February 18, 2013

Review/Giveaway: Albion Fit Love Racer and Bike Short

I was recently contacted by Albion Fit, a family-owned boutique fitness apparel company based in Salt Lake City. They asked me to do a review of some of their cute workout gear, and offered a giveaway to my readers in exchange! I definitely wasn’t going to turn down that generosity 🙂 For my outfit, I chose the Love Racer in seafoam green, and the Bike Short in graphite.

Images from Albion Fit

When I pulled the outfit out of the box, I loved the fresh green color of the tank – but then I got it out of the plastic bag and I was amazed. It was so soft! Despite the wicking properties, the material was still silky smooth, kind of like the Pure Beech modal sheet set I’ve loved for years. The bike shorts weren’t quite as silky smooth, but they were still a lot softer than the sometimes-plastic-y feel of other stretchy materials. I was excited to give my new outfit a try!

I may not be a fashion guru (stay tuned for my March challenge, which I’ve already identified), but I do know (and try to follow) the rule about mixing a tight top with a loose bottom and vice versa. Since both the bike shorts and the tank top were body-hugging, I wore them separately instead of together. Happy with my fashion sense, Theodora and Ash? 🙂

For round one of testing, I paired the Love Racer with a pair of capri-length yoga pants, and wore the combo to Brit’s Turbo NYC kickboxing class. I knew the tank was already off to a great start when my friend Taryn complimented the top and said it reminded her of a Lululemon design! The long length extended my torso while the ruching on the sides helped to hold me in, so the entire effect was quite slimming. As far as performance, I had initially been skeptical of just how wicking the material would be (it was so soft! Was it really athletic wear?), but despite how Brit always gets me sweating so much I’m afraid it’s going to fly off me and around the room, the wicking action worked and I was comfortable throwing a fleece on and continuing to wear the top to post-workout brunch.

My only complaint was that the material seemed a bit stretchier than your average tank. By the end of the sweaty class, the shoulders had stretched out just a bit so it wasn’t quite as supportive as it had been at the beginning. Not a huge deal; I’d guess that anyone who’s larger-chested is probably wearing a standalone bra under the tank anyway, like I was, so it doesn’t make much of a difference. Plus, after washing, it went right back to its original fit. If I had taken it to a less bouncy/sweaty workout, this may not have been a factor at all.

For the bike shorts, I put them through the ringer – taking them through both a Flywheel spin class and a Classic Pilates VBarre class. Again, I loved how silky soft they were when I put them on, and despite the lack of one of those grippy strips at the hem of the shot, they didn’t ride up when I was riding – so I found them to be more comfortable than normal bike shorts but still totally functional. Plus, the lack of grippy strips meant that they didn’t dig into my thighs and create an ugly skin bulge. For pilates, however, they did start to stretch out a little bit in the same way that the top did – so they were a much looser fit than traditional bike shorts. I wondered if perhaps I ordered a size too big, but again, when I washed them, they shrunk back down, so I think I chose right. (Note to self: it’s probably kind of gross to rewear gym clothes anyway, and I really ought to pack more fitness outfits when I’m traveling.)

One feature that I really liked, though, was the waistband that could be rolled up for maximum tummy support or rolled down to make the high waist into cute little hiphuggers. I really liked having the versatility to adjust the waist based on my workout and what I was wearing on top, and I though the white-on-gray colorblocking made them modern and cute instead of looking like every other basic pair of black or gray bike shorts. And one other fashion feature: one leg had a white flower design screenprinted on, so thin that you barely noticed it until you were up close. I liked the subtlety in this – again, it made the shorts more special than a basic solid color, but it also wasn’t a jarring design and you could easily still pair the shorts with a printed top.

Overall, I’m really happy with my Albion Fit apparel, and will definitely be continuing to wear it lots more in the future. And if you like what you hear and would like to try Albion yourself, you’re in luck – because I have both a coupon code to offer everyone, plus a giveaway for one lucky reader!

Giveaway!
Albion Fit has generously offered to provide either the Love Racer tank top or the Bike Short to one lucky reader! To enter, you must like Albion Fitness on Facebook, and then leave a comment here telling me what your favorite piece of workout clothing is on the Albion Fit website. Contest will run through Friday, February 22 at 5pm ET, at which time a winner will be chosen. Contest entry is open to all residents of the US and Canada.

Winner: Congratulations to #14, Alison! Please email me to claim your prize 🙂

If you see something you like while browsing and decide to purchase Albion Fit apparel on your own, use coupon code 50by2515 through Saturday February 23, and get $15 off your order of $50 or more!

Note: Albion Fit provided me with product samples, but I received no other compensation for this review, nor was I pressured to write a positive review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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24 thoughts on “Review/Giveaway: Albion Fit Love Racer and Bike Short”

  1. I liked Albion Fit on Facebook and since I hosted a giveaway for them but didn’t get to try their clothing I am interested in seeing how the racer top holds up for running and my total body class.

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