Flare's Stage Enduro Jersey and Short - Review
Flare Clothing Company is a UK mountain bike clothing brand that started out in 2013 with a women’s range, but following a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2013, they launched a men’s lineup as well. The new clothing is split into two categories: "Roost," which is durable clothing, ideal for downhill and enduro; and "Stage," which is lighter weight clothing, ideal for trail and all-day riding.
Stage Enduro Jersey
I’ve been testing the latter. The Stage Enduro Jersey (£50) is a long sleeve jersey manufactured from a polyester fabric that Flare says is breathable and has wicking properties - two key requirements in cycle clothing. The Enduro jersey is a moderately loose fit, and Flare recommends sizing up if you want to wear body armor underneath. Details are minimal, but the jersey does have a small zipped pocket on the left side, ideal for some cake money. There are four sizes to choose from: small, medium, large and X-large.
Stage Enduro Short
To match the jersey, is the Stage Enduro short (£80), made from a four-way stretch fabric which is both abrasion resistant and water repellant. Featuring a loose fit with an adjustable Velcro waistband and fly zipper, the seat area is reinforced and the knees are vented. You get one open pocket and one zipped hip pocket for stashing stuff, and Enduro shorts are available in three sizes, covering 30 to 34-inch waists.
Flare’s clothing is all made in the UK as well, which will count as a positive for those people interested in where their products are made. Stage Enduro Graphic jersey RRP £50 and Stage Enduro shorts (£80), with free UK shipping on orders over £40 and free international shipping on orders over £100. flareclothingco.com / @flareclothingco .
The jersey fits comfortably and is light and quick drying.
Small zipped jersey pocket is ideal for money or car keys.
Trail Report
Flare’s mission with its women’s apparel has been to “provide clothing that is of a high performance, that fits flatteringly and comfortably and that looks cool,” and based on my testing, that much is true of the men’s range too. I’ve been putting the Stage Enduro jersey and shorts combination, which obviously go great together, through plenty of testing miles over the past few weeks, and it’s an ensemble that has been ideal for the cooling temperatures of the British autumn season. I have a preference for lighter weight clothing and I’ll happily trade in a bit of crash protection or durability if it means I have to lug less weight around the trail.
Jersey: The Stage Enduro clothing fulfills those requirements really well. The fit (I tested a size small) was spot on. It sits nice and long at the waist and arms, and there are no irritating seams around the shoulders. The material is light and breathable, and when worn with a single base layer, it provides good warmth on cooler evening rides. The fabric is highly breathable - enough to prevent overheating on long climbs or warmer rides. It’s quick-drying too, and doesn’t hold onto sweat excessively. The only downside I’ve found is that the fabric is quite prone being damaged from snagging on brambles.
The shorts repel water and have a reinforced seat area.
The two-way stretch fabric is comfortable and durable.
Short: Enduro shorts are similarly lightweight. Like the jersey, the shorts fit really well around the waist, with a good range of adjustment from the Velcro waistband. The combination of the zipped fly and the adjustable Velcro waistband is super simple and worked well. The length is good, just over the knee, and there was no problem wearing slim kneepads under them for hitting the bike park or downhill tracks.
The reinforced seat area is a smart touch for British riding, especially when winter has set in and the trails are constantly muddy. So far, the fabric is showing good durability. Unlike the jersey, which was prone to bramble attacks, the shorts are much less vulnerable to trail shrubbery, and proved to be bombproof. Likewise, the addition of a water-repellency treatment was a blessing for British riding, and though the fabric is not 100-percent waterproof, it did keep me drier longer than wearing regular shorts.
Pinkbike's Take:
 | Flare shows its British design roots with some thoughtfully designed clothing that fits well, looks good and works well on the trail. The jersey is a bit on the delicate side and suffered quite a few pulls on the sleeves from riding overgrown trails. The shorts, on the other hand, are everything you need in a trail short for racing or all-day adventures - lightweight, durable and quick drying. Style is subjective, but Flare clothing does manage to stand out in a crowded market. For cross-country, trail and enduro riding, the Stage Enduro shorts and jersey should offer good performance. - David Arthur |
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Member since Apr 12, 2015
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hit the nail on the head mate
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Only just starting out
The RIDER logo is using a very popular typography design thats all over the place at the moment and feels uncreative and lazy - a very "bandwagon" design, the colours on that top just don't work, and the thick stripes, coupled with the tight fit just looks awkward (could be due to the pale and somewhat uncomfortable looking model they used - lol)
Their women's' range is really good and works well, but I don't feel the transfer to mens design has worked, plus that RIDER logo
Sorry for the downer on the outfit but good luck to this company - also i am sure I read some stuff was UK made and some made abroad but just printed here - not sure but either way it's a good direction to be heading
I have tons of riding clothing in my closet, but only a few I choose to wear. Some of the most busy clothing, race jerseys for example, I almost never wear. The ones I keep going back to, are the little logo, 2 color, simple layout design.
Think of it like a fine quisine. Not enough spices, and the dish is too bland. Too much spices and it over powers main flavor and no one flavor shines through. Put in just the right quantity of spices, and certain flavors pop, and you have the goldilocks of dishes.
as i said above, have heard wonderful stuff about functionality..
Everybody is of course entitled to their opinion, but show some respect for these people that have worked hard over the last couple of years to bring some home grown fresh ideas to the table for those of us that want something a bit different.
I have a couple of their jerseys and they are superb quality and really comfortable to wear!.
Keep it up @flareclothingco , I will but one of next years range too!
It can be hard to predict at the time, but the goal of design is to be timeless. To look just as fresh and universal years from now. Unfortunately, we're going to look back in a decade, and realize just how *2010's* designs like these are.
Then read on to have the headlines that says: Stage Enduro ______. Isn't the "Roost" line up the "enduro" oriented line? It creates a little bit of confusion, at least the way I see it. Just sayin'.
£80 is to steep for me on shorts. I can get the same level of shorts for 40 ish quid . So gonna have to wait for a sale on those. Fingers crossed it all comes good
I'm a real man and mine fits lovely.
Who knew?