We first met the Whackjob family at round 1 of the 2012 Halo British Downhill Series and I’ve loved catching up with them at every race since. Even better, their excellent trail tees have become an essential part of my riding kit – acting as absolutely reliable bits of technical clothing that are really comfortable, don’t soak up sweat and are nice and light.
The WJ Trail Tee – organic cotton and bamboo, subtle graphics, super light.
WhackJob is a family run brand that want to make great quality, comfortable technical clothes that are kind to the environment. They super enthusiastic about making friends and riding bikes and both thoroughly mental and absolutely lovely.
Whackjob’s main man – Joel Teague. Look out for Joel and his awesome coffee machine.
Whackjob’s ‘Trail Tee’ looks like a normal tee-shirt but actually does away with conventional cotton and is made of a blend of bamboo and organic cotton – all of which is ethically sourced and printed.
The result is an incredibly comfortable shirt that is light, soft, cool and doesn’t hold smelly sweat and moisture in the material when you ride. It works nicely as a base-layer under a rain-jacket or jersey but really is best worn on its own, covered in dust, when the sun is out. Since getting hold of my Trail Tee I’ve pretty much worn it every time I’ve ridden a mountain bike – it’s absolutely brilliant.
WJ’s Jersey – V-neck, tiny zip pocket, riding cut, also super comfy and organic cotton/bamboo.
The ‘Jersey’ is made of the same great material as the Tee except that it’s cut for riding with a V-neck and a slight ‘tail’ at the back. There’s also a small and almost unnoticeable pocket to the side of the jersey that’s big enough for your house key and cash card – ideal if you don’t want to carry a bag.
The most impressive thing about WJ’s gear is how inoffensive it smells after a ride – honestly showing no signs of being stinky after a week of riding in the sun. Whilst that’s good for soap-dodgers the real advantage is that sweat doesn’t stick to it as much as ‘normal’ teeshirts making it much more comfortable to wear for extended periods. I’ve been riding in Whackjob gear since it first turned up and I’m really finding it difficult to go back to using anything else – I’m super impressed indeed. WJ’s bamboo genuinely seems to have the sweat-wicking and anti-bacterial properties that it’s hyped up to have and it works really well as a material for riding.
 
WJ product in action – photo’d by Chris Ratford.
Not sure about the designs…? Sure, some are a bit of an acquired taste and we definitely prefer the mellower designs to the ones with ‘Whackjob Jim’ on them. Don’t let that put you off – there’s a selection of subtly branded tees that are more than low-key enough for the most snobby of fashion snobs. The plain dark-grey ‘A little bit simple’ range are my personal favourite, sporting only a subtle green ‘WJ’ logo on the sleeve.
For more from Whackjob check out www.whackjob.co.uk  or join them on Facebook here.
This review first appeared in issue 19 of Wideopenmag. Check it out here:
