Into the Wild – Alé Kenya Jersey and Sella Plus Bibshorts Review

Alé Kenya Kit Review: Alé Bike Wear has brought out a striking new design for the summer with African overtones, all the way from Kenya. Our man Chuck Peña takes the colorful new kit on a cycling safari to see how it performs in the wild.

Alé (pronounced like the French allez) is an Italian company whose kit you might recognize in the pro peloton — currently worn by the Bahrain Victorious, Groupama FDJ, and Bike Exchange teams.

That’s Alé kit under all the mud and muck

En route to the Cyclamen jersey on Stage 5 of this year’s Giro

Clear sailing on the airstrip in Mende on Stage 14 of this year’s TdF

It’s also been ridden to two consecutive World Championships by Julian Alaphilippe wearing the French Les Bleus.

Solo FTW in Flanders

You can buy all of the above kit from Alé if you want to emulate your cycling heroes. But me being me, I chose to go with the loud and colorful Alé PRR Kenya jersey to antagonize my heroes, i.e., Ed, Alastair, and Leslie.

PRR Kenya Jersey – $84.00
(NOTE: This is 30% off sale pricing only good through August 28)

What Alé says about this jersey:

Drawing inspiration from Kenyan art and culture, this distinctive jersey pairs the vibrancy of the African continent with advanced technical features to construct a warm-weather performance jersey. Lightweight, breathable fabrics deliver frenetic energy alongside total functionality, ensuring that you get ultimate comfort, ride after ride.

The jersey itself is a modern, race-inspired design. Construction consists of a single back panel, two side panels, two front panels that are joined together with a full length zipper, a low cut collar, and raw cut set-in sleeves that have a vent panel underneath. Alé uses serge stitching throughout.

On my 5’8″ 130 pound ectomorph frame, a size small was form fitting but not constricting. Alé uses the term “body mapping” and that’s how the jersey “clung” to me. The fabric is a “micro mesh” for venting/wicking that is soft and smooth to the touch.

Micro mesh for the main body of the jersey with a more open mesh on the underside of the sleeves for even more airflow/wicking

Reflective dots at the bottom of the jersey pockets

For modern road riding, the PRR Kenya Jersey ticks all the boxes:

• Comfortable race fit
• Low collar
• Long, raw cut sleeves
• Full zip

If it’s not full zip, it’s not a real jersey

Not a storm flap, but the backing at the bottom makes it easier to get the pin into the retainer box and the backing at the top prevents the zipper from chafing your neck

Low collar and long-ish sleeves are the hallmark of a race jersey #aero #marginalgains

Alé’s trademark fluo is apparent on the front and sleeves of the jersey, but a more subtle touch on the inside three rear pockets

And fluo for the rear silicone gripper

If there’s anything “lacking” in the PRR Kenya Jersey, it’s a secure zipper pocket for stuff like keys and ID. It’s not a dealbreaker, but my older Alé PR-S Bullet Jersey has one.

Definitely a lightweight jersey

PRR Sella Plus Bibshorts –$98.00
(NOTE: This is 30% off sale pricing only good through August 28)

Like pretty much all other bibshorts, the PRR Sella Plus Bibshorts adhere to a familiar construction:

• Multiple panels in the shorts section (I counted five main panels plus the leg grippers and a vented dart on each leg)
• Y-back bib section (with vented front and side panels, vented back panel, and wide, raw cut straps)

All those panels/sections are flat stitched to minimize rub/prevent chafing.

As with most of my other kit (except for a few manufacturers that have “quirky” sizing), I wear a size small in the Sella Plus bibs. They require a little bit of tugging to get on (mostly because of the leg gripper sections being … well … grippy), but it’s not like stuffing yourself into a pair of skinny jeans. Once on, the compression is comfortably firm. The leg grippers grip without being too tight and without the dreaded sausage effect. The bib straps are tight enough to hold the chamois in place (to prevent friction, which is the main cause of any discomfort down under rather than lack of padding) but not so tight as to be binding/digging in on my shoulders. The overall feel is somewhere in-between full-on race and lounge lizard comfortable.

