DHarCO Gravity Shorts and Jersey - Review

Jun 15, 2015
by Rachelle Frazer Boobar  
Ladies Gravity DHarCO jersey and shorts.

After spending years living and riding her bike in Europe, Australian native Mandy Davis became disillusioned with the lack of casual style riding clothing available to mountain bikers, especially for women. What Davis saw available was moto oriented kit, lycra and not much else in between. The more she became disheartened with the available options, the more she became interested in closing that gap herself, but it wasn't until she and her husband returned to Australia and re-immersed themselves into the outdoor lifestyle of her home country that she became truly inspired to take action. Taking the plunge, Davis threw everything into developing a line of riding clothing that offered both men and women a relaxed, easy going lifestyle inspired look that also functioned well in the warm Australian climate. And so from the sun and surf inspired beaches of Sydney's Northern Beaches, DHarCO, short for Downhill Australian Rider's Company was born.

Like most classic surf styled casual wear, DHarCO bases its designs around simplicity rather than bells and whistles, and the evidence of this creed is easily visible in the range. The Ladies Gravity Shorts we tested are cut from a simple 4 way stretch polyester fabric that is breathable, moisture wicking, water repellant and was specifically developed to be durable yet lightweight for warmer weather wearing. On the design side, there is one side pocket on the right of the short and a back pocket to store smaller items as well. The waistband is a simple velcro system, and the crotch is designed to be "no snag". The short pictured here is Deep Orchard, and also comes in Dazzling Blue and Black with a retail price of $95 USD.

The Ladies Downhill Jersey features a relaxed, t-shirt style cut that's intended to leave room for slimline armor, yet still provide definition and shape. The jersey is made from a lightweight, moisture wicking, quick drying breathable polyester material, again catering to warmer climates. The cuffed sleeves are intended to help keep your jersey in place and the ribbed collar is stretchy, making putting the jersey on a little easier. There's also a sneaky side pocket for stashing smaller items in. The Gravity jersey comes in Purple Checkers (pictured), Blue Checkers, Peach Polka Dots and Blue/Green Polka Dots and retails for $65 USD.


Ladies Gravity DHarCO jersey.
With its pop of purple and a checkered motif the Downhill jersey toes the line between freerider fun and just a wee bit racer serious.
Ladies Gravity DHarCO jersey.
The Downhill shorts feature a simple velcro adjustable waist system. The pockets are made from mesh for added breathability.


Pinkbike's Take:
bigquotesThe Gravity shorts are quite simple in their design, but the thoughtfulness put into the material and construction makes them some of the most comfortable and best fitting shorts I have ever worn riding. They fall into that perfect all-round place between being stretchy and having a barely there feel. The inside finish of the short is super soft, while the outside feels like it's going to stand up to a scuff. I didn't have any major crashes while wearing these shorts, but I did have a few scuffles and after five months of use I'm still yet to get a nick or scratch on them. What I really liked about these shorts is that I could wear them both for long days in the trail riding saddle, and for more DH oriented days in the bike park. The one front pocket was totally fine for a phone or a snack and the smaller back pocket was perfect to carrying smaller items like a key or debit card for rides that warranted carrying as little as possible.

I decided to size up on the jersey so I could easily pop elbow pads on for heavier duty riding days, and even with the added bulk of the pads and the larger size of the cut I still felt as though I was wearing a flattering garment. I found the breathability quite good on this jersey; on really hot days there was decent circulation through the material to help keep me cool and the material dried off pretty quickly when things got a sweaty. The Downhill jersey and shorts come in a fun color palette and print offering something that definitely looks a little different to what's currently available on the market. After having the Downhill shorts and jersey for some months now along with some of the other DHarCO pieces, I can honestly say that these are uber-comfortable, and in my opinion, good looking kits that more often than not I am opting to reach for when going for a ride. If you're after riding gear that's neatly tailored and that you can feel good in both on and off the bike, a kit from DHarCo is well worth a look.
- Rachelle Frazer.


View the full photo gallery here.



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42 Comments
  • 36 6
 I'm a dude. Full hetero sexual and I'd wear the shit outta those colors. Purple and pink are the new black
  • 8 0
 +1 #manpink

Matte black with pink wins all of the things.

(just sorry can't say I love this design)
  • 5 0
 Hell yeah @wannabeeracer I agree. If that was available in a Mens cut as well as womens I'd prefer it over my current TLD kit!
  • 3 11
flag pinnityafairy (Jun 16, 2015 at 5:28) (Below Threshold)
 Don't forget to shave your legs if you r sporting them girls shorts.
  • 5 1
 @Skootur The industry needs to get the memo: dudes are more into the pink and purple than many lady customers. Also thank you for putting the design in perspective: if i think of TLD as the baseline, I DO like this design (much better) haha

