Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Maxgear Ionergized Compression short sleeve top

8
£34.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Good base layer, although we're sceptical about the the ion technology
Weight: 
0g
Contact: 
www.maxgear.co.uk

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

You know the full SP on compression gear by now, right? It’s designed to increase the flow of blood to your muscles and so improve your speed and power, and to help disperse waste products like lactic acid. Yes, it sounds far-fetched but this is a world where Noel Edmonds still makes a living on TV so who knows what’s really possible?

What’s different here, according to the manufacturer, is that “Max Ionergized compression clothing delivers ionised energy to the body through a negatively charged magnetic field held within the polyester based main fabric”.

Crikey!

The benefits of this, it’s said, include maintaining overall good health, relief from aches and pains, regulation of body temperature, improved focus and attention, and helping to alleviate feelings of anxiety, stress and depression.

Sorry, we’re just not going for that. Compression clothing? Probably. Noel Edmonds? Meh. Ions? Nah. Maybe we'll be proved wrong, in which case we'll apologise and take it all back, but for now we're maintaining a healthy scepticism.

This is actually a really good base layer, though. The polyamide/elastane fabric is extremely comfortable. Flat-stitched with raglan shoulders and mesh panels along the sides, it feels great on – lightly squeezing rather than restrictive, as long as you get the right size.

We put it on, went out and cranked it up, and came home to find the black dye had run into the Assos jersey we were wearing over the top. Should have put it through the washing machine first – it might have said that on the labels. Anyway, the dye came out okay and we guess it does demonstrate that this top effectively shifts sweat away from your body. It has an anti-microbial application too, helping to keep nasty niffs at bay.

Verdict

Effective wicking base layer, although we're sceptical about the benefits of a compression top for cycling and don't buy into the ion technology

road.cc test report

Make and model: Maxgear Ionergized Compression short sleeve top

Size tested: M

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 comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes, it feels great and does its job well

Would you consider buying the product? Yes, it's a decent price

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 184cm  Weight: 74kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

Latest Comments