WILD RYE HOLLY JERSEY &
FREYAH PANT REVIEW
AN OUTFIT FOR FALL RIDING AND BEYOND
Words by Emma Wooldridge | Photos by Cole Gregg
Wild Rye, a 4-season mountain apparel brand based in Idaho, centers itself around providing technical apparel that inspires confidence and gets more women outdoors. You may have seen women on your local trails donning their famous Freyah Bike Pant, and while the Holly Jersey isn’t as easy to identify in the wild, it’s been a staple product of Wild Rye’s for a while.
Both pieces have received a fall refresh, and I finally got to feel the magic of the coveted Freyah pants. Read my thoughts on this riding outfit below, and then check out the annual holiday Women-Led Wednesday on November 27th! Celebrating its 7th year, Women-Led Wednesday is an opportunity for folks to support a variety of businesses led by women, including Wild Rye founder Cassie Abel.
About the Wild Rye Holly Jersey
Whether you’re hitting up the bike park and need to slide in a little extra arm protection underneath or you’re going out for a casual pedal and want a loose-fitting top, the Holly Jersey provides durable protection as a relaxed long sleeve women’s mountain bike jersey. A merino and polyester fabric blend used for the jersey is intended to keep the odors at bay, while mesh paneling up the sides aids with breathability. Wild Rye only uses merino that is from non-mulesed – the controversial technique of removing skin from the hindquarters of lambs that is widely considered cruel. The UPF rating the fabric offers differs depending on the color selected, sitting anywhere from 25-50.
The Holly Jersey is currently available in three colors: true black, slate green, and bluebird. The long sleeve jersey comes in a range sizes, from 0-24, to accommodate waist sizes of 25-52 inches, and is priced at $99 USD.
About The Wild Rye Freyah Pant
A versatile and durable bike pant, the Wild Rye Freyah Pants come equipped with a few extras. They have two zippered side pockets that will both comfortably fit a phone; calf zippers and velcro to accommodate knee pads. There is additional reinforced paneling over the knees for longevity, and breathable fabric paneling behind the knees to keep things cool. A two-button and zipper system is used for closure.
Importantly, the pants receive a C0 finish to repel water without pervasive and harmful per fluorinated chemicals (PFCs). Sizes range from 0 to 18, accommodating waists of 25 to 42 inches. The standard sample size has an inseam of 31.5 inches, and the pants are made from 55% recycled nylon, as well as 33% non-recycled nylon and 12% spandex, giving a little stretch. To the joy of some and disappointment of others, the Freyah pants are high-waisted.
The Wild Rye Freyah is offered in three colors this fall: black, pine, and desert dream-ochre, sitting at a price of $199 USD.
THE DIRT
Testing the Wild Rye Holly Jersey | I’ve been testing the Wild Rye Holly Jersey in Bluebird (size 4). I have a 28-inch waist, and the loose-fitting design does provide a relaxed feel without getting lost in the material. With less than 10% spandex, the jersey isn’t super stretchy, but has a bit of “give” to it. It feels more like a shoulder season layer, although it will do the trick in sub-45 degree weather with a warmer jacket. In 50-degree weather, I’ve been cold at the start of the ride and then warmed up fairly quickly, avoiding overheating thanks in part to the mesh panels on the sides of the jersey.
The merino-polyester blend material will likely lend the jersey to being a great choice in all seasons. I have relatively broad shoulders, and jerseys tend to fit tight across them, but the Holly fits well in all areas and leaves room for fully mobility. I am one of those insane people that enjoys thumb holes in athletic long sleeves. Don’t get me wrong, the jersey is absolutely wonderful as is, I just found myself wishing for the thumb holes so that I could prevent the chill from creeping in the gap between my sleeves and gloves. But there’s a whole other corner of the market that loathes the thumb holes, so probably best that Wild Rye doesn’t take my rando suggestion.
Testing the Wild Rye Freyah Pants | I’ll be honest. I’ve seen plenty of cool women rocking the Freyah bike pants, and earlier this year I found myself staring at my usual size 4 in black at my local REI. I was stoked to hop on the bandwagon finally, but when I tried them on in store, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the fit. Certainly not enough to swallow the $199 price tag. When I look back now, I blame REI’s terrible dressing room lighting.
While I am not known for enjoying much color in my life, I do love anything Pine-related. The Freyah pants in Pine have fun details on the ankle cuffs and the back of the waist. Lilac shapes (my guess is acorns or berries) are accompanied by abstract, sea-foam squiggly lines. I have an engineering degree and have no creative ability to interpret what this might mean, but the design makes for a very cute pair of pants.
The Freyah pants are unbelievably flattering on my body type and I don’t think this is a unique experience. I’ve narrowed the reasons down to a few things. I think the elimination of hand pockets had a big effect, as well as the front panel’s material laying fairly flat rather than having a bulky zipper area, and the thoughtful paneling and stitching on the backside all combined to deliver a feel-good pair of pants. I felt like the Grinch in Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, trying on outfits. I was all, “Ooh! Aah!” and “Mm!” but instead of saying, “That’s it! I’m not going!” I strutted outside and said, “That’s it! I’m going for a bike ride to practice jumps today!”
The Freyah pants are high-waisted and sit right around my belly-button. The waist panel is not stretchy at all, but the rest of the pants have a little stretch to them. The pants do come with belt loops, allowing you to pick a size that fits a little loose in the waist and then adjusting it with a belt. I have been scantily clad lately – opting to roam free without knee pads much to my partner Cole’s horror – so I haven’t tried to wear knee pads under these pants. They are quite tight through my butt, thighs, and knees. There’s room for low-profile knee pads but nothing too burly. Below the knees, there’s a little extra material through the calves. The knees have double fabric on top to ensure resilience to crashing, and there’s mesh panels on the back of the knees that are supposed to provide a little ventilation boost.
The zippers come up just below the knees, meaning that you have to put on your knee pads before the pants and the zipper allows you to pull your knee pads down or off once you’re done needing them. Since I hate pedaling with knee pads on, this feature isn’t super useful to me, except I have been able to get my socks on/off easier. Wild Rye opted to do a calf-zipper that doesn’t go all the way down to the ankle. This prevents any rubbing or bumping of the zipper on the ankle. Instead, the leg opening is secured by velcro squares. The only pockets are two side pockets on the leg. Both fit my iPhone 12 and I haven’t felt like I needed any more pocket room than that.
As for performance – which is the most important part for normal people – I felt the Freyah bike pants were adequately durable while still being pedal-friendly. When out climbing, sometimes I feel the waist sitting into the crease of my stomach. For me, it was never uncomfortable, just noticeable given the lack of stretch in the top of the pants. I didn’t feel that the pants were super breathable, so I’m on the fence as to whether I’d use them for summer enduro racing, although I’d probably lean to the side of yes.
The durability makes the Wild Rye Freyah Pant useful for bike park days, and I’m excited to continue testing these in different conditions. I haven’t worn another pair of pants since receiving the Freyahs. Probably time to wash them.
The Wolf’s Last Word
Overall, I felt comfortable, confident, and happy shredding trails in the Freyah pants and Holly jersey. The Freyah Bike Pants are popular and for good reason. Wild Rye crafted them with flattering details and recycled materials for women to feel confident on the trails. The Holly Jersey is a suitable choice for riding this fall but its usefulness extends into all other biking seasons. While quality and sustainable materials are not always accessible for everyone, the price tag on these products may just be worth it given that they’ll last for years to come. If you’re in a position to support women-owned businesses, check out Women-Led Wednesday this November! 
Price:
Holly Jersey: $99
Freya Bike Pant: $199
Website: wild-rye.com
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