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review

Alé Intimo Velo Active Baselayer

7
£35.00

VERDICT:

7
10
A decent performing summer baselayer that is worth the outlay for that pro look
Weight: 
49g
Contact: 

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With the temperature having been knocking around the high 20s centigrade for the past few weeks, a simple, effective baselayer has been a godsend to keep you cool and dry. That's exactly what the Alé Intimo Velo Active has achieved, and while it might not be the cheapest out there, it offers decent quality and a good close fit.

  • Pros: Lightweight, soft against the skin
  • Cons: Pricey against some of the competition

The Intimo has a sensible cut where it fits relatively close without being like a second skin for those of us who aren't racing whippets. In fact the sizing is rather generous, as I often find myself going up to the next size in Italian made garments, but here this medium fits absolutely spot on. It's available in a size range of small, medium and extra-large.

Alé has created a bit of shape to the baselayer by adding side panels where a lot of companies don't, and this stops any bunching or rucking of the material under your bib shorts.

ale_intimo_velo_active_baselayer_-_back.jpg

The fabric is a composition of 93% polyester and 7% elastane, so it has a bit of stretch to keep it close to your body. It is also very soft and feels great as a first layer against your skin.

The material is woven into a mesh which has quite a wide weave to it and it does a really good job of wicking the sweat away from your skin and out to your jersey.

ale_intimo_velo_active_baselayer_-_neck.jpg

Work hard on the really hot days and it can get overwhelmed, but ease off the pace a bit and drop your jersey zip and you'll find that the Alé soon dries.

Despite being man made, it doesn't start smelling after just one wear so you don't have to keep washing it. I could easily get three or four decent rides out of it before it started to whiff. For such a flimsy, lightweight product it feels plenty durable enough, so passing it through the washing machine regularly shouldn't cause any issues.

The rrp for the Alé is £35, so okay it's not the cheapest, but it certainly isn't the most expensive either. Castelli's Pro Mesh Sleeveless anyone, for £55? It's also very well made and follows Alé's usual attention to detail when it comes to the finish. You won't find any stray threads or rough edges here.

> Buyer's Guide: 16 of the best cycling baselayers

You can certainly save some money though: for £20 you could go for the dhb Blok Mesh Sleeveless, which will do pretty much the same job judging by our review and its four and a half star score. Or there is one of my favourites, the Lusso Race Base, which matches the performance and fit of the Alé for £24.99.

If you want to match your outfit to your underwear, though, and go Alé throughout then maybe the £35 cost of the Intimo is worth it to you; it certainly does look quite cool with its grey and fluoro yellow colourway on show.

Verdict

A decent performing summer baselayer that is worth the outlay for that pro look

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Ale Intimo Velo Active Baselayer

Size tested: Medium/Large

Tell us what the product is for

Alé says, "When the temperature rises and you open your jersey, show the Alé style. The sleeveless mesh jersey in Velo Air is breathable and dries very quickly."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

DETAILS

Jersey in mesh fabric and at seams

TEXTILE COMPOSITION

MAIN FABRIC

93% POLYESTER

7% ELASTANE

Colour

Black/White, Grey/Fluro-Yel

Size

M, S, XL

Season

SS18

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10

A few extra panels give it a more defined fit than some of the cheaper options.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
8/10

Sensible sizing that tallies up with most UK kit.

Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

It's been washed loads with no ill effects at all. Just bung it in the washing machine with the rest of your kit.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Impressive wicking properties when it is very hot.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Good performance and fit.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Bit pricey.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes, especially at a decent discount.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

Does the job on even the warmest of days but if you look at the competition you'll see that you can get something similar for a lot less cash. It is a quality bit of kit though, with a nice fit.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 39  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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1 comments

Avatar
mike the bike | 5 years ago
0 likes

 

 

"..... is worth the outlay for that pro look."

 

This is wrong for me on so many levels.  A man of a certain age should never try to adopt the pro look, you just come across as pathetic.  It's like David Dimbleby getting his tattoo, a cry for the youth of long ago.

And that means I can save the £35 for more deserving causes, like the final instalment on my zimmer frame.

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