Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Wool Watch: Swobo Bobby for $42

(Sorry for the lack of posts lately, it has been a mixture of being busy and also sick. I'll spare you all the gory details, but I spent the latter half of the weekend heaved over and praying over the porcelain altar, if you catch my drift. Food poisoning? Stomach flu? Who the heck knows but I'm glad I'm starting to feel normal again, especially being so close to our Joshua Tree trip. Anyway, I'm going to put up a flurry of posts the next few days to give you guys some fun reading.)

SWOBO's Merino Bobby has taken another price dip, putting it at a very affordable $42! At the moment I own four of these shirts and am tempted to get a few more at this price?

Why? Well, I forget exactly which Riv Reader The Great GP advised that if you found something you really liked, buy several of them, because they will no doubt be discontinued or their design will be tampered with. This is how I feel about the SWOBO Merino Bobby. The wool is just right thickness to feel like a proper shirt. Unlike some IBEX and Ice Breaker shirts that feel like you're wearing lingerie because they are so thin.

I've worn the Bobby around town, to photoshoots, on long rides and some short tours and I think it really is the best all around shirt I own. It has buttons so you can open it up when it gets hot during a long ride. It has a useful chest pocket for putting things like subway tickets, spare cash and receipts. I get mine a little on the loose side so when I'm on tour I can layer it with a longsleeve shirt underneath. On sunny days, I'll flip up the collar to help protect my neck.

Can you tell I really like this shirt?

7 comments:

JPTwins said...

Sweet, Russ, thanks!

I just ordered the bright orange one -- man, that's some serious orange. Come to think of it, I don't think I have ANY orange clothing.

Geoff

jim g said...

http://www.backcountry.com/store/SWB0009/Swobo-Merino-Cycling-Jersey-Short-Sleeve-Mens.html

These were 50% off just a short while ago, but even 35% off is nice...

Anonymous said...

How would you describe the fit? Is it meant to be worn tucked or untucked?

In other words, is it one of these really long shirts that extends down way below the waist so it can be tucked in and never come out? Or does it drape nicely, untucked, a couple inches below waist-level?

RussRoca said...

Anon...well, the fit is more standard shirt size than anything...not overly long.

I do however wear perhaps a size larger than I could so it is tuckable without too much creep.

That said, I think the tucking issue also has a lot to do with riding style. My bike posture isn't overly aggressive (handlebars a hair taller than the seat) so it seems to provide good coverage. Riders with a bit more aggressive riding position might have more problems.

cyclotourist said...

Thanks for the heads up, RR. I'm going to pick up a couple (I sure Grant P's philosophy there). Not sure on the sizing, so will probably have to get a couple of each and hope they have a return policy! Not sure I like the logo up on the top of the shoulder/neck area. Looks unnecessary.

Anonymous said...

Hadn't noticed the logo. Hmm, might be a deal breaker. Otherwise, these are exactly what I've been looking for.

JPTwins said...

woah, i just got mine in the mail today and am already wearing it. the orange isn't anywhere near as intense as i expected -- in fact, it's much more red, which is actually preferred!

definitely worth checking out. i'm a tall guy and the L is long enough.