Upper Downs Neo waterproof cycling jacket on Kickstarter
Well what are the chances of this? Just days from saying I’m not one for Kickstarter campaigns comes another bit of news.
This time it’s different though, as I’ve been contacted by a local company with a big plans for the future. Here at MoleHQ we love to support local companies so we’re happy to oblige.
Upper Downs are a Brighton based design-oriented cycle clothing company who have put a lot of work into developing Neo, what they describe as ‘one of the most technical, breathable, waterproof cycling jackets ever made’. That’s quite some claim it must be said.
The thinking behind it is versatility to cater for our ever changing weather – if it works here in the UK (or in the Brecon Beacons as can be seen in the promo video), the theory goes it will work anywhere. To help develop the jacket, Upper Downs have enlisted the services of World Cup downhill rider Harry Molloy.
https://vimeo.com/130199937
Braving the elements with Harry Molloy from Upper Downs on Vimeo.
Incidentally, that Brecon video brings back great memories of our trip to Wales last year!
Why not head over to the Neo cycling jacket’s Kickstarter page and find out more? And I promise I’m not going to turn into a Kickstarter flunky by posting dubious product pitches!
About the author
Matt is one of the founding Molefathers of the Muddymoles, and is the designer and main administrator of the website.
Having ridden a 2007 Orange Five for many years then a 2016 YT Industries Jeffsy 29er, he now rocks a Bird Aether 9 and a Pace RC-627.
An early On-One Inbred still lurks in the back of the stable as a reminder of how things have moved on. You can even find him on road bikes - currently a 2019 Cannondale Topstone 105 SE, a much-used 2011 Specialized Secteur and very niche belt drive Trek District 1.
If you've ever wondered how we got into mountain biking and how the MuddyMoles started, well wonder no more.
There are 3 comments on ‘Upper Downs Neo waterproof cycling jacket on Kickstarter’
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Elliot says:
For sure Polartec NeoShell is one of the most breathable, lightweight and stretchable fabrics. It has a feel and texture more like a well tailored suit than a jacket. Completely different sort of material to what say Gore or Endura use. I’m not so sure it’s tough enough for day to day mountain biking though. (Dragons’ Den sound bite coming up) For that reason plus not being able to try the sizing I won’t be investing. But as a local company I would like to see them succeed!
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Posted on June 13, 2015 at 11:20 pm
Matt says:
Thanks again to Matt for the feature, we really appreciate it.
@Elliot, thanks for the comments. Without a doubt our decision to use NeoShell was on the basis of gaining the highest level of performance alongside durability. It is with this reason we used one of the rarer found stretch and ripstop NeoShells and it is holding up well. There wasn’t even a mark on it when I had a bad crash in it 4 weeks ago, breaking my shoulder in two places!
Regarding sizing, we have included a very thorough size guide on our campaign, but we also plan to arrange a meet up on the trails to see the jacket in real life in the next couple of weeks. Drop us a line if you want to know more.
Thanks again, Matt
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Posted on June 14, 2015 at 2:43 pm
Elliot says:
Ah, that’s good, so if it’s made from a tougher type of NeoShell (than my Rab for example) then that would make it well worth considering.
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Posted on June 14, 2015 at 5:00 pm