Sugoi Carbon LS baselayer

It was a good time to test out the Sugoi Carbon LS Long Sleeve Base Layer. It has been freezing out on the roads, so I was happy to have a warm base layer to review.

The LS Carbon Base layer works effectively. I was impressed with many parts of it, but there are a couple of aspects that stop it from gaining full marks.

One of the most important aspects of any base layer is how warm it keeps you during exercise. In this regard, it is very effective. I found that I could wear this and a wind proof jersey down to around 0 °C, which is impressive. It's made from FinoPro fabric, with an antibacterial element that comes from having carbon threaded throughout.

This allows it to avoid odour after use, which is certainly useful if you're commuting in it and so, needto be use it twice in one day without a wash.

While keeping you warm it also allows for a good amount of sweat wicking, moving the sweat away from your skin, something that at this time of year is vitally important if you want to maintain decent body temperature. To achieve this, Sugoi have used FinoPro Wicking Materials, which are fairly effective and comparable to merino wool or similar found in other base layers.

The fit is certainly in US sizes. Having been a large for almost every brand cycling kit, this came up very large on me, I would say that it is closer to an XL. It is therefore well worth trying it on before buying.

It has thumbholes and contoured sleeves, which are designed to create a secure fit and extra warmth when needed. Although I can see the logic in this, and despite me having a size that was slightly large on me, I found that the thumbholes would sometimes pull on the webbing of my thumbs. Although this is not a major flaw (after all you can just not use them) it does becoming irritating after a couple of hours in the saddle.

I think that one of the main causes of this is simply that this is not a cycling specific base layer, so it is not designed specifically with the constant bend in the arms that you have while cycling.

In terms of where it sits in the market, it is is priced well at £35, which is certainly cheaper than other base layers that I own, while easily matching them for performance.

Overall, I have been impressed with the Sugoi Carbon LS Base Layer. As a base layer it does everything that it needs to. It keeps you warm while wicking sweat effectively and also maintains antibacterial elements thanks to the carbon weave. The only downsides are the sizing, which means that you would not want to simply order this online, and the thumbholes that can be irritating after a few hours in the saddle.

Verdict

Warm base layer, but could do with being more cycling-specific