Customer Review: KETL Mountain Bike Gear

This review was sent over by David Paterick. He was one of the first few customers to pick up some KETL mountain bike gear when we first started selling them. KETL is designed with a very casual style yet high end brand for bicycle riding gear. Luckily David was nice enough to send over this review for us to see just how he felt. Let's take a look!

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I first started seeing KETL a few months back. The initial impressions I read were favorable so I decided to try the Overshort in the Warm Charcoal color XL (more brown to my eyes) and long and short sleeve jersey in large gray. Worldwide Cyclery has a good return policy so I decided to order and see just how this gear fit and felt out on the trail. I am hard to fit with shorts. At 5’ 9” inches and 195 lbs with a generous butt and thighs, I don’t have the classic bicycling body that most cycling clothing is made for. I got my mother’s side of the family: short, squat build; whereas, my brother at 6’ 1” and several pounds lighter got my father’s side of the family tall, skinny build. Genetics, you suck sometimes. If I had a nickel for every time somebody asked me if I was a runner back in high school, I wouldn’t be rich, but I would probably be able to buy a new bottle of tire sealant.

With that ramble out of the way, you are probably wondering, what about the shorts? Well the shorts fit great, probably the best I have ever owned. They are long enough and have enough room in the thighs. They move well with my legs on the bike and don’t ride up. For comparison I have a pair of Kitsbow adjustable AM shorts. They are made from a nice fabric and are very well constructed, but they are too short and they tend to ride up. I was constantly having to pull the legs down during a ride. I now just wear them for a regular short. The fabric of the KETL shorts feels just as good as the Kitsbow and the construction is first rate, they fit better and they are less expensive though certainly not inexpensive. I think they are worth the premium. They have become my go to short. I use them with a Dirt Baggies or Specialized SWAT bib liner. I should probably try the KETL bib liner at some point. The only quibble would be the backwards pockets let things slip under my leg when I am driving, but they work very well out on the trail. I will definitely pick up at least another pair of the shorts.

The jerseys fit well, feel good on and are well made. If KETL comes out with one in purple, I will definitely buy another one. I would probably buy another one in red or blue, but I don’t like the avocado color. In the meantime, the jersey fits nicely in the rotation with my Club Ride jerseys. Unlike the shorts, I am not automatically reaching for the jersey when I go out to ride.

KETL’s first attempt at MTB clothing is a winner and definitely worth the premium price. Looking forward to seeing what they come out with next.