@properp ...or if you race XC or road bikes...unless you don't feel like shaving...oh wait you're just an asshat.
  • 6 0
 Pink kit on Pink bike. Legit.
  • 14 4
 Hey bike industry, why dont you make female clothing with no pink or purple in? We literally cannot get anything in the shop that hasnt got pink in and 2/3 of the people dont want pink!!
  • 6 2
 They come in other colors.
  • 3 0
 Yes! I usually end up buying men's jerseys, but pants become a problem. I haven't seen any women's dh race pants. It's good to see more emerging women's brands though
  • 3 2
 Why not give Flare clothing a go? Some of the local girls race with their kit and it's great, not too flashy, but stylish. www.flareclothingco.com
  • 3 0
 I want pink. Man's fitt.
  • 9 0
 @Craig-Hinchliffe there's quite a lot of other options in the range that aren't purple: www.dharco.com/product-category/gear. I've found that many brands are offering a variety of colours for women these days.
  • 3 1
 More plain options for everybody, and more pink options for the dudes. Please.
  • 1 0
 You're definitely not looking hard enough.
  • 3 0
 Judging by the amount of chicks wearing Pink / Magenta at the moment I would say that Pink is back in. just ask Santa Cruz and Yeti Betis new SB5c.
  • 6 0
 My Dharco jersey is super comfy, breathes well and has stood up to a year of wear and washes with riding gear.. looks pretty much like new. Sizing leans towards more petite so go up a size if you're not sure.. I'm a size 10 and their medium women's jersey is a perfect flattering fit. Dharco have really brightened up the aussie riding scene with their designs, wearable on the trail or DH, the geometric designs and block colours are growing on me.
  • 6 1
 Absolutely love this gear. I'm normally no fan of pink but couldn't resist the Deep Orchard, it's really striking in the flesh. If you're not into the brighter colours, they also have the gravity shorts in black and they are great to wear - check out the range on their website. The number of people in Aus and NZ you bump into wearing this gear is a pretty good indicator of the popularity and functionality of this gear!
  • 5 0
 I'm also not a big pink fan but ended up buying the shorts in colour shown in the article. It's comfortable and pretty tough, taking a few stacks. I am keen on a second pair in black, they do have plenty of other design and colours
  • 4 0
 Love the gear. Super comfy, shorts offer great protection and they are really feminine too. It's nice not looking like a bloke on the trails. Thank goodness they have so many options In their range otherwise my friends and I would all end up looking the same.
  • 8 1
 Cosby Sweater
  • 4 0
 I own a number of Dharco tops and shorts. I love the designs and colours. They fit well and the material is really comfortable - especially in the heat.
  • 3 0
 Been wearing DHarCO gear for over a year. It's brilliant and really comfy. And not just pink/purple! I went for the blue line Smile
  • 1 0
 The dudes have all been asking for the pink...I'm a pink hater girl from way back but this is the first ever pink item I've got to ride in - and I love it! I am built like a cyclist with a good ol' engine and thighs and would say go up a size from your normal...e.g. would be S in TLD etc, medium for this stuff. It's super stretchy and the most comfortable pair of shorts I've had for MTB...and the jerseys are cut in flattering lines for women, with narrow shoulders and waist and small sleeves. The tech tees too are super comfortable and the material actually works to wick, so it looks like a tee but doesn't feel like a sweaty cotton one.
  • 1 0
 Unfortunately I won an orange pair of their shorts. Fantastic shorts they are! But, the tabs to adjust the waist eventually peeled off the Velcro they were glued to :/. They are now my new 'Tree Detector Pants'!
  • 4 0
 Same thing happened to me after I stupidly put them In the dryer. I just superglued it back on and they are as good as new.
  • 1 1
 It's all well and good for people to embrace women's clothing. But what annoys me (same for the snowboarding gear) it is almost all designed for women sized 0-10 max and the ones that are are cut horribly wrong. What I would love to see is mtb clothing that is designed to fit larger women properly. Not too tight on legs and loose on waist that kind of thing.
  • 1 0
 Exactly... We are bike riders, we have muscles in our legs, please give more room in the thigh without making the waist huge. Loeka almost had it but there was TOO much disparity between sizes...
  • 3 0
 @AJ420 - Give these shorts a go! The stretch fabric is awesome and the fit is just right, nice a baggy but flattering in all the right spots! The waist has velcro adjustments that can either tighten or loosen the fit. I have large thighs/butt and it works great!
  • 2 1
 these are by far the most comfy peice of kit i've been riding in totally durable and nice and light
  • 1 0
 5 months of riding and no serious crashes? Maybe I should give up mountain biking.
  • 3 0
 It wasn't from lack of effort either, Rachelle rips!
  • 2 0
 Nice write up buddy!
  • 1 0
 Looks like the tld get up from the epic music video "I'm faster than you"
  • 1 0
 TLD gear gets "interesting" for sure.

Recent MX gear shot (Price is an awesome talent, but not sure about the pyjama look)

instagram.com/p/3sKKgoPGXH/?taken-by=wearelusty
  • 1 0
 Dig the looks, but i think $93 usd for non-padded shorts is a lot
  • 2 1
 Ehhhh miss miss ?Are these in masculine please?......
  • 1 1
 Pride ride......
  • 2 3
 Ummm....no thank you.
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