Fit
Having a jacket that fits properly is vital; it is the comfort of the
clothes that can make or break a ride. What I look for in a jacket is
something that can be adjusted in as many ways as possible. When
trying a jacket on do keep in mind that you sit down when you ride
(well, most of us do! I have seen the odd guy on a GS ride upright
on a road ride the entire way... I assumed he’d bought his jacket
while stood up!). So you’re looking for the arms to be a little long,
the wait to have a little room (keep room for thicker base layers
too, don’t go for Troy the fitness instructor’s t-shirt look) and the
jacket to run a little long in the waist. When you sit this is all going
to bunch up and expose bits to the elements that you really don’t
want exposed to anything, worse still in the case of an off these
bits are then exposed to gravel or tarmac and from one biker that
has been sent skidding down the road to another, that shit hurts!
Adjustments on the Qurizo are numerous. Starting with the sleeve
cuff; you have a Velcro fastener that pulls the cuff in but there is
also a large toothed zip that runs up the cuff about 12cm. The idea
being that you get the fit you want with the zip closed and use the
Velcro pull, once you have your fit then you don’t need to mess
with the Velcro again you just use the zip. This also allows you to
fit your gloves properly and we will talk more about that in the
glove review. Just know that when it rains glove cuffs go on the
INSIDE of the jacket sleeve or the water just runs down your arm
and fills your glove. Moving up the arms there are 2 elasticised
stud and snap systems. One at mid forearm and one at mid bicep,
the bicep has 3 settings and the forearm has 2 in order to snug the
fabric in or out as you see fit on the arms.
The collar is a low collar and comes with an inner and outer collar,
both of these are zips and cannot be adjusted. The outside of the
collar cuff has a Velcro flap over to seal the deal and there is play
in there to get a nice neck fit. The edges of the collar are padded
and smooth making the life saver look around easy and smooth. I
have a buff under my jacket to keep my neck from getting any
irritation that may put me off looking all around like an owl.
The waist has 2 adjustment areas to the jacket. The first one we
come to is elastic and adjusts like a belt system pulling or
loosening the mid waist area. The second adjustment feature is at
the base of the jacket and is two straps either side that attach to a
Velcro seal. All in all the jacket can be adjusted at just about every
area and that includes the armour inserts for the best fit possible.
It’s also important to note that the jacket comes with a zip at the
base and this is so that you can fully attach the pants to the jacket
and remove any gap on the lower back. I have the Q Pants and will
be doing a separate review on them in the next article.