Leatt’s gravity kit features tapered lower legs, compression-like sleeves and some clever details that make so much sense for racers.

| WORDS: Myles Kelsey | VISUALS: Cheri Rossouw & Co, Arno Van Der Merwe |

The inspiration for this kit came from the World Cup squad Pivot Factory Racing who were looking for marginal gains, against the clock. The outcome is a race kit that isn’t packed with endless features that you don’t always need, instead it has all the bells and whistles for speed.

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Details

The jersey and pants combination is priced at ±R5k, which is on the upper end of price points. Premium it most certainly is and the crew at Leatt are saying no resources were spared in the development of the kit.

The torso section of the jersey is designed with a slightly more relaxed fit and is made from Leatt’s own IceYarn fabric that aids cooling. A series of laser cut perforations across the upper back and sides of the chest provides ventilation directly onto the skin. To reduce seams and maximize comfort, Leatt has used a single panel design for the front and rear of the jersey.

The collarless design has a broad neck opening, which is the way high performance racing garments are going — it feels easier to breathe when there is less material in this area. In keeping with the ‘make it aero’ brief, the torso section does taper somewhat on the sides and the jersey has a slightly extended tail.

The sleeves are made with a high-tech knitted fabric that is designed to hug the arms thereby maximizing aerodynamics. The sleeve has one long internal seam running down the inside of the arm that is barely visible. Sections of the shoulder and elbow areas have knitted reinforcements for protection and durability.

The pants are pricey, but Leatt has added a lot of smart details to them. The lower section has two main panels that taper towards the ankle with very few seams and a mix of fabrics to bring both durability and comfort to the party.

Above the knee, running up the inside of the legs is a lightweight stretchy material with small perforations for ventilation. Across the thighs and butt is a more robust, yet still stretchy fabric with two large zippered pockets positioned on the side of the legs.

Like their motocross pants, fastening and adjustment is through a buckle system that connects to an elasticated waistband that slides inside a channel, around the waist. On the lower back / upper butt is a panel that covers a large four-way stretch section of material designed to add comfort.

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Ride Impressions

FIT & COMFORT | Whilst the jersey and pants are designed for racing, with a ‘race fit’, the sizing runs true to Leatt garments and other brands were I am mostly a medium jersey and size 32 pants. The jersey is long enough to run it fully tucked in, or loose. The sleeves are also pretty long, fitting right onto the glove but without any excess material folding and cramping around the wrists. I found both the pants and jersey have a soft and smooth feel.

The lower half of the pants hug the shins making for a very aero feel whilst the slightly looser fit around the thighs gives plenty of room for movement. Around the waist, the the full length elasticated belt adds even tension without bunching up the fabric. Overall, with all the elasticated sections and four-way stretch material, I found the pants are extremely comfortable and easy to move in. In fact, they feel just as comfortable as my after-gym, nobody is coming to visit, let’s hit Netflix, tracksuit — you know the one.

PERFORMANCE | Movement – that’s the key to being safe and fast in gravity racing. There’s a lot of quick body movement necessary and anything that restricts movement too much, will slow you down. My biggest concern with this aero-style race gear is that it would do just that, restrict movement. Turns out, all those panels, technical fabrics and 3D knitting, does the exact opposite – movement, mobility and range of motion is very unrestricted.

You should also know I found there is plenty of space for knee guards, even the bigger ones. There’s also enough room under the jersey to run the slimmer body armour — that’s the back and chest protector type. Although I never attempted it, with the stretchy material used in the jerseys sleeves, you could also run slimmer elbow guards.

On hot days, the pants felt cooler than some of the Enduro and Trail pants I’ve used. As temperatures rise above 30-degrees, the jersey is still cool on the main body part but the sleeves tend to hold the heat, when stationary. Having two large zippered pockets on the pants, that easily fit big phones and lots of snacks, is a nice touch. In terms of outright performance, I can’t fault this kit. The look is sleek and stylish, whilst the comfort is better than a lot of less technical trail kit I’ve used.

BOTTOM LINE | Gravity racing and riding tends to entail long days with many hours ‘kitted up’ – it’s not uncommon to spend upwards of five hours in your riding gear. Having comfortable gear, that can also deal with various weather conditions and provide protection, is thus essential. With this new Gravity kit, Leatt deliver on those needs and have added one more element that is becoming just as crucial to racers seeking marginal gains; aerodynamics. While some riders might struggle to justify the cost, the Leatt 5.0 Gravity Kit feels fast, looks good and gives racers everything they could possibly need from their gear, to perform. //

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