Howies

Howies' Classic Vail Merino tee is made from merino wool and it's a good, casual option if you're likely to spend the day both on and off the bike.

There's nothing bikey about the cut of this shirt – Howies don't market it as cycle-specific. It's a pretty standard T-shirt shape, albeit fairly slim through the body – which is useful because it doesn't flap around too much when you're riding.

The Howies Brenin jacket has left me somewhat torn. Objectively £100 is a lot to pay for a featherweight polyester shell that feels as if it will rip come the first skirmish with a vindictive bramble. On the flip side, it's been the most comfortable jacket I've ever used, with superb moisture management that keeps tempo with increasingly spirited efforts.

Designed to be a do-it-all backpack for commuters and leisure cyclists, the Roadsign bag from Howies isn't intended as an all-singing, all-dancing technical rucksack. It looks good and it serves a purpose, while adhering to Howies cool image at the same time.

This 100% merino wool base layer provides loads of natural warmth and it's environmentally sound too.

The Jethro is made from 215g Zque (see below) merino which is a fairly heavyweight for a base layer. To give that some context, Howies' NBL Classic base layer is 190g while the NBL Light that we reviewed recently is 150g.