling after only a couple of washes. Furthermore, the fabric seemed perhaps less stain-resistant than some other offerings, though perhaps we just needed to avoid grease and mud puddles a little more effectively.

The Zest comes in a few other colour options (lavender, red hot and turquoise), if, like us, you feel a little gold nugget-like in yellow. All in all, a nice, comfortable, unassuming jersey that will have you flying under the radar in style.

Hits: Comfortable, soft and unassuming with contoured women’s-specific fit.

Misses: Query the fabric long-term durability and stain resistance

RRP: $109

From: www.groundeffect.co.nz