First Look - One Industries EXO Jacket and Shorts

When One Industries introduced their first line of mountain bike specific clothing back in 2012 it was only going to be a matter of time before they released a line of protection.

When we first saw the EXO line from One Industries we were intrigued at the idea of incorporating protective pads into a zippy base layer and quite how that would work out.  Maybe this could be the protection solution we’d been looking for!

Take a first look at the EXO jacket and shorts from One Industries.

The Jacket

The EXO Jacket is constructed from 30% Polyester, 50% Nylon with the remaining 20% taken up by layers of perforated EVA foam placed in strategic zones such as the chest, shoulders and back. This foam is a little bit different and more hi-tech than the average foam that you usually find in MTB protection as it's vastly more breathable to increase comfort levels for the rider.

These EVA foam pads are stitched onto what is basically a zip up compression top. This is not only a comfortable way of keeping the pads in place but offers some other benefits like wicking sweat away from your body. In theory wearing EXO protection could actually keep you cooler.

These pads aren’t the kind that will stop a you breaking your shoulder if you hit a tree or land in a rock garden. However they would stop you scraping and removing all your skin.

You also have to remember that sometimes padding up can be a confidence-boosting thing.  If you were to have a set of pads that weren’t going to restrict your movement but still give you that mental safety net these may be just the job.

One of the major problems with any tight baselayer clothing comes when you try to take it off and you spend five minutes battling to get the skin tight material away from your sweaty post ride body. This should be a thing of the past with the EXO’s zip up front, which we can only see as being a bonus!

As for sizing they are available from small through to extra large and will set you back £64.99

The Shorts

The EXO shorts are much the same as the jacket construction wise with 16% Nylon, 55% Polyester and 20% EVA foam for protection. The shorts we have for review also have a chamois pad that make up the remaining percentage of materials! They feature stretch mesh panels in strategic areas in the middle of the short for increased comfort when pedaling and bending.

The EVA foam padding is on the side of the thighs and a tiny piece at the base of your coccyx that this small pad in particular I can’t really see doing much protection wise. Once again none of the EVA foam will stop you  breaking your femur on a man sized boulder but they will stop cuts and scratches and may take away the sting from slightly less drastic crashes. If you looking for a pair of padded shorts that have the added bonus of some more confidence in your riding,  your search is over!

The extra tight polyester and nylon provides compression to your thighs that sport scientists insist will “aid blood flow and recovery.”  Now you may or may not feel these effects but what I can guarentee is that they are bloody comfortable and you can’t fault that.

Once again they are available in sizes small through to extra large and will cost you £54.99

Look out for a longer and more in-depth review of both the jacket and shorts in the coming months on MoreDirt!

One Industries are distributed in the UK by One Industries Europe.