The Attack Pant allows test rider Simon Blair to feel unrestricted, yet, he won't have to deal with the nuisance of loose pant cuffs hooking on bike pegs or random branches.
There are a plethora of companies that manufacture and sell dirt bike apparel. Like in any other industry, some products are better than others, and certain brand names tend to continuously carry the accepted label of the industry standard. However, in order to stay ahead of the competition a company has to develop new and innovative designs that make their gear stand out. No Fear has done this with their new Attack Pant and Jersey combo.
The Attack Pant combines a freestyle, baggy upper leg design with a separate MX-style in-the-boot design for the lower leg. This allows the rider to feel unrestricted, yet, he or she won't have to deal with the nuisance of loose pant cuffs hooking on bike pegs or random branches. Baggy pants, although sometimes more comfortable, can become a liability when riding in the woods because the loose fabric is an open invitation for unexpected snags.
The first thing our testers noticed about the Attack Pant was that the size was true to form. If you wear a size 32 jeans, then chances are the same size will fit you in the No Fear gear. The pants were comfortable from the get go, and the construction of the materials feels solid. The upper and lower sections of the pant are separated by mesh, which doubles as a really slick ventilating system. There is also a pad in the rear belt area for added protection of the lower back and tail bone. The lower leg is made from a stretchy neoprene material with strategically placed vent holes. The thinner material and cuff design fits well in your boots and provides a full day of comfortable riding, but the less dense neoprene might lack structural integrity. It seems to be holding up so far, but then again, with relatively limited use the material should be.
Even though our testers haven't used this product for an extended period of time, they have already fallen in love with the general performance of the new Attack Pant.
The material is completely breathable, but with so much white in the design, the gear is hard to keep clean.
And what would the Attack Pant be without the Attack Jersey? Although high-end tops tend to perform similarly, the No Fear gear does stand out in some areas. The material is comfortable and breathes well, while the graphics and logos are top notch. Of course if I'm talking about a two notch rating system, then top notch isn't really that amazing, but I'm not. I'm talking about a multiple-notch rating system, where top notch is an appraisable feat to reach. No Fear also took the time to put our tester's names on the back, which was an added bonus.
All of the Attack gear was washed in warm water and dried on normal heat, and no fading or peeling occurred. We even went the extra mile and dried the gear on high just to see how it held up. Although this is not recommended, the logos and stitching handled the abuse well.
The ribbed polyester was comfortable against the skin, and the ventilating system in conjunction with the moisture wicking treatment kept our guys cool. The extended tail also allowed the jersey to remain tucked in throughout the day.
The last part of the ensemble is the Attack Gloves. It seems that most gloves wear out considerably faster than the rest of the gear. Many companies use stretchy material along the sides of the gloves and on the finger tips for comfort, but the thin material tends to blow out quickly. That being said, the Attack Gloves' leather in the palms and finger area connect directly to the back of the glove, which appears to hold up better than other designs. The material is lightweight and breathes well enough to keep the hands relatively dry throughout a day-long ride. Unfortunately, the slick-looking, hard rubber pieces on knuckles of the gloves peeled off way too quickly.
The rider identification graphics seem to be affixed to the jersey very well, unlike many other jerseys available.
The gear was comfortable and performed well. However, now that I have raised No Fear's Attack gear on a pedestal, I must bring them back down. Despite the fact our testers don't mind getting their hands dirty; they don't want to look like scrubs either. Unfortunately, they're not Pro Factory Riders, which means they crash on a daily basis. And when you're riding through the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, you're bound to encounter your fair share of mud and dust. The Attack gear, having an awful lot of white in the design, becomes a dirt tint after only one or two rides. If there were more color in the designs, this wouldn't be as big of an issue. And finally, the colors options are too limited. There are only two choices; black/white and blue/white. Even though we don't want to sound like prima donnas, we would like to see a few more colors.
At $169.95 for the pant, $59.95 for the jersey, and $37.95 for the gloves, the Attack combo is definitely not the cheapest equipment out there. However, everything is comfortable and functions well, so in the end it lived up to our expectations.
