Sharp and Stealthy..the Women’s Xena MTB Jersey Looks The Business on and off The Trails
The options for Women mountain bike clothing are getting better and better every season and the Xena jersey from Dakine has all the goods when it comes to fit, looks and functionality.
The choice for Women’s MTB clothing has slowly but surely improved every year. More and more boutique brands are sprouting up, as well as the major brands, all offering Women’s specific fit riding gear. Finally! So we were over the moon to have Dakine send us some gear to test and review.
First Impressions
The Xena has all trademark looks of a gravity style jersey with its 3/4 length sleeves and stylish lines. It has a slightly relaxed yet tailored fit, with a dropped hem for better coverage on the trails. Its black and graphite colour palette gives it a stealthy appearance and the pattern, styling and branding maintains an overall balanced appearance.
The fabric is lightweight and breathable. The hem, armpit and neck areas don’t show any potential chaffing spots, such as unfinished threads or poorly placed labels. All in all, on first impressions, it cuts the mustard.
Fit
With a relaxed cut, the Xena jersey looks and feels great on and off the trails. The dropped hem adds some extra coverage and the 3/4 length sleeves have a good length to them, not too long or flappy. The Xena is offered in either short sleeve or 3/4 sleeves, both featuring a high scoop neck.
Although the Xena jersey has a relaxed fit, its styling and cut makes it feel and look very fitted, giving it a flattering appearance. The jersey felt light and airy once on and there were no annoying areas that pulled or felt awkward. Just a really great fit.
The sizing seems to be accurate based on the fitting chart on the Dakine website.
The Xena jersey with its striking angular lines and stealthy colour palette. Pic:©Richard McGibbon
Features
The Xena jersey uses a Quick Dry Heathered Polyester with Polygiene Odor Control Technology. Which essentially means it deals with the warmer Aussie conditions extremely well. So on those typically sweaty rides, the Xena jersey dries very quickly leaving you feeling cool throughout the day.
The super-light fabric has a perforated texture which helps to keep the air flowing over the body, keeping you cool and dry. After those big rides where you’re usually a sweaty mess, the Polygiene Odour Control will keep you feeling fresh, so you can turn up to the local cafe/bar without fear of clearing the place out.
Feature List:
- Relaxed jersey for shuttle runs and free riding
- Dropped hemline extends coverage on the trail
- Quick Dry fabric keeps you utterly cool and dry
- Polygiene Odour Control for lasting freshness
- Sunglasses wipe at jersey’s underside
On The Trails
We tested the jersey on a warm day in the mountains with and without a pack. As expected, the jersey felt light and airy. Once on it was quickly forgotten. This is a good thing. If there’s one less thing to think about or annoy you on a ride, then it’s one more thing to distract you. Thankfully, the Xena jersey was silent all day.
I had no issues with fabric irritation, tightness around the neckline or armpits and no label scratchy thing going on. There must be a technical term for that but we haven’t quite coined it yet.
Sweating just wasn’t an issue. Well, I did sweat of course but the jersey handled it like a warrior. Perhaps this is where the inspiration for the Xena jersey got its name? It dispels with sweat like an Amazonian princess warrior on the battlefield.
Classy and refined, the Xena MTB jersey for women certainly looks the biz out on the trails. Pic:©Richard McGibbon
Price/Where To Buy
Price: $60.00 AUD approx
Where to buy: Most good online and local bike stores.
Conclusions
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