Review: 661 Freeride Shorts & Jersey

Check out MoreDirt's review on the SixSixOne Freeride Jersey and Short Combo that Angus has been casting his eye over for the last few weeks! Awesome stuff!

2014 is already looking like a vintage year for Six six one with the introduction of a new line of apparel to the build on the already successful line up of protection from years previously.

We took delivery of the all new 661 Freeride shorts and jersey a while back for a full review. Check out what we make of it after a few weeks in the saddle.

The Jersey

Styling

The Freeride jersey is available in 3 colours. Red , Green and Blue. We’ve obviously been putting the green variety through the mill, which arguably is the more garish end of the spectrum, but we think it looks great!

The jersey print consists of sublaminated fade free polyester which has stayed true to its name after about 10 trips through the washing machine. It’s still looking as fresh as day one with even the white actually returning back to white!

661 fall under the One Industries Europe banner so it’s no great surprise that the Freeride jersey has that same familiar level of quality that we have previously seen and come to expect from the One Industries range over the last 2 years. The quality of fabrics, stitching and cut have caused us no problems during our time with the jersey.

Features.

I sometimes find that the collar and neck line can be a sticking point for myself on certain jerseys as somebody with broad shoulders and a 17” collar size. The freeride jersey is pretty much the exact kind of thing I look for. A little bit more than a straight out round neck but no heavy structural engineering and seams in awkward places that have a tendency to make things slightly uncomfortable.

Some other cool little features are a patch of microfiber sewn into the bottom of the jersey that is perfect for cleaning your glasses and goggles. It’s not a game changer that’s going to seal the deal but it’s something that once you know it’s there you’ll never look back!

We paired the jersey with the freerider shorts!

RRP. £34.99

The Shorts.

Styling

The Freeride shorts from 661 are available in 3 different varieties. Green, Camo and Black. The intention is that the Camo and Green shorts would obviously be paired with the Green jersey so as not to permanently damage anyone’s vision… The more understated black shorts however can be used with all 3 colours… the Green, Blue and Red jerseys.

The green colour Angus has been running is fairly bright but thankfully it doesn’t make you feel too much like Kermit the frog when you catch a glance of yourself which was something I was a little conscious of!

Green could be the colour of choice for 2014!

Construction

As for construction the shorts cut is about as close to perfect as you could wish with a 12.5” inseam that is perfect for all mountain riding and sits just on the knee pad. The leg holes are wide enough to be able to run even some pretty serious leg protection like 661’s new Rage hard shell pads without interference but aren’t so wide your going to get your shorts hooked on tree stumps.

The intention is that the Camo and Green shorts would obviously be paired with the Green jersey so as not to permanently damage anyone’s vision…

The shorts are incredibly lightweight with a polyester construction that is part of the reason why they dry so quickly. They dry quickly both on your legs at the trails and when they are fresh from the washing machine after getting muddy!

Coming back in from a ride you can stick both the shorts and jersey in the washing machine on a cool cycle, stick them on the radiator and 2 hours later they are good to go, factory fresh. It’s one of those things that is incredibly important in the real world but very often overlooked.

The material is very soft and comfortable which is a real bonus if your planning on spending a full day out riding in the shorts but I did find that the material can snag up quite easily on thorns and brambles but that probably isn’t going to be a problem for the majority of people out for a standard ride!

It’s a really cool feature however to see a proper riding short with not only an internal elastic waist adjuster but belt loops! It’s a small thing but none of the less a feature I’ve been craving for years!

The shorts come with an included liner, which is of pretty high quality when compared to some of the other free included chamois liners I’ve had experience with! It’s got pads in all the right places and even has hook and loop attachments to keep it connected to the waist band on the shorts.

RRP. £64.99

Conclusion

They look great, are incredibly comfortable and come in at a decent price point! For a first attempt at the MTB tech clothing line the freerider short and jersey from 661 is an absolute belter.

Not forgetting the fact it’s also pretty cool to be able wear a jersey that supports one of the heavy weights of the protection world! You can’t call yourself a mountain biker if you haven’t used a pair of 661’s knee pads at some point in your career!

An awesome start to the apparel lineup for 2014 from Six Six One and long may we hope it continues!

Six Six One are distributed in the UK by One Industries Europe.