JACKETS: Corazzo The Max (and Urbano Gloves)

[bfreed]

My Max jacket and Urbano gloves arrived in the mail last night. I was planning to wait until I've ridden in them for a while before starting a review - at least until after their first rainstorm.

But, my first nice surprise happened when I opened the box: The Max DOES have back armor (at least mine does). Thought I'd throw that out there in case anyone else is on the fence between the Max and the 5.0 like I was. Corazzo's website lists elbow, shoulder, and back armor for the 5.0, but only elbow & shoulder for the Max. I almost went with the 5.0 just for that reason. So I was really excited to find the Max also has the back armor!

So since I've gone and started writing early, more initial impressions:
Fit: good. I'm 5'6", ~140lbs. I wear a size 36 suit jacket. The Max, size Small, fits well. The sleeves are a hair longer than needed (a good thing, IMO). The fit around the middle is snug - just like a soft shell should be. But if your build is more... stocky... than mine, you might want to go up a size. I should start running to make sure I can still wear the Max next year.

Ventilation: seems good so far. Large pit zips, as advertised. As a bonus, the front pockets are mesh-lined, and ride a little high and inside - with the pockets zipped open, they serve as additional vents on the front. This is probably most effective without a windshield - seemed to work well for me at 6am. It's supposed to be 94 degrees for my commute home. I'll let you know how that goes.

The reflective piping seems to throw a good bit of light back at the camera - nowhere near the retina-burning effect of the 5.0, but noticeable. At least it's noticeable in the viewfinder of the DSLR. Not so much on the screen. Stupid Nikon, always compensating to avoid blowing out highlights. (yes, I tried manual settings, but I may have forgotten to turn off auto ISO - I'll try again when I have a minute).

The only negative, right out of the box, is that the neck digs into my throat when it's zipped up all the way. It sort of curls inwards. I'm hoping that's a function of being folded up for shipping, and that it'll work itself out in time. If so, then the snug neck should be perfect for keeping light rain out, which is the main reason I wanted the Max over the 5.0.

As for the gloves, they are as advertised in every respect. "The glove for people who do not want to wear gloves, but know it is the right thing to do anyway." Yup. Not a ton of knuckle protection, and no edge(?) protection (what does one call the part of the hand you karate-chop with?), as the sides of all the fingers and the edge(?) of the hand is a spandex or lycra material - no abrasion resistance there. The palms and back of hands are more durable materials. The palm has extra thick skid pads in the areas that always got chewed up falling off my bike as a kid. Seems right.

They're very snug (again, size Small for me) without being overly restricting. This morning I was able to buckle my helmet strap with the gloves on. I was able to dig my parking pass out of my pocket with the gloves on. I could feel the turn signal switch, I could tie my boots. Etc.
If you routinely travel at higher speeds, I might pick something with more protection. But if your commute is low-speed and fishing small items from your pockets is a big deal, these gloves are just about perfect.

Only negative - the very first time I put them on, I snagged the spandex/lycra on the wrist velcro, and it roughed it up a bit. I'm careful now to pull the opposite glove on by the leathery part next to the velcro, and avoid snagging the side of the finger.

[ericalm]

Good review! I'll move it to the Reviews section after some comments, questions, if any.

And let us know how it works out once you've used the for a while.

Thanks!

[ERik3tb]

I want to know if/when that collar straightens out.

Other then the edge of the hands, how does the protection seem with those gloves?

[bfreed]

*other* than the edge protection, I'd say the protection seems good for urban situations. The back of the hand has a bit of foam padding, and the finger backs have little rubbery plates between the knuckles - presumably to take the sting out of rocks and bugs.

On the palm, there's a thin layer of leather covering most of the hand, with added Kevlar pads at the base of the hand - one on each "cheek," if you will. The Kevlar pads are pretty thick - I have no doubt my hands would be fine, as long as I'm mainly sliding on the pads, with lighter contact on the leather.

Jacket update:
in 94 degrees, it's no mesh jacket. As long as I kept moving, I was fine, but traffic lights were a little rough. It IS definitely better than the Old Navy Peacoat I was using while waiting for the Corazzo to arrive.

It is great to have in the wind, though. Tuesday night on the way to dinner, my arms got sweaty and I wished I was cooler. But when the sky turned black, and the wind blew over 2 outdoor tables and a couple umbrellas, and the restaurant deck erupted in panic...
The ride home was dicey. Especially the 3/4 mile bridge. But I was comfortable in the jacket - so I could focus on not getting blown over.

Alas, I beat the rain, so still no report on its waterproofing.
On a 60-mile roundtrip last night, I was comfortable with the vents open at ~80 degrees. Four hours later, I was also very comfortable with the vents closed at ~60 degrees. The neck, by the way, still seemed restrictive when I zipped it up, but it didn't bother me so much once I was riding. Maybe because I was busy scanning for deer? For whatever reason, it seemed fine.

I've really got to remember a camera one of these days. I am planning to add some photos, especially of the gloves...

[alienmeatsack]

Thanks for the info. I have been looking at those same gloves as well.

I have short fat fingers, so most gloves tend to feel odd when I am wearing them, especially in the tips where there is nothing but air.

If you can get some pics up, that would be great.

r

[bullitt02]

Getting ready to purchase my first jacket. Just wondering whether the back armor is in the 2009 version of the Max? It's still listed as shoulders and elbows only. Also, the arms do seem long...is that for wrist protection? I'll be wearing gloves. Thanks!

[ericalm]

The arms are long because they should fit when you're in the riding position, arms slightly bent.

As far as I know, the 09 has the back armor as well. It may just not be CE Rated Knox armor. You could always call a dealer or email Corazzo.

[CorazzoDesign]

Hey Thanks BFreed for the review. Customer feedback is everything to us.

So to answer a coupla questions definitively, the Max does come with back armor. I will have the website updated. The collar on the Max, as with any collar works better for some than for others. People with long necks love the tall collar on the 5.0, but short-neckers think it is too tall. As for the curling in, if it does not go away, then send it back and we'll get you a new one. Those pockets that act as vents were not a fluke, very very intentional. For a heavy rain situation, best to use a liquid seam sealer on the seams. The softshell is incredible.

The Urbano is a great glove, as Bfreed put it for a particular riding situation. We are working on some new designs for next spring that address the issues you brought up. We constantly try to improve our products, test our products (this was fun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVLosv46vrA ) and thoroughly inspect the gear that comes back to us (usually with a testimonial), as well as our own personal riding kit.

Anyhow, thanks for your support guys
As always, please feel free to write or call. I do not check my inbox here that often, so best to reach me directly, sales at corazzo.net

Best
Bradford
President
Corazzo

[n2tattoos]

can anyone confirm this?^^^^^

[ericalm]