Outfoxed Urban Legend Women's Jersey

Outfoxed is a new UK based independent women only cycling clothing company, whose mission is to provide more choice for all female cyclists. This Urban Legend jersey is one of seven graphic designs with the same fabrics and details.

Outfoxed have built a strong brand based around inclusiveness and a desire to share experiences both from and with their customers. Despite being a small company, I've already spotted a couple of women in the West Country sporting the jerseys, and there are plenty of candid photos submitted on the Outfoxed website of kitted-out women of all shapes and sizes.

The seven versions of the Outfoxed jersey feature a variety of blues, pinks and purples and geometric patterns, birds and short phrases. They're certainly a bit different from a lot of the styles on the market, which are usually a sideline of a brand catering mostly for men. To my mind, the current range is all pretty feminine in design - there's no option for looking gender neutral in this women's specific cut - but that's arguably the point.

What I really like, and what will make this a very interesting brand to follow, is that the small team at Outfoxed are also really keen to listen and take on board suggestions from their customers. They've even got a dedicated 'Have Your Say' page to crowdsource ideas for new designs they plan to release.

The women at Outfoxed obviously care a lot about the customer experience. Each jersey is sent with a quirkily branded 'Bags of Ethics' environmentally friendly tote and an enveloped card. This is all shipped in high strength mailing bags that will biodegrade as industrial compost.

Ethos and niceties aside, there is also a lot of thought put into the product itself, and it shows. Outfoxed concede that you can't make a one-size-fits-all, so have instead researched the best sizing to fit the widest range of women. They've settled on 'a cosy but not super tight fit'. The medium (12) on test was surprisingly generous, sitting comfortably on my hips and chest. The collar and arms are unrestrictive, and the longer length on the body is reassuring. Despite all this, it's not a loose-fitting jersey, and rather nicely skims inward at the waist for a flattering female shape.

One of the Outfoxed jersey taglines is 'ride up mountains, not hips' and the length and strip of silicone gripper at the back have done a good job of reinforcing this in use. The jersey's fabric is light, soft, and wicks very well. It's on the thin side, but the cut suits layering, so this actually makes it more versatile for comfortable year round use. I've really enjoyed the layering freedom, especially with the generous rear pockets to carry surplus garments as the day wears on.

There are only two big pockets at the back, which might divide opinion. I really appreciated the much larger capacity of each pocket; my wind jacket packed in reasonably flat, rather than the usual stuffsack-like cramming ritual. However, just carrying a single pouch for basics - normally slipped in my middle pocket - did feel a bit unbalanced.

In addition to the standard pockets, there is a small zipped one for valuables, easily accessed with a toggle and rubber tab etched with the Outfoxed logo. The logic from Outfoxed is that a horizontal zip negates any possibility of items falling out. Unfortunately there's another less welcome side effect of having the zip in this position, discovered only when I had to lug my laptop from work in a backpack. The zip actually closes with the toggle and zip head near the spine. With my fully loaded bag, this meant pedaling home trying to ignore the small bit of metal and plastic being sharply pressed into the small of my back. Not pleasant, but only an issue if you're a regular bag-on-back commuter.

Verdict

Great all-round jersey with a feel-good female factor