Varlo Core Stratus Jersey, Charter Cargo Bibs – Great Performance, Great Value.

If you happen to have a foot in the triathlon world, you might have heard of Varlo. Soj Jibowu founded the brand in 2019 after a career as a Division 1 track and field athlete who found multi-sport racing in 2015. He had spent his life in athletics, from playing sports in his youth after migrating to the US, through college, and beyond. His background in bio science and physical chemistry combined with his love of sport, helped focus his attention to detail and an understanding of the needs of athletes to create the brand. He brought together a team of designers, textile engineers, and fellow athletes, and began creating multi-sport and cycling products in the Philadelphia region. Varlo offers a range of stock designs, as well as a custom program for team gear.

Core Stratus Jersey

The Core Stratus Jersey is one of Varlo’s lightweight summer jerseys. It gets its name from the Stratus material used in it. The Dimple Dry 120 GSM fabric is breathable and moisture wicking to keep you cool and dry on your ride. The front of the jersey has more of a solid look with the back panel being a little more of an open weave for breathability. The longer cut sleeve are even more open mesh material, so make sure to apply sunblock all the way up on long, sunny rides just to be safe. The jersey is rated at UPF 35 for sun protection. The cut is more of a race cut, giving it a second skin fit for a clean, aero fit.

It also features a full length YKK zipper and traditional three pockets on the back to carry extra items on your ride. Varlo adds subtle graphics and reflective features to help you stay visible in low light.

Charter Cargo Bibs

The Charter Cargo bibs are at home on or off the tarmac. They start with an ultra soft, yet durable, sustainably recycled Italian performance fabric that utilizes a supportive 4-way stretch. At the cuffs, Valo uses a 7.5mm silicone injected power leg band to keep them in place. The separate braces use a stretch fabric with a mesh panel connecting them on the back. Inside, they use an Italian-made chamois with a 3-12mm variable thickness.

What sets it apart from your typical road bibs are the cargo pockets. The Charter Cargo Bib adds two large pockets on the sides, and small pockets on the lower back. The side pockets are great for a phone, gels, or anything else you need to stow for a long or short period of time. On the lower back, there are two additional pockets for small items like you keys, gels, or cash/ID. These pockets have a 45 degree EZ Entry angle, something that reflects Varlo’s multi-sport heritage.

On The Road

What I first noticed about the Varlo kit is how soft the Core Stratus jersey is. It feels incredibly soft on the skin, which is why I kept coming back to this kit when I was going out for rides. I typically wore it with a mesh base layer, even on the hottest of days, partially because it was a little see through, and I was self conscious of my hairy chest. It doesn’t have the feeling of a super tight race kit as stretches well and hugs my body, but it is definitely the tailored fit of a race cut. The more open knit back and mesh sleeves are a nice touch to help keep you cool as well. The zipper is pretty standard at this point, but there was a nice touch of adding a little fabric around the top and bottom to keep things comfortable.

The Charter Cargo bibs feel like they have a little more support to them, which was welcomed. They aren’t quite as stiff feeling as the Pearl Izumi Attack bibs I’m working on reviewing as well, but they are definitely supportive for your thighs, especially sprinters with bigger quads. And when I say stiff, I’m talking about the amount of stretch. For example, many bibs will easily stretch when putting them on. For me, Pearl Izumi bibs feel like they stretch a small amount, and that’s all I’m getting, making for a very supportive ride. For me, the stretch on the Varlo was perfect, especially on longer days in the saddle. Not so much that it loses the support, but not overly compressive either. The chamois was comfortable on short rides and long days in the saddle, so no worries there. The cut of the upper part of the bibs is supportive and a little slimming for those of us that need to put in a few more miles and have a few less crisps. There were no issues with the straps and mesh back panel, even on the hottest of days.

I only started wearing cargo bibs within the last year or two. For me, I just didn’t see the point of the side pockets, until I tried them and found them to be pretty handy to stash my phone for quick access, gels, gloves when off the bike, etc. For short rides, I typically will still wear regular bibs, but on longer rides, cargos are where its at.

The Charter Cargo bibs take it to another level with the rear pockets. I typically would use these for things I am not planning on needing easy access to since they sit under the jersey. Keys, ID, cash, a small tool kit, anything that can lay pretty flat. I kept the side pockets for my phone, a gel, and to stash my gloves when needed. Heck, when I was wearing the Ekoi Aerodinamica, and couldn’t dock my glasses, I even tucked an arm down one of the pockets to hold them while I was refilling bottles during the Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo.

Overall, I was surprised how much I liked this kit. From when I first opened the package through now, it is just a good looking, well made, comfortable kit. Little things like the subtle graphics and the trim on the cargo pockets give it a classy, understated look. It made for a great kit for someone looking to go fast and be comfortable on the road or gravel.

At $129.99 for the Core Stratus Jersey and $149.99 for the Charter Cargo Bibs, Varlo has a pretty good price point for the performance of each item. Similar items from other brands could easily come in at least $20-25 or more. The Core Stratus jersey is available in the Blush (reviewed), Azul, and Forest colors, and also in a long sleeve version of each color as well. Sizes run from XS to XXL. For the Charter Cargo bibs, your only option is black, and they run from S-XXL. Again, I opted for a large in both, and felt that sizing was pretty standard with most other brands and US sizing.

Varlo might not be a brand you have heard much about, but with the passion that Soj Jibowu has for cycling, triathlon, and performance, I think we will see some great products continuing to come out of the New Jersey brand.

www.varlosports.com