Women's KitsBow SS Jacket
Team rider, Molly Russell, really puts in the work. She's out riding on the regs, races on the weekends and leaves the guys in her dust as she gets deeper and deeper in the CX and MTB scene. This Spindlera has been putting the ladies Kitsbow SS jacket to the test and heres what she has to say:
I’ve had this women’s Kitsbow SS jacket for a solid 3 months now and I, along with all my friends, can tell you that I wear it way too much. On my commute to work, during work, social events, on the trails, during bike races…everywhere. I love this jacket.
My favorite part about this jacket is the impressive ability to be so light and form fitting while still being wind resistant, water resistant and capable of handling temps below 40 degrees. My favorite temperature to wear this jacket in, without worrying about warm base layers, is in the upper 30s.
With a base layer added, I’ve worn this jacket during a mountain bike race with temperatures starting in the teens with snow on the ground throughout the 17 miles and it was perfect. In contrast, in temps over 40 degrees, it’s got these awesome full length zippers near the armpits that can be zipped down or up half way or completely to allow for air flow of your preference.
My other favorite part is the large back pocket with a zipper that can fit all your bike essentials. I ride with a water bottle in the back pocket when I’m too lazy to put bottle cages on my bike. It also has hand pockets that zip closed, so you don’t have to worry about anything falling out while you’re getting rad on your bike.
The jacket features Polartec material and has super cozy fleece on parts of the inside. All three pockets have mesh material to allow for air flow. I wouldn’t ride with anything heavy or sharp in the pockets because of the mesh, but I wouldn’t really advise riding with anything sharp or heavy in the pockets, period. I’ve fallen a few times in the jacket but it’s held up really well. Though, there is a very tiny burn hole in the jacket resulting from a bonfire ember.
The back of the jacket seems to have that just-right length to cover your butt on the bike but still look flattering on or off the bike. I generally wear a size small for tops but for this jacket the medium worked best. The only real issue I have with the sizing is that the sleeves aren’t long enough, even with the taper, to cover my arms fully while extended- but I run into this issue often as a taller person.
Overall, I consider it a wardrobe staple and highly recommend it.