POC Reform Jersey & Rhythm Resistance Pant Review

YET MORE HIGH QUALITY POC GEAR

Words by Robert Johnston  |  Photos by Finlay Anderson

POC produces a wide variety of apparel and protection with focus on high quality and some environmentally friendly touches. This includes a large range of different jerseys and pants, offering a solution for just about every riding style and weather condition. We tested their Reform Enduro long sleeve jersey and Rhythm Resistance Pants, and came away very impressed overall, but it comes at a price.

THE LAB

Reform Enduro Jersey | The POC Reform Enduro jersey is a relatively thick and durable synthetic jersey made using a 220g/m² recycled polyester material. Recycled Polyester is used due to its moisture wicking properties, which help to keep you cool and dry when pushing hard on the pedals in warmer temperatures. The long sleeve jersey is cut in a regular fit, leaving enough room to squeeze body armor underneath, with improved freedom of movement thanks to the Raglan sleeves which afford some extra space under the arms. The Reform Enduro jersey is given a zipper pocket at the rear, perfect for stowing a key or lift pass during your ride.

POC offers this jersey in a choice of six colors, with six sizes in both a men’s and women’s fit. The retail price of these is £75/$80.

Rhythm Resistance Pants | The POC Rhythm Resistance pants are designed to be a durable lightweight option to support you on your rides. The main bulk of the pants is made with a Cordura-reinforced stretch material, with a relatively relaxed cut overall with a tapered design to afford easy movement without excess material around the ankles. The cut is designed to offer plenty of room inside for knee pads, and the knee panels are reinforced with Ripstop fabric to add extra protection against crash damage. A DWR coating is added to the fabric to fend off water and mud splashes.

The crotch gusset is seamless to avoid any potential irritation against the saddle, and the waistband is a highly stretchy elasticated design to allow the pants to move with the rider as they pedal. The legs are each given a zipped hand pocket, with a zipped card pocket at the rear, and the fly is fastened with two buttons.

POC offers the Rhythm Resistance pants in a singular black colorway with white logo in sizes XS-XXL, for £185/$200.

THE DIRT

Not all Polyester jerseys are created equal, and POC’s Reform Enduro jersey is one of the nicest examples going. It fits very true to size with reasonable sleeve length and room where it’s required. The slightly thicker 220gsm material offers a more protective and reassuring feeling than most jerseys, and though it doesn’t magically prevent you from sweating it certainly keeps the temperatures down to a reasonable level due with its moisture wicking abilities, until temperatures climb into the higher figures. The flip side of this is that when it gets damp (such as when the photos were taken), it can add some chill at mid to lower temperatures, and its thicker fabric feels to hold moisture more readily than thinner options.

The POC Reform Enduro jersey has proven to be a solid offering, and though its price tag is fairly high, the construction quality; fit and feel, and looks give enough of a premium feeling to make it feel a little more reasonable, especially given its eco-friendly recycled nature. Overall it’s a solid jersey offering, if a little on the pricey side for a simple synthetic jersey.

While the Reform Enduro jersey is not necessarily a stand out item, the POC Rhythm Resistance pants quickly found themselves as my go-to choice for all but the wettest of rides. They run slightly larger than average so many riders will be able to size down without issue, especially given the stretch built in all round. The waistband is super stretchy in a design that would more typically be found in a women’s item, but proved to work very well and avoided falling down on me even though they were on the large side. The tapered design keeps them acceptably tight around the ankles to avoid issues getting caught in the drivetrain; and there’s plenty of room for thin to medium knee pads. The pockets are a conventional front-of-leg position with generously sized zippers, which to me work perfectly well, likely due to the thighs not being overly tight.

The DWR coating on the pants has proved to be effective and keeps on protecting the pants after 12-15 wash cycles. By no means are these waterproof – a few deep puddles or five minutes pedaling in the rain will see water getting in – but even when wet they don’t begin to feel overly heavy or uncomfortable. The material is showing no signs of the significant abuse that they’ve been subjected to so far, with the saddle area holding up well and the knees fending off a few encounters with the dirt. Overall the price is high, but the quality is there to justify it, so I’d highly recommend these as a riding pant option so long as you get the right size.

The Wolf’s Last Word

POC has always commanded a high level of quality, and these apparel items retain this high quality notion. As polyester jerseys go, the Reform Enduro is well constructed with a great fit; and the Rhythm Resistance pants hit the top of my list for pedal-friendly and durable riding pants.

Price:
Reform Enduro Jersey – £75/$80
Rhythm Resistance Pants – £185/$200

Website: POCsports.com