Zoic Libertee

The following is a product review written by a Pittsburgh high-school senior, Colby Samstag. I thought it would be interesting to hear a completely unbiased opinion on a piece of bicycle specific clothing from a new cyclist, so I gave him the Zoic Libertee to review. Although Colby is new to bike commuting, he rides one of the toughest routes I can imagine. His neighborhood is home to the world’s steepest street, and he contends with some of the nastiest traffic in town.

It was a midsummer day and the sun was hanging high in the sky. The temperature lingers at ninety as I leave the door for my ride home, all uphill. I’m wearing my new shirt, eager to see why it’s so special. I decide that this insufferably hot day would be perfect for trying a new, longer route home. I quickly go through my Gatorade and my bottle of water. Still, I can’t do anything but finish the ride, so I keep going. I arrive home, sweat dripping from my face. I take off my messenger bag and I’m pleasantly surprised. My back feels absolutely dry. Impossible! I reach back and find my shirt is soaked through with sweat. Miraculously, however, my back is almost completely dry.

Since that first test run, I’ve found the shirt to perform just as well countless times. Unlike a “normal” t-shirt, which holds sweat in and sticks to my back, leaving it wet, this shirt literally sucks the sweat right off of me leaving me feeling much dryer during and after my ride. This, however, isn’t the only aspect of the shirt I’ve grown to love.

After riding, I quickly change into dry clothes and leave my riding clothes to dry in the sun. I always hope that they dry quickly. Depending on the day, I may be hopping back into those clothes pretty soon. It’s one of the worst feelings after a hard day to have to change into sweat-dampened clothes from earlier. This is never a problem with my Zoic Libertee. When evaporation hasn’t even begun to take its course on other shirts, my bicycle shirt is dry and ready to wear. The discomfort it has saved me is worth much more than the price of the shirt.

There are, of course, downsides to such a fantastic piece of apparel. First is the most obvious: the useless pocket. This particular shirt contains a small zippered pocket on the right sleeve. I have never used this pocket when riding. It’s simply too small for anything practical. I can imagine it being used for a credit card, money, or even a key, though. It just so happened in my daily riding that I never desired to use it for those purposes. I also suppose that a trail rider or a careless city rider might use it to hold an mp3 player. This might be a convenient pocket for such a device but I’ve never wanted to ride with one, instead preferring to listen to what goes on around me. My only other complaint is negligible: it doesn’t come in black. I usually only wear black clothes, so wearing a bright blue t-shirt was quite a difference. In fact, I’d received many comments, even in just the short time that it took for me to change into my everyday clothes. Surely, this won’t be an issue for most people, and I do otherwise enjoy their color selection. Simply put, this alone would not deter me from buying.

As one of my first pieces of bicycle attire, I was extremely surprised with the effectiveness of my Zoic Libertee. Any time I go out for a particularly long or exhausting ride, I wear my Zoic. I know that, unlike other shirts, it will keep me dry and comfortable. I also know that it will dry faster than anything else I own. When there are so many other things to worry about while riding, it’s nice knowing that my shirt is not one of them. I wholeheartedly recommend this shirt for anyone sick of sweaty backs and I certainly plan on buying more for myself. –Colby Samstag

The Libertee is made from 57% polyester and 43% bamboo charcoal. It’s available in five colors and sizes S-XXL. It retails for $30. Check out www.zoic.com.