Maloja ZairahM. SS Jersey and NahrM Shorts - Review
Maloja NahrM Shorts and ZairahM. SS Jersey
Although the Maloja brand has been around since 2004, the bold signature colorways and unique patterned clothing synonymous with the Bavaria based company have only recently made their way across the pond to dealers in North America. The ZairahM. SS Jersey is a lightweight fitted jersey made from Polygiene® treated polyester. The material has a natural cotton look, but should stay smelling fresh and manage moisture during rides. It has two large back drop pockets to store all of your trail riding gear in and is also cut with a chest length zipper in the front for ventilation on hot days and the sleeves are cut in a raglan style for good range of motion. The ZairahM. SS Jersey comes in sizes XS - LG, is available in Deep Ocean (Pictured), Orchid or Cactus and retails for $105.00 CAD from MEC.
The Maloja NahrM Shorts are and AM/Trail short made from a nylon/elastine blend called cordua which is a durable yet stretchy fabric that has been finished with DWR for increased water resistance. There is a stretch panel in the back of the short that is aimed at providing extra comfort whilst riding whilst the zip fly with semi-autolock pull tabs helps prevent wardrobe malfunctions at the front. The shorts come with waist adjustment tabs on the inside of the short as opposed to the outside and there are four stash pockets, two in front, two in the back and a gusseted crotch. Maloja NahrM Shorts are available in sizes XS - XL, are available in Deep Ocean (pictured), Mocca and Curcuma and retail for $139.00 at MEC.
There's no shortage of pockets on this kit.
Pinkbike's Take:
 | Being that the selection of available women's riding wear is still less than what's available for men in the sport, I was excited when I first heard Maloja would be available in North America a year or so ago. The brand may be quite a bit more recognised over in Europe, but the Moroccan themed colors and patterns of their Mountain Nomad collection were received like a breath of fresh desert oasis air when they arrived on my desk. The kit was considerably less loud than some of the other Maloja pieces I have seen, which is actually great, as it shows that the brand is catering to an array of tastes both daring and subdued. But onto the clothes. My first inspection of the cotton looking ZairahM jersey left me slightly terrified. Although the cut was neat and almost elegant looking, the material appeared to be the type that would not breathe, but instead let body odor cling to it, potentially leaving nasty armpit stains. In fact I was so apprehensive that during my first ride in it I insisted on my riding companion conducting multiple visual and aromatic pit checks. To my complete surprise, the jersey did not leave one droplet of moisture visibly detectable in the arm pit or lower back and by the end of the ride the jersey smelt faintly of a hard earned spin of the wheels and not that of a men's locker room. The jersey material and cut is super comfortable and probably a bit fancier than what I would normally choose to wear with the stand up collar and front zipper, but when it was combined with the NahrM shorts I felt pretty spiffy out on the trails. I really like the cut and material choice for the shorts and they are some of the more comfortable shorts I have ever worn mountain biking. The lightweight fabric felt great on hot summer days and I really appreciated the elastine back of the shorts which left plenty of room to move about without feeling like a strangled cat. The fact that the adjustment loops are located inside the shorts is nice as this keeps the appearance of the short pretty streamlined on the outside and keeps any bunching less visible. Although I really liked the length of the shorts I found that on the occasions I wanted to wear some knee pads during descents I had some gorby gaps at the thigh. These are trail shorts after all though, not DH pajamas, so just I had to live with it. The two big pockets are pretty handy on the front of the short, although you likely wouldn't want to put anything of value in them as they have no zippers - it would make more sense to use the zippered back short pockets or the pockets in the jersey. I wasn't a huge fan of the look of the jersey pockets, but sometimes you can't argue with something that functionally makes sense. Having only worn the kit for a couple of months I can't comment on the long term durability of the clothes, but overall I liked the look and comfort of this kit. Yes, it's a little expensive, but when you look good you feel good, and when you feel good you ride good. - Rachelle Frazer |
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Member since Jul 20, 2010
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You get what you pay for, something that will look good, functions very well and is exceptionally durable and it's not limited to riding kits in a few colours. They have a huge selection, including lifestyle stuff too like jeans, hoodies, jackets etc.
Maloja = rad
DB@EB
I have Maloja shorts and they are of superior quality. Pricey, yes but that's why you wait for them to be on sale/clearance.
It's not that hard to pronounce....
DB@EB