These sections are a mesh material

The entire Y-back is also mesh/perforated

Wide leg gripper panels have reflective elements. And note the vented dart to help cool/wick. #marginalgains

The bib straps are suitably wide and sit comfortably on my shoulders

Speaking of chamois aka pad, Alé uses what they call their “4H shammy” that’s multi-density/thickness/firmness with dimpling. Instead of a perineal channel, the padding is softer in that area. The “4H” means that it’s supposed to be good for up to 4 hours of saddle time. I’ve only managed rides of a couple hours or so to date, but my butt and other important undercarriage bits have enough experience to know that I’d be good riding in the PRR Sella bibs for at least 4 hours, if not longer.

More Alé fluo, but not where anyone is going to see it

Here’s what I said about the Alé R-EV1 Agonista Plus Bibshorts (their top tier bibs) that I previously reviewed: “these may be the most comfortable bib shorts I’ve ever worn.” My bottom line is that the PRR Sella Bibshorts are pretty much in the same category.

Alé doesn’t spec weight, but the PRR Sella Plus bibs are definitely on the lighter side of the weight spectrum

Estesia Sleeveless Baselayer – $45.40
(NOTE: This is 30% off sale pricing only good through August 28)

One of the things I love about Alé is that they offer baselayers in something other than basic white. Just to be different (but if you must have white, they have that too). The Estesia baselayer in blue is a nice contrast IMHO to the colors of the Kenya jersey. At a distance, it looks like a solid fabric with a printed pattern. But closer inspection reveals it to be a mesh like most other hot weather baselayers.

It really is a mesh material

Some color to go with all the other colors

Functionally, the Estesia baselayer is like all my other hot weather baselayers. Which is to say it provides venting/wicking underneath my jersey. The result is that sweat moves from my skin through the baselayer and then to (and through) the jersey. The result is that I feel drier and cooler than I would otherwise. It’s not air conditioning, but it’s better than being totally drenched in sweat.

For the weight weenies

Kenya Socks – $24.50
(NOTE: This is 30% off sale pricing only good through August 28)

I couldn’t pass up the chance to go all matchy-matchy with the Alé Kenya Socks. They are made with a thin ribbed material that is soft and smooth against skin. Compression is mildly firm and the top is double-cuffed to create extra hold. In other words, a “typical” cycling sock that works a way a cycling sock is supposed to work.

Feets don’t fail me now!

#sockdoping

Soft spot for Africa

So far, my riding in the PRR Kenya Jersey and PRR Sella Plus Bibshorts has been in the South Carolina lowcountry where it’s hot (90s F) and humid. When I return to Babylon on the Potomac it will be more of the same. This kit has held its own in this kind of weather. Yes, I’m hot and sweaty — there’s no avoiding that. But I’m about as comfortable as comfortable gets given the conditions.

You’ll have to decide for yourself if you like the graphic design and symphony of colors of the PRR Kenya Jersey. I know style is in the eye of the beholder, but IMHO Alé has captured the look and feel of Africa with the jersey. It’s definitely a jersey to stand out from the crowd on your next group ride.

The fact that the jersey evokes Africa also touches a “soft spot” with me. I’ve been a longtime fan of the now defunct Qhubeka pro cycling team, which was the first African cycling team to ride in the Tour de France (2015). I vividly remember when Daniel Teklehaimanot made history that year donning the race’s coveted red polka-dot jersey (he held it for four days), becoming not only the first Eritrean but the first African to wear the iconic climber’s jersey. And I continue to support the Qhubeka charity “that moves people forward with bicycles in Africa.” Finally, I’m a huge fan of Eritrean rider Biniam Girmay of the Intermarché Wanty Gobert cycling team. He’s a tremendous talent and his wins at Gent-Wevelgem and the Giro (beating none other than Mathieu van der Poel in the sprint) this year are huge for cycling and African cycling — but more importantly, for breaking down color barriers in cycling. Watching both was watching history in the making.

So to all of y’all out in PEZ-land, as they say in Kenya: “Safari njema.”

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