Stay Cool in the Work Jersey, Bibs, and Comfortable in the Micro Grid Jersey, Ornot

This summer and fall have been strange. As October sets in, temperatures are usually dipping cooler, yet it’s still 80+ degrees here at the eastern service course. Even if Mother Nature can’t figure out what season it is, Ornot has helped us stay cool or warm, no matter what. The Work jersey and bib combo has us covered on the hottest days, while swapping in the Micro Grid jersey paired with the Work bibs, takes over on those cooler morning rides.

If you have not heard of Ornot, there are two things they are known for, keeping their designs clean and virtually logo-free, and sustainability. Ornot uses the tagline “You can be a rolling billboard, Ornot.” Their founder, Matt Quann, started Ornot in San Francisco in 2013, back when everyone (himself included) was wearing team kits with tons of logos on them. Even casual riders couldn’t get away from big logos on their jerseys. He wanted to make something that was going to perform well, be sustainable, keep logos to a minimum, and not empty your wallet. That was no easy task, but he didn’t let it stop him.

Fast forward, and Ornot has created a full line of cycling clothing using recycled fibers, merino wool, and deadstock fabric, became a Climate Neutral Certified Brand in 2019, and works with 1% for the Planet to donate 1% of all sales to help highly-vetted environmental nonprofit organizations. Not everything is made in San Francisco, but their special projects, like the Micro Grid jersey, are made in the city.

The Work jersey will be your choice for the hotter days. Made from Bluesign-approved 100% recycled fibers, the Italian open-knit fabric is breathable and sweat-wicking to keep you cool and dry on the hottest of days. Each jersey keeps eight plastic bottles out of landfills, yet the material is extremely soft and comfortable to the touch. Ornot even uses a YKK zipper made from recycled nylon. From there, it is a fairly standard jersey we are all used to, raglan sleeves, full zip, three pockets with reflective trim on the back.

The Work bibs are a cross between your standard road bib and a gravel bib. They are everything that you would expect from a road bib, with a cargo pocket on the right for a little extra capacity. Like the jersey, they use bluesign-approved materials where possible. The body material has a nice compression to it while remaining soft and dense to provide 35 UPF sun protection. The belly and back are cut higher to provide support and a flattering look with a one-piece y-strap construction to keep everything comfortably in place. Ornot says the 12mm pad is good for 8 hours in the saddle and uses recycled fabric on the cover. The excess material from the pad is also recycled. The grippers are some of my favorites. They are nice and tall and are silicone-free, so they stay in place, without pulling on your skin. Some reflective trim on the back of the legs helps keep you seen.

The Micro Grid jersey changes things up a bit. Instead of using recycled fabrics, Ornot starts with bluesign-approved deadstock Polartec Power Grid material. Deadstock means that it just wasn’t used. Ornot sees it as an opportunity to make a really cool jersey from it. Like the Work jersey, it features raglan sleeves, YKK zipper using recycled plastic, three rear pockets, and reflective trim on the back. Since it is considered a special project item, it is hand-sown in San Francisco. We’ll tell you more about how the Polartec material makes this such an interesting jersey a little bit later on.

We paired the Work kit and Micro Grid jersey with Ornot’s lightweight base layer and Max socks to keep it all in the family. The base layer is made with deadstock Polartec Delta material to help you stay cool and dry, while the socks are made from recycled water bottles and have an Aireator mesh top to keep your feet cool on hot days. They are nice and tall to give you those sock doping watts too.

Do Work, Ornot

The Work kit held up to everything I could put it through. From long, hot days on the road, to short, fast workouts, the Work kit asked what was next. The lack of huge logos kept me flying under the radar, to the point that my riding buddy had to ask what kit I was wearing. He missed the small patch on the jersey when we were chatting before the ride started. The jersey was comfortable and kept me cool and comfortable, even as temps went up. At 6′, 195lb, the large fit well, even on my arms, which I’ll admit are not that big, but I do appreciate the longer cut on them.

The bibs I found it to be the best of both worlds. At first, I wasn’t really a cargo pocket guy, even for gravel, but eventually started to see the merits for longer rides. I typically would put my phone in one, and maybe stuff my gloves in the other when stopped. The Work bibs, with a single pocket, is the perfect compromise. Even for riding on the road, it was nice to put my iPhone 12 Pro Max (in an Otterbox Defender case) in the pocket, where it stayed nice and steady, even on rough surfaces. The compression was right where I wanted it, and as I already said, the gripper is great. My longest ride was about six hours on the pad, and I had no complaints or issues.

The Work Jersey is available in Stone Blue, Fog, and Burgundy, and sizes from XS to XXL. The Work Bibs are available in Slate and Black, and sizes from XS-XXL. Pricing runs $98 and $142 respectively, which is very reasonable for premium level kit.

Micro Grid All Day

The Micro Grid jersey is something special with its extremely versatile Polartec Power Grid fabric. When you hear Polartec and you feel the brushed fabric, you’d be mistaken that it is for colder weather. The fabric is what makes it great from the 50’s up to the 80’s, and feels so good on your skin. The Power Grid fabric is light and has small voids that let air through to keep you cool and dry. Those same voids help trap air in cooler temps while still wicking moisture to keep you dry. It also has an anti-microbial treatment to keep it from getting funky.

The jersey itself fits great, just like the Work Jersey. Raglan sleeves, three pockets, full zip, it checks off the boxes of a modern jersey. Besides a small patch on the front and an even smaller patch on the back, Ornot sticks to its minimalist approach. A small reflective piece on the left pocket adds a little visibility.

I had a chance to ride the Micro Grid in both warm (70’s to low 90’s) and cooler (low 50’s to 60’s) temps and found it to be pretty comfortable throughout that entire range. I used the Ornot baselayer that came with our review package, along with some arm warmers for the coolest of temps. The baselayer helped the Polartec Power Grid trap some air to help insulate, but still let enough air through to help keep me dry. On the hot temps, the moisture wicking and airflow helped keep me cool. Only as temps got into the 90’s and I was on a climb with less airflow that I started to feel like it might have been a better day for the Work jersey.

The Micro Grid jersey is available in four colors, Americano, Olive, Charcoal, and Espresso, and sizes running from XS-XXL. It is hand-sewn at the San Francisco facility as part of their special projects group. At $152, it’s not the cheapest jersey out there, but for as versatile as it is, I feel it is well worth the price. This is not going to be a jersey that will sit in your closet and only come out once a year, it is one that you can easily ride through three seasons when paired with various base layers, warmers, and even a vest.

Ride, Under the Radar

All together, Ornot has something really cool going on. They offer quality technical cycling gear that is classily subtle. Yes, I’m proud to wear my #TeamKICKASS team kit, but other times, I’m looking to fly a bit more under the radar than bright pink and sponsor logos. Ornot’s gear might look like a basic kit, but it is far from it with the use of materials made from recycled plastic and finding a home for deadstock material that could otherwise eventually end up in a landfill. Their carbon-neutral, environmentally friendly focus is something that more brands should take a lesson from to help reduce the amount of waste that comes from the cycling industry, while still offering functional kit that fits and performs well.

www.ornotbike.com