REVEL RIDER WOMEN’S MOUNTAIN BIKE APPAREL

FLOW S/S and L/S JERSEYS & FLOW PANT REVIEW

Review by Marissa Krawczak

Revel Rider is a women’s mountain bike clothing brand designed and inspired from the resilience and progression of women who mountain bike. Two years ago, Nikki Wilkinson started the brand from the ground up when she fell in love with mountain biking after attending a women’s camp. Her intentions with Revel Rider were to expand upon her experience riding with gear that the men’s section just didn’t provide. Revel Rider has a small but complete line offering the essentials for women mountain bikers and I couldn’t wait to hit the trail in my new gear. The Flow kit looked dialed and like it was made just right. Here is my experience after lots of bike park laps and enduro rides in the downhill inspired Revel Rider Flow collection.

THE LAB
The Flow jersey is available in either short or long sleeve options to better suit your style and local temperatures. The jerseys are simple but effective and offer a great fit and feel. One of my favorite features is the drop tail hem to ensure you stay tucked in or, if you prefer, keep your assets covered. Both long and short sleeve jerseys feature a perforated mesh material on the back and under the arms for nice air flow. The front of the jersey uses anti-microbial mesh to keep the stinks away, ‘cuz there’s already enough stink on the trail with all those boys around. The simple color selections can be paired with anything, making them easy to mix and match with shorts or pants of differing colors.

Revel Rider’s Flow line continues with either a pant or shorts option. I opted for the pants as fall and cooler temps are on the horizon. The high rise back and dual waist adjustments help keep the bottoms in place and comfortable no matter how you move. One of our favorite features that even had our male riding friends jealous are the hook and loop waist adjusters. It’s a solid concept that ensure the pants always stay tight and won’t stretch or need to be readjusted.

The front closures are a zipper and a small tab with a Velcro piece and a snap. The pants are cut with a longer inseam than traditional DH pants and have a formed knee for wearing knee pads underneath. The flexible four-way stretch fabric comes with a DWR coating to make them more water-repellent. There are two large zippered pockets on the sides of the legs and one small center pocket on the back of the waist band. The black color features contrasting white zippers and a decorative white embroidery on the pant leg which match the pattern of the graphics on the jerseys.

The Flow pants were super comfortable, and I spent just as much time in them lounging as I did riding. They were great for working on bikes around the house and for fall camping in cool weather. The material is more on the athletic sweat pant side as opposed to the canvas or Kevlar-feel commonly found in downhill or dirt bike pants. They were great for pedaling when it was cooler and were long enough not to be ‘high-rise’ when my knees were bent. The pants felt more on the cozy side compared to other downhill pants, but the material was still durable against crashes. I would be hesitant to wear them trail-working or in brush and branches because I would be worried about the material being snagged but feel they’d be more than enough for the majority of applications I’ll encounter.

I really enjoyed wearing the pants for the bike park, especially when it was cold and rainy. I was quite surprised at how well the DWR coating repelled moisture, even after an all-day rain session. The size large pant was nice and roomy and comfortably fit over my knee pads. I even had enough room to layer up with a pair of long-johns on those chilly lift-lap days. The waist adjuster clips were quality and didn’t bunch up when I needed to cinch them in.

I loved the deep side pockets on both of the legs and I could literally fit a pair of goggles in them if need be. The rear-waist band pocket was also a favorite feature of mine as it was perfect for the RFD lift pass scan at the bike park. Ideally, I would wear these on any day taking lift laps.

The Wolf’s Last Word

Revel Rider doesn’t just make women’s specific cuts, they make practical riding gear that women actually want to wear. The kits look fresh with nature-inspired colors and graphics and really portray the owner, Nikki’s, ‘go with the flow’ attitude in fit and function. It didn’t hurt that I got tons of compliments in the lift line about the clothing and, from my experience, when you are feeling good and relaxed in your gear and set-up, you just ride better. So if you are a girl tired of shopping in the men’s section, appreciate the connection with nature that biking brings and want quality gear that you can crush trails in, Revel Rider is for you. 

Price:
Flow Jersey L/S: $55 
Flow Jersey S/S: $49
Flow Pant: $130

Website: Revelrider.com