RH+ reveal 2013 range highlights

Italian brand RH+ have some new products and a new UK distributor in the shape of Veroli, and they just came to visit us at Road.cc to show us some of next year’s highlights.

RH+ have been around for over a decade now and they’re up there with Castelli as a leading brand in Italy, although they’re not nearly so well known over here.

Confusingly, while RH+ is a clothing brand, ZeroRH+ is the brand name the same company give to their helmets and eyewear. It’s all to do with copyright issues; they can’t use the ‘Zero’ bit when applied to clothing.

One of the most interesting pieces RH+ had to show us was this Powerlogic Dryskin jersey (main pic) which will debut in the spring/summer 2013 collection. The new Dryskin fabric is incredibly light – RH+ say it is the lightest jersey fabric in the world at 70g per square metre (if that means anything to you).

There are no doubled-up hems anywhere. The fabric is just chopped off and left raw edged at the waist and the ends of the sleeves, and there’s no danger of it fraying.

The seams aren’t stitched either. Instead, the panels are laser welded together – which is something we’ve seen on shell layers before but not on a summer jersey. This means that they’re very flat.

The fabric is certainly very stretchy for a close fit and RH+ reckon it dries superfast. Laser-cut holes provide ventilation and the front zip is full length.

The top jersey in the range, the Dryskin will cost £180. The Powerlogic series is where RH+ put their new technology so maybe the fabric will filter down to cheaper price points in time.

RH+ don’t really aim at the entry-level market but they have a wide range of mid to high-end clothing. The Velocity kit is much more affordable. This Estro jersey, for example, will be £60. You still get a full-length front zip and reflective highlights, and while the Dryskin jersey is what RH+ call a ‘skin fit’, this is a much more relaxed regular fit

The shorts look pretty cool too. These Legend bibshorts, for example, with microfibre elastic leg grippers and a mesh upper, will be £70.

The ZR is a new helmet for 2013. The most innovative feature is the inner cage that’s made from injected plastic that’s co-moulded to the polystyrene for extra strength. It’s low profile and looks pretty distinctive – it’s a little more angular than most.

Just trying one on in the office, we found that the fit system could reach a long way down the back of your head for a secure feel. You adjust it, like most these days, via a dial at the back.

Zero RH+ reckon you’re looking at a weight of 285g for the L/XL model. That doesn’t put it among the lightest helmets out there, but it’s a reasonable weight. It will cost £135 when the range becomes available in February.

The claimed weight for the £90 ZW is actually lighter at 275g (L/XL size). It uses the same Power Fit retention system and internal padding and it looks neat to us. The ZW is available with a peak, and in that guise it’s called the 0/2000. That’s £90 too.

The other big area for Zero RH+ is eyewear. They supply both Lampre and Saxo Bank professional teams so got a load of publicity recently when Bertie Contador wore their specs while winning the Vuelta.

The top-of-the-range model is the £120 Stylus. You can bend the frame all over the place and it won’t crack and the photochromatic lenses are equally flexible. That means that when you sit on them – and sooner or later you will – you won’t ruin them and, even more important, they won’t shatter and damage your eyes if you crash.

The Gotha XS is a lot cheaper at £75. You can’t bend these in the same way but the nosepiece snaps into two different positions and, like the arm tips, it’s made from a non-slip material to keep them in place.

The Radius Teams are £65 and come in a range of different frame and lens colour options.

We won’t be reviewing any of the summer kit for a while – with winter peeping over the horizon, like – but we should get a helmet sample through fairly soon. We’ll let you know how we get on.

For more info visit www.zerorh.com.