Bikieman

I’ve spent far too much money on clothing that hasn’t lived up to expectations, haven’t we all? Waterproofing and warmth are two important factors for British weather, however to find some kit that actually ticks the boxes of being breathable, waterproof, warm, cool in the heat and relatively stylish is something else!

Usually we’re confined to walking about in kit that makes us look like robots or power rangers. It’s either ill-fitting or just cumbersome. Enter the Oxford Mondial range.

I bought this on a whim, sure, Oxford make great products at reasonable prices (we probably all own something made by them) but this was the first time I’d bought any clothing from them. I had been watching the progress for a while and decided it was up to the right standard now.

Coming in a few colours, I opted for “Tech Grey” for the jacket because I work in IT*, and Black for the trousers. *That’s not why, Black was out of stock for the jacket, but I do like the grey.

The Mondial range is made up of a laminate construction. I’d sworn to myself that my next set of clothing would be laminate as I ride in all weathers and at this price range, it’s fantastic value! Around £250 for the jacket and £200 for the trousers, cheaper if you shop around.

What’s it like to use on the daily, then?

The jacket has enough “storage” for most people. Two large front pockets, two inside pockets, large map pocket at the rear.
Vents are included, and they’re large. Two on the chest, zips on the arms that double up as vents and two on the back. I can confirm they work well and do not leak when zipped up. Nor do the front pockets in my experience.
Protection is there in the form of elbow and shoulder pads. There is no back protector, I threw one in from another jacket. This seems pretty standard lately but would have been nice to have a dedicated one for this jacket.

I bought a size XL, I love its cut. I feel “stylish”, by that I mean I don’t feel like I’m 8 foot wider than I actually am. It fits me well (5’5, around 14 stone). Movement on or off the bike is not restricted, which is great. It’s very lightweight (even with the quilted liner in), not bulky at all.

It is adjustable around the waist and wrists should you need to. The collar has an adjustable section and is fastened with press-studs, allowing you to tailor that to your neck size, a plus if you ask me, rather than relying on velcro that will worsen over time and end up flapping about in your face.

Relective sections are across various points so that will be nice to have for the darker days.

The collar seems a little low… I’d seen this posted in other reviews, but thought my short body might make up for that. No, it’s low. I wear a neck buff most of the time so it’s not too much of an issue, but if the collar isn’t buttoned up tightly enough, rain can seep in as I found out during a trip to Scotland.

It is arguably the best jacket I’ve ever owned though.

Onto the kecks. Again, very lightweight (but feel protective). They feel great on, I opted for size XL with a short leg (I am short!). Comes with hip protection (soft pads rather than hard protection) and propper knee pads. The knee pads are adjustable but still don’t quite fit right on me, but I don’t have long legs as mentioned.

There are two pockets up top but that’s all you’re getting with these. A bit further down, on the thighs are two large vents, these work well too (less so on a larger bike with more wind protection).

Velcro adjustment is in place on the waist. It’s then a zip up fly and two press studs to fasten up. Easy.

They zip nicely into the jacket (comes with the usual addon zip if you want to sew it into another jacket). The leg openings are massive, you could fit a boat up the trouser leg. This is good if you want to put them on over your boots. Not so good when the velcro comes undone and it starts flapping around. This has only happened once or twice.

The trousers look good though, like the jacket, not big standing out motorcycle gear. Just understated, “smart” clothing. I love it!

I suppose the big question is, how waterproof are they both?

Extremely waterproof. I was on the bike for 300 miles in the worst weather I think I’ve encountered and they held up very well. The rain started to seep into the neck area as I hadn’t fastened it tight enough, I’ll take the blame for that one. Everywhere else was dry. The kit was slightly damp come the next day, I’ll accept that, it was as wet as it could have possibly been, but they both dry out much quicker than non-laminate gear.

I’ve worn the gear on other rainy days too, still holding up well and dries off pretty quickly thanks to the laminate construction. It definitely doesn’t soak up the water like other clothing. In turn it doesn’t get as cold, either. Great for the commute, your leaky clothes don’t drip all over the office!

I’ve never found that water gets in via the zip or in the crotch (none of that awful, pissed-yourself feeling here). Top marks from me.

I’ve worn them in quite a range of temperatures (down to 8 degrees, up to 38 in this recent heat) and I’ve never felt uncomfortable. You obviously layer up for the cold days (whack the included thermal liner in and that’s good enough until the depths of winter), on hot days I have not felt like a boil in the bag rice, it really seems to be breathable. The vents help once you’re on the move as well.

Oxford have done an excellent job with this gear. I would recommend giving this range a go, especially at the price point its currently at!