On test: Canari Short Sleeve Jersey and Matrix CB Bibs, April 8, 2005 Custom comfort Canari's customisable team kit proves that style and comfort need not be mutually exclusive, as Steve Beletich discovered. Canari's customisable clobber. Photo ©: John Stevenson Although the genesis of their brand name remains a mystery, Canari Cyclewear was created in 1980 by a bunch of Californian cyclists frustrated by a dearth of high quality cycling apparel. Their operation has expanded from humble beginnings to offices, warehousing and production facilities in San Diego, Ca. Under the Cyclingnews microscope today are the short sleeve jersey and Matrix CB Bibs from the Canari custom team fit range. The jersey is made from a lightweight polyester microfibre called Battistrada and the shorts are made from Lineltex lycra with a sophisticated-looking Stirato chamois. As I removed the Canari jersey and shorts from my head (where they landed after being thrown across the Cyclingnews office), I fell instantly in love with their understated style. Fortunately so did my wife who has power of veto over all my clothing decisions, on-bike and off. The jersey fitted me perfectly from the start - not too much pulling and stretching required. I did end up with a size on the small side, which frankly I prefer to having acres of spinnaker-like material flapping in the breeze. Once up and riding, this jersey did not flap, nor did the heavily-stitched panels pinch or bite. The sleeves did tend to ride up a bit, but that's forgivable given the smallish size. I was actually quite oblivious to the Canari jersey during the heat of battle - definitely a compliment. It seemed to wick away sweat effectively and the large zip pull, which I expected to bang wildly against my chest and annoy the hell out of me, didn't give me any grief - it's made of soft plastic rather than metal. Even after a couple of hours riding in late summer Sydney humidity, the jersey slid right off - no clinging to my overheated torso, which is one of my pet hates.

The jersey has a long zip Photo ©: John Stevenson The bib shorts are snug-fitting. Photo ©: John Stevenson The inevitable trio Photo ©: John Stevenson Broad mesh bibs Photo ©: John Stevenson The jersey has a high neck to keep off the sun Photo ©: John Stevenson A big under-arm scoop Photo ©: John Stevenson The bib shorts are not surprisingly made from a noticeably different fabric, called Lineltex. It's smoother and much more elastic than the Battistrada of the jersey. Again the stitching is quite impressive - there must be 10km of cotton in these things. The man-made Stirato padding bears no resemblance to old school chamois but feels more like velvet than anything else. Very comfy and extraordinarily thick. Whilst at least one shorts manufacturer has recently released a retro thin-padded bib short, I'm definitely not from that school of thought. As our saddles get lighter and firmer, I'm glad that chamois are getting thicker. Let shorts manufacturers puteth back what saddle manufacturers taketh out, and let symbiotic balance reign over the cycling industry….. In action the shorts were probably the most comfortable I've ever had the pleasure of getting intimate with. Whilst that's probably because they've got the thickest padding you can imagine, they also feel every bit like a high quality garment. They were a little tight, but the amount of yield in the fabric was incredible - I could dive onto the drops without the bibs cutting off the blood supply to my arms. The thigh grippers have what appears to be a rubber thread stitched into the lining, which caused the shorts to stay put regardless of the conditions. Again, I was hardly conscious of the existence of the CB bib shorts, free to concentrate on looking for my reflection in the windows of shops as I passed by. So I'd have to say that the Canari short sleeve jersey and Matrix CB Bibs were very well thought-out units, without any manufacturing short cuts that I could spot. The fabrics performed their assigned tasks admirably, the stitching is impressively over-engineered and the shorts very well padded with a luscious velvet-like chamois. These observations were supported by a total feeling of comfort during hot-and-heavy riding, to the point where their existence was totally forgotten. I loved the subtle basic design but you're free to ruin this by briefing Canari with your own over-the-top team design and logos. Materials: Battistrada polyester microfibre, Lineltex lycra, Stirato padding Pros: Looks, comfort, production quality Cons: No major problems More information: www.canari.com Cyclingnews Rating: